MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Breakthrough innovation in the life sciences industry is needed to bring regenerative medicine technology to scale. Automating new biomanufacturing processes holds the promise of profoundly improving the quality of life for wounded servicemen and women, as well as for civilians needing healthy, new organs.
Rockwell Automation has been selected as a critical industrial automation partner in the Department of Defense’s new public-private Manufacturing USA initiative, the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI). Federal funding of $80 million will be combined with $214 million of contributions from a prominent consortium, including $10 million from Rockwell Automation, to innovate mass production of tissue and organ biofabrication.
“ARMI brings together advances in manufacturing, biotech, medicine and life sciences to create new possibilities for those with immediate need for human tissue and organs,” said Blake Moret, CEO of Rockwell Automation. “This is literally a life-changing approach and adds a new chapter to medicine. Our contribution is to integrate biomanufacturing science with production techniques that increase the capacity, speed, modularity and consistent quality of new tissue and organ production. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute our expertise to an initiative critical to the well-being of both civilians and service members.”
Biofabrication – Automated Production of Tissues and Organs
Biofabrication is an innovative manufacturing industry segment at the intersection of biology-related research, computer science, materials science and engineering that creates innovations, such as biomaterial and cell processing.
“Importantly, ARMI has plans to develop a new generation of skilled technicians within this growing industry,” said Moret. “Workers with the skills to compete and win in new industries are critical to the future competitiveness of our country.”
The Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ATB-MII), a coalition of ARMI, will be led by one of our country’s most prolific inventors, Dean Kamen, chairman of the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) and the founder of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), which inspires young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.
U.S. Manufacturing Pushing Envelopes in DoD Institutes
ARMI is the 12th Manufacturing USA institute. Eight are led by the DoD, and each focuses on a technology area critical to future competitiveness. According to Defense Secretary Ash Carter, the investments in advanced manufacturing ensure that the innovations needed to develop, manufacture and commercialize cutting-edge processes and materials happen in the U.S.
“The products will provide important benefits to our warfighters and help strengthen the economy that is the bedrock of our national security,” Carter said.
ARMI is based in Manchester, New Hampshire, and will integrate a diverse portfolio of industry practices and research to advance a robust biofabrication ecosystem.
About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 22,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.
