Project description
Tumour bioprinting: the future of drug discovery
Current approaches for studying tumour biology and for performing drug screening rely on 2D cell cultures and animal models. However, they do not accurately reflect the size, heterogeneity and vascularity of the human tumour microenvironment. Scientists of the EU-funded TUMOURPRINT project are working on a disruptive bioprinting technology capable of fabricating tissue models with high fidelity. The technology uses live cells in combination with specially formulated hydrogels that provide cells with an optimal environment for survival, growth and proper 3D development. Results are expected to revolutionise the drug development processes by offering cancer models in an automated, precise and reproducible way.
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.
Fields of science
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug discovery
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftware
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugs
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncology
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringrobotics
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
413 46 Goteborg
Sweden
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.