Category talk:Oroboros Ecosystem

The Oroboros Ecosystem

Medical fields from neurology to pharmacology are permeated by mitochondrial problems. Modern studies highlight the crucial role of mitochondria in the progression of many diseases and in maintaining health, with the number of mitochondrial publications increasing exponentially. For 10 years, the Oroboros O2k has been established worldwide as the leading measuring instrument for mitochondrial functional analysis.

Mitochondria - the powerhousesof the cell - generate electrical energy in a molecular combustion process and regulate the oxygen consumption of cellular respiration. Mitochondrial physiology is part of our lives: mitochondrial fitness is crucial for the quality of life and function of every organ - from muscle to brain. Moreover, mitochondrial fitness makes us resistant to preventable and age-related degenerative diseases: diabetes, heart failure, Alzheimer's, several types of cancer, and more. Heredity, age, gender, lifestyle and environmental factors all influence mitochondrial fitness as a set of complex molecular functions.

Mitochondrial functional analysis represents a current challenge in biomedical diagnostics. No other instrument has been able to analyze the most important parameters of cellular respiration under comparable conditions. This explains the high demand for a reliable, accurate and efficient instrument for the simultaneous measurement of cell respiration and other mitochondrial functions: all-in-one. However, the planning of experiments optimally adapted to specific problems requires a deep understanding of mitochondrial physiology and biochemistry. Additionally, raw data needs to be analyzed and interpreted by experts. These requirements created barriers that stood in the way of broad applications of O2k technology outside specialized research laboratories.

The Oroboros Ecosystem responds to the needs of biomedical research and expands the market leadership of Oroboros Instruments worldwide. It has developed in a sequence of three phases:

1) The Tyrolean life science company Oroboros Instruments developed the O2k-FluoRespirometer in cooperation with a network of SMEs and university institutes. This innovation was supported by the K-Regio project 'MitoCom' and was awarded the Houska Prize "Light in the Powerhouse of the Cells" in 2012.

2) The further development of the innovation and marketing strategy and the corporate concept of Oroboros led to the project "Oroboros Ecosystem". ‘MitoFit’ as a second K-Regio project in series and the project 'O2k-Innovation' referred to the Houska Prize 2012. The synergistic effects of the cooperation between the university and industry as well as the further development of quality management with our partner WGT Elektronik GmbH & Co KG were recognized. MitoFit led to the ISO13485 certification of WGT (2016). Stemming from innovative technical developments the further scientific and economic success was rooted in the concept "Oroboros Ecosystem":

a) Establishment (2013) and expansion of the Oroboros O2k research laboratory, where a scientific elite has been developed to support and advise our customers.

b) Intensified cooperation with academic institutes and companies in Austria as well as the establishment of international networks, e.g., the H2020 COST Action Project 'MitoEAGLE' chaired by E. Gnaiger, which led to a publication with 620 co-authors.

c) Innovative business model with worldwide O2k-Network, O2k-Open Support, and Open innovation management.

d) Sustainable initiatives, in particular the scientific website Bioblast with MitoPedia, the 'Blue Book' as a textbook of mitochondrial physiology - which leads researchers and students to the O2k technology as a basis for courses at numerous universities - and a mitochondrial preprint server (MitoFit Preprint Archives. The Oroboros Ecosystem combines these building blocks into a mosaic that integrates innovation, research, development and worldwide cooperation in a business-oriented company to form a modern image of mitochondrial respiratory physiology (Fig. 1). The comprehensive mitochondrial functional analysis to determine vitality is ultimately intended to improve our health system. Did you know about the connection between pandemic obesity, loss of mitochondrial fitness and degenerative diseases? - Body Mass Excess, BME - bme.oroboros.at

3) Oriented towards the Oroboros Ecosystem including innovation, marketing and project management, Oroboros received its so far largest grant (EU H2020 SME NextGen-O2k) with €1.7 mill for two years. Again we emphasized the encouragement by the Houska Prize 2012. The all-in-one O2k-concept got extended by additional modules. These enable O2k applications in photosynthesis and environmental technology, and thus add a new market segment to the Oroboros Ecosystem.

Innovation

While the focus in 2011-2014 was on instrument development and the market launch of the O2k, Oroboros Instruments now stands out even more sharply from the competition thanks to the innovative Oroboros Ecosystem concept. In the Oroboros O2k-Laboratory, a team of experts with 20 O2k instruments develops application protocols that are fed into the O2k-Software, tests new developments, conducts collaborative research, advises customers and trains guest scientists. With efficient access to mitochondrial research, new customers can be rapidly introduced to the complex field of mitochondrial physiology and expand their experimental work with new O2k-Modules.

The Oroboros Ecosystem attaches great importance to the continuing education of our team and the training of O2k-Customers: international O2k-Workshops; O2k-Network laboratories with O2k-Training centers; training schools (COST Action CA15203 MitoEAGLE, Chair: E. Gnaiger). New features of our device-specific software are crucial for quick implementation of O2k-Technology. A ticket system in connection with the scientifically oriented website (Bioblast / MitoPedia) is the backbone of our customer service (O2k-Open Support).

Continuous innovation is our sustainable strategy: The newly offered 'Small Volume O2k-Module' enables a fourfold saving of sample quantity, especially for blood cell diagnostics. MiR05-Kit and MitoKit-CII are quality controlled chemical sets that simplify the use of O2k-Technology.

Our technical-scientific expertise offers internationally recognized service, which is integrated in the selling price of the O2k and helps users to enrich the mitochondrial research field with reproducible results and innovative findings in a sustainable way. We make a contribution to research on aging and preventive medicine in order to develop forward-looking solutions for the healthcare system.