Project description
Advanced technology for efficient and repeatable culturing of 3D cell assemblies
Cell cultures play a crucial role in biomedical research and drug screening, with the environment and arrangement significantly influencing cell function. The difference between 2D in vitro studies and the 3D in vivo environment is crucial, particularly for patient-specific therapies and high-throughput screening. The low physiological relevance of 2D cell cultures contribute to a 90 % failure rate of drug candidates during trials. Funded by the European Research Council, the HOLOCELL project will address this by developing a 3D bioassembler. The team will create a benchtop bioassembler that aggregates biological cells, spheroids, particles or hydrogel capsules into fully defined 3D structures using acoustic holography. This user-friendly and affordable device will be compatible with established biological procedures and laboratory equipment.
Objective
Cell cultures are essential for biomedical research and drug screening. The environment and the arrangement directly affect cell function. It has become clear that biological cells behave differently when cultured on a surface as opposed to a 3D environment. This discrepancy between 2D in vitro studies and the 3D environment found in vivo is critical for cancer research, most notably patient-specific therapy and high-throughput drug screening and discovery. Almost 90% of all drug candidates fail during the trial phases and one of the main reasons identified is the low physiological relevance of 2D cell cultures. Technologies are needed that enable the fast and efficient culturing of 3D cell assemblies with high repeatability and control over size and morphology. Here, we use our recently developed technology and fabrication know-how together with the expertise from our ERC-funded research to realize the first 3D bioassembler where the shape of the cell aggregates can be precisely defined by the user. Within this ERC-POC grant we plan to develop a fully operational, stand-alone benchtop bioassembler that instantly aggregates biological cells, spheroids, particles or hydrogel capsules into fully defined 3D structures using acoustic holography. Our device will be an easy-to-use and affordable instrument that is fully compatible with established biological procedures and laboratory equipment and which allows scientists to culture the specific cell structures they need. The grant will allow us to protect our know-how, identify further markets, and develop a commercialization strategy for our technology. Overall, this project will generate the first 3D cell assembler that permits the generation of user-defined cell spheroids and custom shapes at a press of button and thus presents an innovation with a sizeable market potential.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-POC2
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
80539 MUNCHEN
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.