VITROCELL system aims to improve drug and particle safety testing

Ella Day | September 2, 2025 | News story | |   

VITROCELL Systems has launched a new technology called Navetta to support researchers testing the safety of drugs and airborne particles on lung cells. Developed through a collaboration between the Flemish Institute for Technological Research in Belgium and the University of Salzburg, Austria, the system is designed for use at the ‘air–liquid interface’, which mimics how human lung cells are naturally exposed to air.

Unlike conventional methods, Navetta combines a gentle horizontal airflow with an electrical field that guides particles directly onto cell cultures. This approach increases the proportion of particles that settle on the cells, ensures they are spread evenly across the culture and captures ultrafine and nanosized particles that would otherwise escape detection.

The system is intended to enhance the accuracy of inhalation studies, particularly in testing how new drugs behave in the lungs. It has already been integrated with existing tools such as Preciseinhale for inhaler testing and PowderX for ultra-small particle delivery.

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Martin Himly, from the University of Salzburg’s department of biosciences and medical biology, commented: “By actively directing particles onto lung cells, Navetta provides a far more precise and reliable way to assess potential health effects, representing a step change in inhalation toxicology.”

Ella Day 

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