What TissUse does

TissUse GmbH is a Berlin-based biotechnology company founded in 2010 as a spin-off from the Technische Universität Berlin by Prof. Dr. Uwe Marx. The company develops and commercializes a proprietary Multi-Organ-Chip (MOC) platform under the HUMIMIC brand, a microfluidic microphysiological system that maintains miniaturized, interconnected human organ equivalents on disposable chips. The technology supports co-culture of two to four (and ultimately ten) organ models in a circulatory system with pulsatile fluid flow, mechanical and electrical coupling, and physiological tissue-to-fluid ratios, enabling long-term culture (weeks to months) for repeated-dose toxicity, ADME profiling, and disease modeling. Available organ models include liver, intestine, skin, vasculature, neuronal, cardiac, cartilage, pancreas, kidney, thyroid, hair follicle, lung, fatty tissue, tumor, and bone marrow with varying immunocompetence.

TissUse operates three product groups (HUMIMIC Starter device, CHIP2/CHIP3/CHIP4 chips, and accessories) with HUMIMIC AutoLab and AutoPlant automation systems on the roadmap. Revenue is generated through three streams: hardware sales (devices, chips, accessories), high-value service contracts for custom safety evaluation of drugs, cosmetics, and chemicals, and technology licensing (HuALN from ProBioGen, Smart Hair Transplant to J. Hewitt Japan). The company serves enterprise customers across pharmaceutical and biotechnology (UCB, Roche, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Servier, Orion), cosmetics (Beiersdorf), tobacco/research (Philip Morris International), chemicals, and regulatory authorities (NIFDC China). Distribution is via direct enterprise sales, three regional distributors (China, Brazil, Japan), and the Scientist.com marketplace.

The company holds five patent families transferred from TU Berlin, achieved ISO EN 9001-2015 certification in December 2019 (first dedicated organ-on-chip company to do so), and operates with 11-50 employees. Leadership transitioned in October 2020 when Dr. Reyk Horland became CEO and founder Prof. Dr. Uwe Marx assumed the CSO role. Active non-dilutive funding includes a 2022 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation three-year grant for tuberculosis vaccine development and a 2017 BMBF EUR 1.7M HiPSTAR grant for Alzheimer's blood-brain-barrier modeling.

Name

TissUse

Legal name

TissUse GmbH

Website

https://tissuse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TissUse GmbH is a Berlin-based biotechnology company developing the HUMIMIC Multi-Organ-Chip platform, a microfluidic microphysiological system that co-cultures miniaturized human organ equivalents for preclinical drug, cosmetic, and chemical safety evaluation. It sells devices, chips, and custom service contracts to pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and regulatory customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organ-on-Chip Technology

NAICS

Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Electronic Components, Nec (3679)

akta.pro primary industry

Organoids & Organ-on-Chip (regenerative models) (HLAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biosensors & Lab-on-Chip (BioMEMS) (HDAHALAK), Medical & Life Sciences Injection Molding (Devices, Diagnostics, Cleanroom) (IMANAFAC)

Keywords

• Organ-on-chip technology
• Microphysiological systems
• Preclinical drug testing
• Multi-organ-chip platform
• In vitro safety assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. HUMIMIC Products: Sale of HUMIMIC branded products including devices (HUMIMIC Starter, AutoLab, AutoPlant), chips ( CHIP2, CHIP3, CHIP4), and accessories. Products are available for single-order purchase with quotes provided via email or account managers.
2. Service Contracts: High-value service contracts creating custom solutions for safety evaluation of drugs, cosmetics, and chemicals, and pre-clinical human risk assessment. These are project-based collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
3. Licensing Royalties: Technology licensing arrangements including Smart Hair Transplant technology licensed to J. Hewitt in Japan, HuALN technology licensed from ProBioGen for Multi-Organ-Chip applications, and technology transfer to regulatory authorities like NIFDC China.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TissUse develops, manufactures, and sells the HUMIMIC Multi-Organ-Chip (MOC) platform — a proprietary, patent-protected microfluidic microphysiological system that maintains miniaturized human organ equivalents to emulate human biology. The company sells HUMIMIC devices (Starter, AutoLab, AutoPlant), disposable organ chips (CHIP2, CHIP3, CHIP4), and accessories, and provides high-value service contracts for custom safety evaluation of drugs, cosmetics, and chemicals.

Product overview

TissUse offers the HUMIMIC product family, a unified portfolio of microfluidic organ-on-chip devices and chips for preclinical substance testing. The platform enables co-culture of miniaturized human organ equivalents (organoids) on disposable chips connected via microfluidic perfusion circuits. The HUMIMIC product line includes: HUMIMIC Starter (benchtop control unit operating up to 4 chips), HUMIMIC AutoLab and AutoPlant (automated systems in development); CHIP2/3/4 (chips supporting 2-4 organ models); CHIPXX/CHIPXY (next-generation minimal organ systems in development); and Accessories/Cells. The platform incorporates features of living biology including pulsatile fluid flow, mechanical and electrical coupling, and physiological tissue-to-fluid ratios. Organ models available include liver, intestine, skin, vasculature, neuronal tissue, cardiac tissue, cartilage, pancreas, kidney, thyroid, hair follicle, lung tissue, fatty tissue, tumor models, and bone marrow. TissUse also provides service contracts for custom safety evaluation and preclinical testing solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HUMIMIC: Product brand encompassing all of TissUse's organ-on-chip products including Devices (HUMIMIC Starter, HUMIMIC AutoLab), Chips (CHIP2, CHIP3, CHIP4, CHIPXX, CHIPXY), and Accessories for multi-organ-chip technology platform
• Multi-Organ-Chip (MOC)
• Human-on-a-Chip

Products and services

• HUMIMIC Starter A benchtop control unit that operates up to four Multi-Organ-Chips simultaneously, providing the flexibility needed for controlling and monitoring any on-chip organ arrangement. Dimensions: 251 x 206 x 150 mm; Weight: 4.8 kg. For pharmaceutical, biotech, cosmetics, and chemical researchers.
• CHIP2 A two-organ chip enabling co-culture of up to two miniaturized organ equivalents in a common media perfusion circuit for single- and multi-organ substance testing.
• CHIP3 A three-organ chip supporting three miniaturized organ equivalents in an integrated microfluidic system for studying organ interactions.
• CHIP4 A four-organ chip enabling four independent organs to interact on a physiological level, representing the first commercially available multi-organ platform.
• HUMIMIC Accessories and Cells Supporting products including HUMIMIC 2mm Tubes, HUMIMIC TubeAdapters, and various cell preparations for Multi-Organ-Chip experiments.
• Multi-Organ-Chip Services High-value service contracts for custom solutions including safety evaluation of drugs, cosmetics, and chemicals, and pre-clinical human-specific testing using the proprietary Multi-Organ-Chip platform. For pharmaceutical, biotech, cosmetics, and chemical companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% sensitivity in predicting drug-induced liver injury
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• UCBflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCB initiated the Liver Ring Trial in May 2024, a first-of-its-kind multi-pharma initiative involving TissUse, ESQLabs, and five pharmaceutical companies to validate reproducibility and accuracy of Liver MPS in predicting drug-induced liver injury and intrinsic clearance. The trial has guidance from EMA and EURL ECVAM.
• ESQLabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESQLabs provides computational modeling expertise for the Liver Ring Trial, integrating advanced computational models with Liver MPS to enhance predictive accuracy and set standards for clinical translation. ESQLabs has a team of about 30 scientists.
• RochecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-year cooperation agreement signed in March 2018 to develop human-relevant in vitro assays based on TissUse's Multi-Organ-Chip technology for assessment of lineage-specific hematopoietic toxicity and evaluation of pharmacokinetics of therapeutic antibodies.
• AstraZenecacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration since 2018 to establish MPS models including development of human microfluidic two-organ-chip model for Type 2 diabetes studying pancreatic islet-liver cross-talk. Work was published in Nature Scientific Reports (Bauer et al., 2017).
• BayercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration agreement signed September 2018 to develop liver-endocrine tissues assay using Multi-Organ-Chip technology for assessment of species differences of critical toxicities and contribution to 3R principles of animal welfare.
• Philip Morris InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration agreement signed June 2021 to utilize PMI's InHALES aerosol exposure technology with TissUse's Multi-Organ-Chip platform to create integrated HUMIMIC-InHALES test platform for assessing respiratory toxicity and systemic effects of inhaled aerosols.
• ProBioGen AGcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicense and cooperation agreement signed June 2017 to integrate ProBioGen's Human Artificial Lymph Node Model (HuALN) into TissUse's Multi-Organ-Chip technology, expanding applications to predictions of immune reactivity in interaction with other organs.
• J. HewittminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerExclusive license granted in April 2019 to J. Hewitt, a Japan-based biopharmaceutical company, for development of novel cell-based hair regeneration therapies leveraging TissUse's Smart Hair Transplant (SHT) technology.
• TU BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding academic partner. TissUse originated as spin-off from TU Berlin in 2010. Ongoing collaboration includes patent transfer agreement (5 patent families), technology development under GO-BIO project, and joint research activities.
• Charité Universitätsmedizin BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey academic research partner in Berlin. Prof. Hans-Dieter Volk, Director of Berlin-Brandenburger Centrum für Regenerative Therapien (BCRT) and Institute for Medical Immunology at Charité, serves on TissUse's Scientific Advisory Board.
• VUmc (Amsterdam UMC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner listed on TissUse's partners page for collaborative research activities.
• NIFDC ChinaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtended cooperation agreement signed October 2016 to transfer Multi-Organ-Chip technology to Chinese regulatory authority. NIFDC became first authority in the world to test Multi-Organ-Chips independently and use the technology with self-established assays in the development cycle. Cooperation extended to six years.
• TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTBVI serves as coordinator for the Gates Foundation-funded TB project alongside TissUse and CNRS as scientific partner.
• Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partner in Gates Foundation-funded TB project developing vascularized microphysiological system interconnecting lung, liver and lymph node organoids for TB vaccine screening.
• BeiersdorfcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration since 2014 including toxicokinetic study on retinoic acid in Multi-Organ-Chip comprising skin models and liver organoids. Ongoing partnership for cosmetics safety assessment.
• SYGNIS Bio TechnologiesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as distributor for HUMIMIC products.
• Restore (EU Project)minorOthersEU-funded research project supported by TissUse focusing on advanced therapies.
• BIRDIE (EU Project)minorOthersEU-funded project on non-animal models in research and drug development supported by TissUse.
• RISK HUNT3R (EU Project)minorOthersEU-funded project supported by TissUse focusing on risk assessment alternatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Emulate Inc. Direct competitor in the organ-on-chip space offering the Organ-Chip platform (liver, lung, intestine, brain, kidney models) to pharma and biotech customers. Frequently identified alongside TissUse as a key player in the Disease-on-Chip Platforms market.
• CN Bio Innovations: Direct competitor offering the PhysioMimix single- and multi-organ microphysiological system for drug discovery and toxicity testing. Listed alongside TissUse as a leading player in the organ-on-chip market.
• Mimetas: Direct competitor providing the OrganoPlate platform for organ-on-chip applications including disease modeling and toxicity screening. Named alongside TissUse as a key player in the Disease-on-Chip Platforms market.
• InSphero: Direct competitor specializing in 3D microtissue and organoid-based solutions for preclinical drug testing, including liver, pancreatic islet, and tumor models. Listed alongside TissUse as a key player in the Disease-on-Chip Platforms market.
• Hesperos Inc. Direct competitor developing multi-organ human-on-a-chip systems for serum-free, multi-organ disease modeling and toxicity testing, serving similar pharma and toxicology research customers as TissUse.

Broad incumbents

• Organovo Holdings: Broader 3D bioprinting and tissue company that overlaps in the human tissue model space. Less specialized than TissUse in multi-organ microfluidic chips but competes for similar pharma research budgets.
• Charles River Laboratories: Large preclinical CRO offering broad safety assessment, ADME, and toxicology services to pharma - overlapping with TissUse's high-value service contracts for drug safety evaluation, though Charles River operates a much wider portfolio.
• Inotiv Inc. Preclinical CRO providing toxicology, drug safety, and research models services. Operates in adjacent preclinical safety assessment space to TissUse's service contracts but offers a much broader portfolio beyond organ-on-chip technology.

Emerging players

• SynVivo (now part of CFD Research): Microfluidic organ-on-chip platform provider focused on vascular and tumor models for preclinical research. Partial overlap with TissUse's vasculature and tumor organ model offerings.
• Altis Biosystems: Emerging organ-on-chip company developing intestinal stem cell-based platforms for drug discovery and toxicology. Partial overlap with TissUse's intestine and toxicity testing offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tissuse-gmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/413427509155990

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TissUse