GELITA and Black Drop Partner to Develop GelMA Bioinks for Bioprinting Applications

GELITA, the Eberbach-based gelatin and collagen peptide manufacturer, and Black Drop, a specialist in customized 3D bioprinting solutions, have signed an R&D agreement to develop methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) bioinks and validate gelatin biomaterials for bioprinting applications. The collaboration pairs GELITA's hydrogel material science depth with Black Drop's bioprinting hardware, software, and consumables expertise to push toward clinically relevant, industrially scalable bioinks.

The technical foundation is GELITA's recently launched MEDELLAPRO® Ultra Low Endotoxin Gelatin, which carries endotoxin levels below 10 EU/g. That purity benchmark matters in biomedical contexts because contamination from endotoxins can compromise cell viability and trigger immune responses in tissue constructs. GELITA describes MEDELLAPRO® as having reliable gelling properties and high purity, making it suited as a biomaterial platform for 3D bioprinting and cell culture in human tissue engineering, where it helps mimic native tissue characteristics and supports cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation.

The joint research will focus on novel GelMA formulations derived from MEDELLAPRO®, with practical application studies targeting three-dimensional tissue models, implants, scaffolding, cell culture systems, organ-on-a-chip constructs, and regenerative medicine. Both parties are explicit that processing parameters and process control are decisive factors in the functionality of bioprinted tissue, and the development of these bioinks will be scoped against future application potential rather than isolated material performance.

Jannik Stadler, Head of Bioprinting Consumables and Services at Black Drop, framed the partnership's stakes directly: "We see high-performance, clinically usable bioinks as the next crucial step in transferring 3D bioprinting to clinically relevant and industrially scalable applications. It is therefore all the more gratifying that established partners such as GELITA are actively addressing this challenge and working with us to further develop their innovative materials in practical application studies."

Martin Junginger, Global Category Manager Pharma & Bioscience at GELITA, pointed to the validation angle as central to what GELITA gets from the deal: "We have recently launched our MEDELLAPRO® Ultra Low Endotoxin Gelatin with endotoxin levels below 10 EU/g, which is highly suitable for biomedical applications in which gelling properties and purity are key. This partnership will give us the ability to speed up validation of our ingredient solutions in a real-world scenario in order to match the evolving needs of leading researchers in the field of 3D bioprinting solutions."

The two companies had already shared a public stage before the R&D agreement was formalized. At COMPAMED 2025 in Düsseldorf, GELITA and Black Drop Biomedical jointly exhibited at Hall 8a, Booth S20 from November 17 to 20, 2025, demonstrating how MEDELLAPRO® performs as a bioink component in bioprinting, scaffolding, and cell culture systems. Black Drop's on-site experts were available November 17 through 19 to walk attendees through the bioink portfolio and organ-on-a-chip work. That public showcase preceded the March 2026 announcement, suggesting the practical collaboration was already underway while the formal agreement was being structured.

No financial terms, contract duration, or IP arrangements were disclosed. There is also no announced timeline for prototype GelMA bioink releases or specific validation milestones, leaving the next visible indicators of progress to whatever the two companies choose to publish from their application studies.