Signing of license agreement between DRFZ and APE

The German Rheumatology Research Center Berlin, a Leibniz Institute (DRFZ) and the Berlin-based company Angewandte Physik und Elektronik GmbH (APE) signed a landmark license agreement on 16 May 2024 covering a technological invention from the DRFZ that enables both simple and cost-effective sterilization of liquid waste and sterile cell sorting in flow cytometers.

As part of this agreement, APE has licensed a pioneering patent (US9498550B2) from the DRFZ/TU Berlin. Toralf Kaiser and colleagues from the Flow Cytometry Core Facility (FCCF) of the DRFZ, together with APE, have developed a new technology for the inactivation of microorganisms in the carrier or waste liquid of flow cytometers. Until now, liquid waste from these devices could only be inactivated using complex chemical or physical methods such as autoclaving.

APE has integrated this innovative technology into its newly developed device, the FlowShield. The FlowShield uses UV-C LEDs to irradiate liquid in the flow cytometer during the flow, thereby sterilizing it. Irradiation of waste and carrier liquid not only efficiently inactivates the waste, but also enables sterile cell sorting.

An outstanding feature of the FlowShield is its simple connection to existing flow cytometers without complex installation. This offers laboratories a practical and cost-effective solution to optimize their waste disposal while ensuring sterility during cell sorting.