Project description
Cell cultures in tiny droplets could have big impact on therapeutics
High-throughput cell screening is integral to medical and pharmaceutical research and clinical medicine, enabling scientists to evaluate thousands of chemical compounds that interact with biological target molecules. However, current methods have limitations, including the high costs and scarcity of cell samples and the tremendous volume of microtitre plates and reagents that are required. The German SME AQUARRAY has developed patented droplet microarray technology for cell cultivation, ultrahigh-throughput screening, and a biochemical assay that enables downscaling of the experiments and significant savings in consumables. Microdroplets formed spontaneously serve as individual micro-reservoirs for culturing cells. The EU-funded Droplet Microarray project supports development of a business and commercialisation plan to bring the technology to market, benefiting basic and applied research, drug discovery and personalised medicine.
Objective
Current cell screening systems based on microtiter plates are mainly used to perform drug discovery experiments. However, performing a larger number of therapeutic tests on patient derived (primary) cells is yet impossible due to the high consumption of reagents and cells when using microplates. In the clinical context, personalized drug screenings for optimal medical treatment are not possible due to the scarcity of precious primary cells. In pre-clinical drug discovery, the extremely high cost of primary cells limits the innovation potential as researchers hardly have access to screening models which are relevant for human physiology. The possibility to use scarce cell types like primary cells or stem cells therefore is the future of basic life science research, drug discovery (replacing animal models) as well as personalized medicine applications (individual precision therapies) and will have significant impact for a healthy society. Further miniaturization of current assays would inevitably allow the wide use of scarce cell types and at the same time reduce costs, increase throughput, and increase biological relevance of screening results. DMA allows researchers and clinicians to perform meaningful experiments with primary cells and circulating tumor cells – alternative technologies hardly work with low cell numbers.
EC funding Phase 2 will allow Aquarray to mass produce its offer – the DMA Cartridge and also the disruptive Cell Screening System that integrates the DMA Cartridge with a nanoliter dispenser, an incubator and a read-out apparatus. Aquarray’s disruptive business model will employ a B2B direct sales of the DMA Slides and the Screening System, and at the same time sales can be maximized through partnerships with companies selling liquid nano-dispensers such as Dispendix and Labcyte. We are expected to generate €167M revenues by 2025 capturing 9.37% of the market.
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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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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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.
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2
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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) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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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.
76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen
Germany
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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.