Spatial biology reaches Europe with VIB installation

Meteor Biotech has entered the European market with the installation of its CosmoSort™ spatial biology platform at VIB, Belgium’s leading life sciences research institute. The milestone marks the company’s first European deployment of its pioneering cell-sorting technology, designed to isolate precise cells and tissue regions without disturbing their biological context.

Researchers at VIB will begin on-site testing of CosmoSort, which captures the spatial and molecular behaviour of organisms in real time, generating rich, high-resolution data within milliseconds. The collaboration introduces a new phase in spatial analysis, allowing scientists to move beyond static imaging toward actionable biological understanding.

Developed by Seoul-based spatial omics specialist Meteor Biotech, CosmoSort merges targeted cell isolation with deep molecular profiling. Its arrival in Europe reflects both the company’s global expansion and the growing demand for technologies linking tissue visualisation to molecular data.

“Collaborating with the researchers at VIB, one of the world’s foremost life science institutions, is an important step in our international journey,” said Amos Lee, CEO of Meteor Biotech. “Having established our footprint across Asia and North America, entering Europe marks the beginning of a broader transformation in spatial omics. We believe CosmoSort will set a new benchmark for spatial isolation and discovery.”

VIB, home to nearly 2,000 scientists, conducts research spanning molecular biology, disease mechanisms, and sustainable agriculture. By integrating CosmoSort into its infrastructure, the institute gains a powerful tool to dissect complex cellular behaviour - enabling studies with far-reaching implications for cancer, neuroscience, and developmental biology.

“CosmoSort’s flexibility is particularly exciting,” said Bram Van den Bergh, technology expert at VIB’s Tech Watch Core. “Its open architecture and speed make it a strong candidate for future multi-omics workflows. If its performance matches expectations, this system could integrate seamlessly with our existing spatial setups and unlock study designs that weren’t previously possible.”

CosmoSort’s infrared laser-based isolation technique preserves tissue integrity while extracting specific cells or regions of interest. Its gravity-based retrieval minimises contamination and ensures reproducibility, critical for high-quality research. Capable of processing one cell or region per second, the platform combines speed with precision for both focused and large-scale studies.

VIB’s installation also reflects a growing focus on tools that deliver both proteomic and transcriptomic insight. CosmoSort supports full-length transcriptome reads for unbiased RNA analysis and is compatible with high-end mass spectrometry, enabling the generation of comprehensive protein libraries for de novo discovery.

“Until now, researchers often had to choose between precision and throughput,” added Lee. “CosmoSort removes that compromise. Scientists can now isolate only the cells or regions that matter, without damaging surrounding tissue or sequencing entire slides unnecessarily. It’s about turning complexity into clarity - faster.”

Installed in September and now fully operational, CosmoSort will serve both as a research instrument and as a demonstration platform within VIB’s spatial biology programme, allowing joint teams to showcase its capabilities to other research groups across Europe.

More information online