Transparent FFX logo with the tagline "Fast Forward Discoveries", symbolizing innovation in single-cell technology and tissue dissociation.
TRIAL INQUIRY

Enzyme-free tissue dissociation in just a few minutes ...

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employing a simple, yet gentle process ...

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integrated in standard labware, including cell-filtration ...

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allowing contamination-free handling of your precious tissue samples ...

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featuring customizable protocols ...

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resulting in a high yield of unadulterated viable cells ...

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maintaining surface markers

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TissueGrinder benchtop device for automated sample preparation and mechanical tissue dissociation in laboratory workflows.
TissueGrinder disposable homogenizer inserts and consumables for automated tissue dissociation.

The TissueGrinder technology

…was developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation in Mannheim. ⇒

It facilitates a standardized sample preparation with subsequent filtration in a closed, sterile system, based on standard labware.

A benchtop-device with four ports allows customizable process control for mechanical tissue dissociation with special grinding consumables, yielding high quality single cell suspensions from fresh or frozen or even FFPE tissue samples, which can be used for a multitude of applications.

By employing an ideal combination of shearing and cutting forces, highly viable cells can be obtained for cytometry, further cytological and molecular analysis or cultivation.

Automated lab device for sample preparation with a centrifuge tube, microscope in the background.

© Fraunhofer IPA

TissueGrinder benchtop device with software interface for automated sample preparation and sterile tissue dissociation in laboratory workflows.
Microscopy image showing hepatocytes after tissue dissociation with clearly visible single cells.
TissueGrinder app interface showing automated liver protocol for mechanical tissue processing with real-time rpm tracking.

The TissueGrinder technology

…was developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation in Mannheim. ⇒

It facilitates a standardized sample preparation with subsequent filtration in a closed, sterile system, based on standard labware.

A benchtop-device with four ports allows customizable process control for mechanical dissociation with special grinding consumables, yielding high quality single cell suspensions from fresh or frozen or even FFPE tissue samples, which can be used for a multitude of applications.

By employing an ideal combination of shearing and cutting forces, highly viable cells can be obtained for cytometry, further cytological and molecular analysis or cultivation.

Microscopy image showing hepatocytes after tissue dissociation with clearly visible single cells.
Automated lab device for sample preparation with a centrifuge tube, microscope in the background.

© Fraunhofer IPA

TissueGrinder benchtop device with software interface for automated sample preparation and sterile tissue dissociation in laboratory workflows.
TissueGrinder app interface showing automated liver protocol for mechanical tissue processing with real-time rpm tracking.

© Fraunhofer IPA

Get an impression on how straight forward and easy it is to generate a single cell suspension from a tissue sample with the TissueGrinder

TissueGrinder components including grinding units, filter insert, and sample tube for cell isolation.
Hand holding a 50 ml centrifuge tube with blue cap and pink solution for tissue processing.
Microscopy image of clustered stained cells prepared for primary cell isolation.

© Fraunhofer IPA

The TissueGrinder is able to dissociate a great variety of tissue types in different conditions – healthy, tumorous, fresh, frozen or even FFPE.

Word cloud of human tissue types targeted for dissociation with the TissueGrinder system.

Generating single cell suspensions from tissue samples is highly individual. With easily adaptable protocols, the TissueGrinder accomodates specific customizations for each application.

The mechanical process of the TissueGrinder matches or even outperforms the best enzymatic protocols in terms of cell yield and viability.

Bar chart showing cell yield per milligram of tissue across different human organs including colon, intestine, pancreas, lung, liver, kidney, thymus, and spleen.

The mechanical process of the TissueGrinder matches or even outperforms the best enzymatic protocols in terms of cell yield and viability

Bar chart showing cell viability across human tissues (colon, intestine, pancreas, lung, liver, kidney, thymus, spleen) after TissueGrinder single-cell isolation.

Scientific references confirm the value of TissueGrinder’s innovative tissue dissociation approach

Research article in Nature Biomedical Engineering on mechanical tissue dissociation and rapid single-cell physical phenotyping for biopsy diagnostics.
Scientific article titled "A step towards enzyme-free tissue dissociation" describing a mechanical method for isolating single cells from tissue samples.
Screenshot of a scientific article from Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy on fibroblast growth factor 7 and its role in liver injury repair.
Frontiers in Medicine article on TissueGrinder technology for enzyme-free tissue dissociation and single-cell isolation from solid tumors.
Scientific article describing enzyme-free tissue dissociation and generation of single-cell suspensions for miRNA sequencing from archived human tissues.
Screenshot of a scientific article titled Oncogenic PIK3CA corrupts growth factor signaling specificity published in Molecular Systems Biology.

“The TissueGrinder from Fast Forward Discoveries quite literally saved my project. I had exhausted all possible options for dissociating fixed cancer cell spheroids for subsequent single-cell signalling studies, when I came across this product. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the perfect single-cell suspension generated by my demo TissueGrinder after just 3 minutes of the standard “Harsh” protocol (and with no enzymes!).
It is now an integrated part of my single-cell signalling workflows, and I dare say some of my key discoveries over the last year would not have been possible without this equipment.”
Ralitsa Madsen – UCL, Sir Henry Welcome Postdoctoral Fellow:
https://www.protocols.io/view/processing-of-fixed-spheroids-for-tobis-barcoding-c5h3y38n.html

Scientific references demonstrate
the utility of the TissueGrinder technology

Research article in Nature Biomedical Engineering on mechanical tissue dissociation and rapid single-cell physical phenotyping for biopsy diagnostics.
Screenshot of a scientific article from Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy on fibroblast growth factor 7 and its role in liver injury repair.
Frontiers in Medicine article about the TissueGrinder device for mechanical tissue dissociation and single-cell suspension preparation from solid tumors.
Scientific article titled "A step towards enzyme-free tissue dissociation" describing a mechanical method for isolating single cells from tissue samples.
Scientific article describing enzyme-free tissue dissociation and generation of single-cell suspensions for miRNA sequencing from archived human tissues.
Screenshot of a scientific article titled Oncogenic PIK3CA corrupts growth factor signaling specificity published in Molecular Systems Biology.

“The TissueGrinder from Fast Forward Discoveries quite literally saved my project.
I had exhausted all possible options for dissociating fixed cancer cell spheroids for subsequent single-cell signalling studies, when I came across this product. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the perfect single-cell suspension generated by my demo TissueGrinder after just 3 minutes of the standard “Harsh” protocol (and with no enzymes!).
It is now an integrated part of my single-cell signalling workflows, and I dare say some of my key discoveries over the last year would not have been possible without this equipment.”
Ralitsa Madsen – UCL, Sir Henry Welcome Postdoctoral Fellow:
https://www.protocols.io/view/processing-of-fixed-spheroids-for-tobis-barcoding-c5h3y38n.html

Generating high quality single cells from tissue samples is a real bottleneck for many applications, such as Flow Cytometry, Single Cell Sequencing, Isolation of Primary Cells, Cancer Cell Line Development to name a few.

Conventional tissue dissociation is is either time-consuming, non-standardized, not scalable or accepting all drawbacks of enzymatic digestion. Or all of them together.

With the TissueGrinder, this bottleneck can be overcome and the door to a new level in single cell analysis can be opened wide.

Schematic illustration of human tissue sources for cell isolation and research applications.
Schematic illustration of clustered cells representing tissue structure before dissociation.
Schematic illustration of a single-cell suspension after tissue dissociation and isolation.

Application Areas

Accelerate your sample preparation
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Cancer Cell Line Development
  • Isolation of Primary Cells
  • Single Cell Sequencing
  • Single Cell Imaging
  • 3D-Cell-Culture & Cell Printing
  • Tissue Models
  • Drug Screening & Cell-based Assays

Application Areas

Accelerate your sample preparation
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Cancer Cell Line Development
  • Isolation of Primary Cells
  • Single Cell Sequencing
  • Single Cell Imaging
  • 3D-Cell-Culture & Cell Printing
  • Tissue Models
  • Drug Screening & Cell-based Assays
Green double arrows symbolizing fast cell processing and lab automation.

Conv. Technology A

20 min processing time
  • Enzyme-free
  • Single Cell Quality
  • Integrated Filtration
  • Sterility
  • Integrated Process Control
  • Grinding Slots

Conv. Technology B

> 60 min processing time
  • Enzyme-free
  • Single Cell Quality
  • Integrated Filtration
  • Sterility
  • Integrated Process Control
  • Grinding Slots

TissueGrinder

< 5 min processing time
  • Enzyme-free
  • Single Cell Quality
  • Integrated Filtration
  • Sterility
  • Integrated Process Control
  • Grinding Slots

Conv. Technology A

20 min processing time
  • Enzyme-free
  • Single Cell Quality
  • Integrated Filtration
  • Sterility
  • Integrated Process Control
  • Grinding Slots

TissueGrinder

< 5 min processing time
  • Enzyme-free
  • Single Cell Quality
  • Integrated Filtration
  • Sterility
  • Integrated Process Control
  • Grinding Slots

Conv. Technology B

> 60 min processing time
  • Enzyme-free
  • Single Cell Quality
  • Integrated Filtration
  • Sterility
  • Integrated Process Control
  • Grinding Slots

Fast Forward Discoveries GmbH

Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3
CUBEX41
68167 Mannheim
Germany

+49 (0)621 391818-10

info@ff-x.com

Exterior view of CUBEX41 building in Mannheim, home to biotech and medtech startups and research institutions.
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Illustration of isolated single cells in suspension, representing primary cell isolation.
Clustered cells under a microscope, stained for visualization during primary cell isolation.