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IamFluidics
The Next Breakthrough in Microparticle Production

Tom Kamperman, IamFluidicsTom Kamperman
Behind every inventor and invention, there is a story that has an inspiring edge to it. The tale of IamFluidics began when Tom Kamperman, PhD was working on the development of microfluidic systems for life science applications—in particular, microencapsulation—at the University of Twente (UT). During his research on single-cell encapsulation for stem cell therapies, Kamperman realised that the microfluidic device his team was using to encapsulate, incubate, and manipulate individual cells was too slow for most clinical and industrial applications. It would typically take us hours to produce the microparticles. Determined to develop a faster approach to microparticle production, Kamperman collaborated with his colleague, Claas Willem Visser, a skilled applied physicist. Together, the duo researched and developed a new technology—in-air microfluidics (IAMF)—that manipulates and combines fluids in the air instead of on a chip to produce new microparticles of different materials at a production rate that is up to 1,000 times faster than that of chip-based technologies.

In 2018, intending to commercialise their technology, Kamperman and Visser co-founded IamFluidics as a UT spin-off to revolutionise microparticle production. Today, the firm is recognised as one of the firsts to provide scalable microfluidics and enable personal care, life science, pharmaceutical, and biomedical markets to produce uniform micromaterials. “We are passionate about engineering high-quality microparticles to create disruptive solutions that improve the quality of life. We take pride in being able to provide the technology that combines microfluidics precision with industrial throughput,” says Kamperman, co-founder and CTO, IamFluidics.

We are passionate about engineering high-quality microparticles to create disruptive solutions that improve the quality of life


Many companies are nowadays looking for industrial-scale production processes that can provide monodisperse microparticles with controlled shape, size, and composition. This is precisely what IamFluidics’s IAMF technology accomplishes. At the core of the novel technology is a technique similar to that of inkjet printing. By combining minuscule fluid jets in the air, IAMF produces microparticles of different materials and with controlled shape up to a thousand times faster while maintaining the resolution of conventional microfluidics.

With its IAMF technology, IamFluidics is, for example, developing high-quality microparticles for cell culture and cell therapies. The microcarriers currently used to culture cells are static and stiff, which is not compatible with the expansion of most cell types. Biotech firms are seeking a more flexible and tailored microcarrier that provides optimal culture conditions for a variety of cells. IamFluidics microcarriers will be optimized for culturing multiple types of stem cells, which are currently the most promising ones for cell-based therapies.

To get a better understanding of the benefits of IamFluidics’ technology, Kamperman shares a client success story. Here, the client—specialising in the characterisation of microparticle stiffness—needed biomaterials in the form of microbeads to characterise their measuring system. With IAMF technology, IamFluidics helped the client turn the biomaterial into large amounts of uniform microparticles with specific stiffness. Consequently, they were able to test the material properties of biomaterials better and characterise them accordingly.

“With its high production capacity and precision, our technology not only makes it economically feasible for businesses to use microparticles in several applications but also opens up new market possibilities,” informs Kamperman. Currently, IamFluidics is ramping up its business by expanding the team, recruiting senior-level executives, and preparing itself for better industrial production. On the geographical front, while IamFluidics is presently focused on the European market (Western Europe), the company has plans to move towards the U.S. market. “Our disruptive technology has a lot of potential in the biomedical and the life sciences space, which are still in development. We plan to start in the cosmetics market and work our way forward. We are excited to see what the future holds for us,” concludes Kamperman.

IamFluidics News

IamFluidics raises multi-million euro investment to commercialize the world’s fastest production of superior & sustainable monodisperse microparticles

Proceeds of financing to be used to scale up production capacity to multiple metric tons and to initiate first go-to-market.

Enschede - Today, IamFluidics announces the closing of a €4 million financing round. The financing is provided by entrepreneur Joost van Neck and existing investor Innovation Industries. The money will be used to establish a new head office, build a production facility, expand the team, and expedite the market introduction of its first products.

Once invented for the encapsulation of stem cells at jet speed, the IamFluidics technology is a unique and proprietary microencapsulation technology that is up to 1,000x faster than its alternatives, while maintaining consistent control over shape and size. The uniform particles can be formed by different materials that are natural, vegan, biodegradable and plastic-free and can be loaded with active ingredients to address several large end-markets. These end-markets include food & nutrition, home & personal care, specialty chemicals, biotechnology (including tissue - & cell engineering) and pharmaceuticals. The company is collaborating with top tier companies in these areas and IamFluidics can play a leading role in the reduction of microplastics and the upcoming revolution in biotechnology.

Michiel van Alst, CEO of IamFluidics, commented, “We are thrilled with this new injection of capital and adding D.H.B. GreenConcepts B.V. to our core investor group. Their knowledge and expertise in scaling companies in high added value products are of great value in how to grow a company successfully. Furthermore, we are very happy that Innovation Industries also shows their belief in our team to back the investment of D.H.B. GreenConcepts B.V., supporting the next phase of our company.” Tom Kamperman, CTO and co-founder of IamFluidics, adds, “Being able to produce for actual customers makes science not just something for academia; we apply science to disrupt microparticle production, and along with it, we will produce sustainable, scalable, and superb microparticles!”

Joost van Neck, owner of D.H.B.GreenConcepts B.V., comments, “We met IamFluidics during technical discussions for a potential collaboration with one of our previous companies. We saw an ambitious team with strong technology that can enable various upcoming markets and decided to invest in IamFluidics to accelerate its growth to support the scaling of the technology for high-quality production of microparticles towards a market entry.”

Harm de Vries, Partner at Innovation Industries, added, “We are pleased to reinvest and have D.H.B. GreenConcepts B.V. onboard as an investor in IamFluidics. To date, IamFluidics has been realizing its growth ambitions and is consistently meeting its targets. We see even more potential for its technology moving forward and believe in the team and the technology, to capitalize on those future opportunities.”

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10 Most Promising BioTech Startups in Europe - 2020

Company
IamFluidics

Management
Tom Kamperman

Description
A Dutch university spin-off company, IamFluidics provides proprietary and disruptive technology that uniquely enables the high-throughput production of uniform microparticles