High Throughput Bioprinting of Tumour Models for Drug Development and Oncology Research

Objective

CELLINK will develop and commercialise TumourPrint - a high throughput platform for bioprinting of live tumour models for pharmaceutical drug development and large-scale cancer research. Bioprinting constitutes the most advanced method for fabricating fidel tissue models, using live cells in combination with cell-instructive bioinks (specially formulated hydrogels that provide cells with an optimal environment for survival, growth and proper 3D development).

The high throughput platform - completely new to the market - is designed according to user needs. It will revolutionise drug development processes through serial production of fidel cancer models in an automated, precise and reproducible way. The platform offers unparalleled printing capacity and is integrated with robotics and none-destructive analytical methods capable of scoring drug responses in printed constructs.

Current oncology approaches principally rely on unsatisfactory 2D mono-cell cultures and animal models to predict outcomes in humans, resulting in exasperatingly high attrition rates of cancer drug candidates in clinical trials. The economic and ethically challenging implications of failed trials provide CELLINK with a unique value proposition to drive willingness-to-pay for their disruptive platform.
TumourPrint will address today’s pharmaceutical challenges by producing tumour models capable of mimicking size, heterogeneity and vascularity of the human tumour microenvironment in a fidel way.

CELLINK has a proven track-record of successfully developing and commercialising products according to user needs; they developed the world’s first universal bioink, have commercialized three generations of bioprinters and optimised 18 cell-specific bioinks. Since the company’s establishment in 2016, CELLINK has commercialised its technology in over 40 countries, grown its organisation ten-fold and secured collaborations with several global pharmaceutical giants.

Field of science

• /medical and health sciences/basic medicine/pharmacology and pharmacy/pharmaceutical drug
• /medical and health sciences/clinical medicine/oncology/cancer

Programme(s)

• H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
• H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
• H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies

Topic(s)

• EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020 - SME instrument

Call for proposal

H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-2
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

Coordinator