What is it about?
People who have lost bone tissue in the jaw or facial region due to cancer, infections, or accidents could benefit in the future from regenerative therapies based on the body’s own stem cells. So far, however, the production of these so-called mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) has been very labor-intensive, largely manual, and costs over 30,000 euros per patient—making widespread clinical application virtually impossible.
This is exactly where BioFACTORy comes in: Over the next four years, a European consortium will develop an automated platform, the “BioFACTORy Suite,” that covers the entire production process—from cell proliferation and quality control to the finished bioimplant. A central element is the so-called “AI Biologist”: a digital assistance system that makes autonomous decisions based on real-time process data, thereby aiming to make production more standardized, scalable, and cost-efficient.
The project will run for four years, is funded with over 8.1 million euros as part of the EU’s Horizon Europe program, and brings together 14 partners from nine European countries, coordinated by the University of Bergen (Norway). The official kick-off meeting will take place on September 21 and 22, 2026, in Bergen.
The Role of THWS
Within the consortium, THWS plays a key role as a partner for data infrastructure and data sources in the development of the “AI Biologist”—the digital assistance system that automates quality control in stem cell production. This project is being carried out at THWS jointly by staff from the TTZ-KG and the IMES.
Specifically, THWS, in collaboration with the University of Bergen (UiB), collects and annotates biological image and sensor data that serves as the training basis for the AI models developed by King’s College London (KCL); it also works closely with the Silesian University of Technology (SUT) on data annotation. Furthermore, THWS, in collaboration with Fraunhofer ISC, is integrating the automated production facility with the AI infrastructure, enabling sensor data and robotic processes to be utilized by artificial intelligence in real time. In this way, TTZ-KG and IMES are jointly building the technological bridge between the laboratory and artificial intelligence, which is what makes the “AI Biologist” practical in the first place.
About BioFACTORy
BioFACTORy (Fully automated cell and tissue-engineered bioimplant production for orocraniofacial regeneration) is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe program. In addition to THWS, the consortium includes the University of Bergen (coordinator), the University of Ulm, the Fraunhofer Society, King’s College London, the Istituto Mario Negri IRCCS, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the University of Barcelona, and the companies CELLINK, Ocean TuniCell, F6S, NovaSign GmbH, and PreSens Precision Sensing GmbH.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.