An industry-academia collaboration to advance sustainable bioprocessing through innovative materials for additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has been announced by Innovate UK (IUK), as part of the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation: Collaborative R&D fund.

Project Nexus - a collaboration between Photocentric, Sartorius, Metamorphic, CPI, the University of Sheffield and Imperial College London, is embarking on the development of new sustainable materials for application in single-use bioprocessing equipment such as bioreactors.

Single-Use Technologies (SUTs) offer numerous benefits, including faster setup and flexible process configurations, while significantly contributing to the reduction of resources like water, electricity, and caustic chemical usage. Although their waste contributes only about 0.002% to global plastic waste1, this project aims to further enhance the advantages of SUTs by introducing sustainable material formulations for additive manufacturing.

Through £1.4m of funding via the Innovate UK (IUK) - Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation: Collaborative R&D programme, Project Nexus brings together extensive expertise across advanced manufacturing automation, digital design and optimisation, as well as material innovation and bioprocessing, to pioneer the future of additive manufacturing (AM) of bioreactors at scale. The project aspires to offer a greener alternative to SU bioreactors with enhanced circularity and end-of-life pathways, all while retaining the flexibility of disposable systems. 

Jose Casamayor Alarco, technical fellow at University of Sheffield AMRC said, “We're excited to contribute the AMRC's wealth of experience in sustainable design engineering to Project Nexus. This collaborative initiative will be a significant step in making the biopharmaceutical sector more sustainable, ultimately advancing the UK's net zero ambitions.”

By utilising advanced 3D printing technology and newly developed eco-friendly, bio-based resins to produce thermosets that can be autoclaved for reuse, Project Nexus aims to tackle current challenges and enhance sustainability through greater circularity - aligning with government targets for reducing waste and promoting sustainable manufacturing.

The bioreactors will be tested for pharmaceutical R&D and point-of-care manufacturing, with potential reuse in industrial biotechnology for green chemical production. In addition to this, the technical, economic, and environmental impact will be assessed, highlighting the benefits of AM technology in reducing waste and enhancing efficiency through material circularity and system flexibility.

Paul Holt, founder and managing director of Photocentric, said: “Through harnessing the advanced capabilities of our latest 3D Printing innovation, JENI, we’re really excited to be part of this important partnership and the development of a new generation of cost effective, sustainable solutions for biopharma.”

Jeremy Pullin, head of AM & manufacturing technology of Sartorius, said: “The goals at the heart of the Nexus project go beyond simply enabling us to unlock the applications of today. They also allow us to realize the future obligations of us all, through the development of sustainable material formulations. Sartorius is committed, excited and proud to work alongside an amazing consortium of partners to bring this vision to reality.” 

Tony Jackson, director of formulation at CPI, said, "We’re excited to contribute our expertise in material innovation to Project Nexus. By developing a high-performance, bio-based resin tailored for bioreactors, we are enabling a more sustainable future for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Our focus on circularity and end-of-life solutions ensures that this project not only advances technological capabilities but also drives meaningful progress towards net zero goals. We look forward to collaborating with our partners to redefine the role of additive manufacturing in the sector."

Maria Papathanasiou and Cleo Kontoravdi at Imperial College London, said: “We are very excited for this opportunity to demonstrate the translational capabilities of digital design space for the advancement of sustainable biopharmaceutical manufacturing by design.”

Manolis Papastavrou, director at Metamorphic, said: “We are excited to be working alongside leading experts from industry and academia to address one of the biggest challenges faced by the bioprocessing industry today. Nexus embodies our commitment to innovation; we will be pushing the boundaries of bioreactor performance and resource efficiency by leveraging the design freedom that Additive Manufacturing has to offer.”

Project Nexus is fully established and set to deliver over the next 24 months. Further updates will be disseminated as this project progresses.