PORTFOLIO

In 2023, 350 million tons of hazardous waste, mostly chemicals, was generated, posing serious health and environmental threats. Current disposal methods like incineration are costly, inefficient, and harmful. Existing biological degradation methods face efficiency and scalability limitations. To solve this challenge, at CellX Biosolutions, we are using field-based microfluidics, to bring biological solutions to the next level by capturing high-performance bacterial degraders directly in the environments and formulating biosolutions for targeted, sustainable and cost-effective degradation of industrial chemical waste. Our goal is to deploy these biosolutions as a novel industrial treatment step to replace incineration, as bioaugmentation products in wastewater treatment plants to enhance removal of refractory chemicals, and ultimately to remediate contaminated soils and groundwater. Focusing on the “forever chemicals” PFAS, our innovation lies in a unique degrader platform comprising over 50 PFAS-degrading communities and 30 isolates, with proven biodegradation activity and confirmed capacity for true defluorination. Supported by a validated analytical pipeline, this represents a breakthrough foundation for scalable PFAS biodegradation.
With the first industry collaborations underway, CellX is now assembling robust microbial consortia for bioreactor deployment, with pilots on real industrial effluents planned for early 2026. This project is now establishing the basis for the first licensed bio-based PFAS treatments, transforming hazardous chemical waste management into a low-carbon, sustainable process.

After one year in the project, we have shifted most of our focus on PFAS, one of the most pressing and complex pollutant classes worldwide. We have assembled a biobank of more than 50 PFAS-degrading microbial communities and over 30 isolates, with direct evidence of defluorination. A validated LC-MS/MS and NMR analytics pipeline was established, providing unprecedented scientific robustness. While this added complexity delayed initial bioreactor milestones, it ensures long-term reproducibility and industrial applicability.
The project has already delivered tangible outputs: incorporation of CellX Biosolutions AG, expansion to an 8-person team, acquisition of 3 paying clients, CHF 1.5M pre-seed funding, and CHF 3M in non-dilutive grants. Implementation activities are underway to assemble defined microbial consortia for stable bioreactor operation, with lab pilots on real industrial effluents planned for 2026.