ibidi GmbH is a leading supplier of advanced products for cell microscopy and functional cell based assays. Located near Munich, Germany, ibidi develops cutting-edge solutions for every-day cell culture, as well as complex assays. The ibidi products, used worldwide in scientific institutions, industrial pharmacology, and biotechnology, help researchers to understand the mechanisms behind various diseases, ultimately leading to the development of novel therapies—a fact that has been acknowledged in more than 40.000 publications.
ibidi GmbH was founded in 2001 as a spin-off from the Technical University Munich (TUM) and the Center for Nanoscience (CeNS) at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich. The initial idea was to produce microfluidic cell chambers for microscopy. With unique cell biochips made from high-performance polymers, ibidi has pioneered the use of plastic as a material for bio-slides to simulate organ-like environments. Today, ibidi comprises a product portfolio ranging from labware, instruments, and reagents up to software. Therefore, ibidi has emerged as a premier global supplier of disposable products for high-end cell culture assays.
Products and Latest Innovations
The ibidi product portfolio comprises labware, instruments, and reagents for high-end cell culture experiments. ibidi offers a wide range of labware, including various dishes, slides, and plates for culture and high-resolution microscopy, facilitating quantifiable cell assays, such as migration, flow, and tube formation assays. This promotes standardization in cell-based experiments across various research areas, including cancer research (e.g., angiogenesis assays), drug screening (e.g., chemotaxis assays), neurobiology, virology, and immunology. Moreover, it supports innovative research areas, such as bioprinting and tissue engineering, providing researchers with the tools needed to push boundaries and explore new frontiers in science. The high optical labware quality enables the use of state-of-the-art and high-end imaging techniques, such as phase contrast, DIC, confocal, multiphoton, and super-resolution microscopy.
Moreover, ibidi develops and produces instruments, including stage top incubators for live cell imaging under physiological conditions, and a unique perfusion system that provides continuous flow for blood vessel simulation.
To further mimic physiological and native environments, ibidi offers a range of reagents such as collagens for 3D gel preparation. ibidi has always been on the forefront of technology: Latest developments comprise the use of specialized slides combined with Collagen I to extend the possibilities of standardization for 3D cell culture applications. Micropatterning—the latest ibidi technology innovation—even allows for spatially defined cell adhesion in 2D and 3D.
ibidi's inventive competence is reflected in over 40 patent applications, 35 of which were filed in the USA. Therefore, on the backend ibidi aims to ensure an agile and versatile work-environment, with a R&D team comprising physicists, chemists, and biologists with extensive experience in cell biology, surface chemistry, and fluidics working hand in hand for future developments. Their collective knowledge enables them to create a variety of specialized slides and instruments, along with integrated systems.
It is ibidi’s mission to develop, produce, and deliver innovative technologies that enable scientists to explore the underlying mechanisms of major illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular, or autoimmune diseases. Therefore, ibidi relies on the principles of good scientific practice, holding ISO certification 9001 and 13485 with the goal to provide scientists with standardized workflows that result in reproducible and truly objective scientific data, which ultimately can be translated into therapies.
ibidi constantly pushes boundaries that redefine the standards of cell biology, offering high quality cell-culture labware, instruments, reagents, and software in a user-friendly product design alongside with a comprehensive support ecosystem and detailed protocols
Moreover, ibidi offers comprehensive user trainings including online courses and hands-on workshops, equipping users with the knowledge and skills necessary to harness the full potential of ibidi products, thereby upholding the highest standards of quality. In addition, ibidi offers substantial value to researchers by providing a user-friendly product design, a comprehensive support ecosystem, intuitive interfaces, and detailed protocols. Therefore, ibidi's dedication to customer satisfaction extends beyond product acquisition, with a team of experienced scientists to offer guidance and assistance. This comprehensive support ensures that researchers can navigate any challenges, enabling them to focus on pushing the boundaries of knowledge without any obstacles or hesitation.
Exploring New Horizons
With a commitment to excellence and a keen understanding of the evolving needs of the scientific community, ibidi constantly pushes boundaries, offering high quality products that redefine the standards of cell biology empowering researchers worldwide. Thus, ibidi already provides tailored solutions, designed to cover the diverse needs of a vast user base. To pioneer the development of products, foreseeing and adapting them to future advancements, ibidi is in direct contact with customers to evaluate future needs for improvement by then translating these insights into action through agile cross-functional teams—such as the transition from 2D to 3D experiments.
Sustainability and Diversity
ibidi puts great importance on regionality. The entire value chain takes place at one location in South of Germany—from research, invention, product development and production, to sales, marketing, and administration. In this context, ibidi is strongly committed to sustainability of extensive operational and production activities. By using plastic-reduced packaging in volume-reduced cartons, CO2-neutral worldwide shipping and switching to self-generated electricity, ibidi is reducing its ecological footprint.
Additionally, to a strong female overall presence of 59 % (and even more in the higher management level), ibidi is multilingual and multinational: with a workforce of 120 employees, it represents 15 nationalities.
Summary
With ibidi’s commitment to excellence, versatility, and unwavering support, ibidi continues to shape the future of cell biology research and medicine, driving scientific progress, and fostering collaboration across the globe. As the journey of discovery continues, researchers can rely on ibidi to assist their research. Providing new innovative solutions by reinventing off-the-shelf products, ibidi encourages and supports users to think outside the box and ultimately supporting new approaches to tackle major diseases such as cancer.
