The specific contributions towards the objectives per Work Package have been described below:
• WP1 for Project Management: during these 2 years and 9 months of the project, the activities in the WP have been carried out efficiently, studying the risks, applying the contingency plans and constantly updating all the information related to the project to avoid putting it at risk. This WP has been the fundamental pillar on which the following WPs have been guided in order to have absolute control of any point, deviation, improvement, etc., of the activities of the other WPs.
• WP2 for Process standardization & automation for xenotransplantation and analysis: during the course of the project, it was possible to efficiently automate the study process in a specific type of tumour, gastrointestinal tumours. During the course of it, it was necessary to apply contingency plans given the appearance of certain risks. The success of these plans was 100% allowing, as stated, to obtain a fully standardized and automated process for a type of tumour. In addition, the laboratories were certified and an ambient GLP like was implemented internally to ensure the traceability, reproducibility and certainty of all the studies carried out under the umbrella of this project.
• WP3 is devoted to Clinical Study for Technology validation & development of the phenotype-molecules library: this WP of the project was carried out during the last months of the project. Given the extrinsic problems that not only our company has suffered due to COVID-19, an amendment had to be requested to ensure the achievement of the project due to a problem associated with this pandemic, the loss of biopsies due to the legal impossibility of going to the facilities. during the state of alarm decreed in Spain. With the acceptance of the amendment and the possibility of analysing 10 stable cell lines and 5 biopsies, it was possible to verify that the technology worked in samples of clinical origin and the phenotype-molecule liberty could be performed by means of the implementation of a software, iONCOwareTM, created for this purpose and for this project. Undoubtedly, he has generated a large database that has to increase with a new number of biopsies and tumours in the coming years thanks to the continuation of the project with agreement and future investments.
• WP4 for Exploitation, IP Strategy & Commercialization Activities: in these two years of the project, a great commercialization plan was carried out, updated in recent months for two reasons: i) when implementing a new automation technology, qPCR, the studies were improving , with an appreciable increase in cost but with a higher quality, ii) until the automation and internal validation of the platform were not verified, it was not wanted to take false steps with potential stakeholders to avoid losing them due to very early contact or not having that platform fully finished. In addition, during the last 9 months a very powerful work has been generated in the world of venture capitals to show the platform, generate interest and close an investment round to continue with this platform, including new tumour types, etc. On the other hand, this marketing plan and this approach to stakeholders, allowed the company to close very powerful clinical validation agreements with public-private institutions in Spain.
• WP5 Dissemination & visibility actions:in order to publicize the platform in the specific oncology sector, in front of stakeholders, different dissemination actions were carried out using digital and non-digital channels. The actions carried out were very well received and as a result it is the next investment that the company will receive to improve the platform, perform clinical validation in a hospital environment and include new tumour types on the platform, such as lung cancer. In addition, dissemination actions were carried out in a non-professional environment through talks, webminars, etc., to raise awareness in society of the importance of having a tool in the health system such as this to improve the quality, not only of treatments, but also patients life.
