Portal Bio-technologies launches the Galaxy system

Portal Bio-technologies, Inc. has launched the new Galaxy system. This high throughput instrument could potentially enable broader applications across cell engineering and drug discovery – expanding on the success of the Gateway device launched in early 2023.

The Galaxy mechanoporates cells in a high-volume fashion through a silicon-membrane at low pressure, inducing holes in the cellular membrane temporarily - which allows for the subsequent delivery of materials and cargos into the cell. It integrates with all liquid handlers to enable high-throughput assays and screens by dispensing mechanoporated cells.

Portal Bio-technologies is implementing a simplified approach to intracellular delivery, focused on enabling novel cell analytics and engineering. It has developed systems to mechanically disrupt cells, opening transient holes in the cell membrane to allow for delivery of diverse cargoes, including many traditionally impermeable cargoes.

This simple approach has been shown to enable delivery of a variety of molecules into cells, including impermeable small molecules, polypeptides, antibodies, RNA and gene editing complexes, both individually and simultaneously, for multiplexed cell function modification.

Portal has partnered with over 50 biopharma companies and academic institutions to leverage the platform for applications ranging from novel drug screening assays to engineering cell therapies with circular RNA. Portal’s customer base includes more than 50 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies, is a member of the Bayer Co. Lab in Cambridge, and affiliated with the Roche Accelerator in Shanghai.

Under the ‘Powered by Portal’ model, the company is also integrating its single-use cartridges with high throughput robotics manufacturers and clinical equipment providers. With the ability to deliver multiple traditionally impermeable cargoes simultaneously, Portal’s systems unlock novel cell-based drug discovery assays and screens, such as detection of proteins in live cells and phenotypic screens of impermeable peptides prior to med-chem optimization.

The new Galaxy is designed to easily integrate into all liquid handlers, and Portal will launch and showcase the integration with Eppendorf on the EPMotion at SLAS2025 International Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, California (booth #3241).

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