An Italian biotech company developed a specialized screening platform for drug development. The company is offerings its technological cooperation to possibile partners and commercial agreements with technical assistance.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models can provide physiologically relevant information compared with the traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures, generating interest in drug discovery to predict response to drugs and putative compounds, also utilizing a personalized approach. Several 3D cell culture technologies have been developed to better mimic in vivo complexity. However, simple and reproducible systems able to rapidly rebuild tissue ex-vivo in 3D are needed to overcome some limitations and offer novel possibilities. The Italian company is located in one of the most important biomedical district in Europe hosting more than 100 companies. Through the 3D cell culturing solutions, the Company developed a novel-generation of miniaturized 3D bioreactor for rapid cell colonization in a 3D manner enabling an in-vitro real reconstruction of tissue complexity, in an in vivo-like microenvironment. Currently, the company manufactures and sells a 3D cell culture bioreactor for research and preclinical investigations (hereafter the Product). The Product is a ready to use, flat and handheld bioreactor, integrating scaffold for the establishment of 3D cell culture model that can be used for a large number of research applications and pre-clinical investigations in oncology. (NACE code M.72.11 and C26.5.1). The Product can really impact on the 3R rules (Reducing, Replacing, Refining) mainly for the reduction of the number of animals in the experimentation. With the positioning between the in vitro high throughput screening (HTS) and the in vivo models, a new 3V concept is introduced: in vitro - in VITVO - in vivo. In vitro HTS allows the evaluation of huge amounts of compounds; in VITVO the confirmation of the efficacy of selected compounds and the identification of the more effective doses, improves and speeds up the process. This can reduce the number of animals employed for the in vivo experimentation, potentially lowering the attrition rate in drug development. The product has been already used for pre-clinical development of an anti-cancer drug contributing to evaluate its action and efficacy and allowing the reduction of the number of animals employed in the experimentation for dose finding studies. The product has a relevant potential application also in the field of immuno-oncology where rapid and reliable functional tests allowing prediction of patient response are still lacking. The versatility characterizing the Product may contributes to fill the gap between in silico hypothesis/in vitro results and in vivo settings with possible relevant role beside oncology field. Based on The Company’s knowhow of 3D cell culturing technology, new scaffolds and devices for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) combined products are currently evaluated and embedded in the platform. These new solutions will be able to generate specialized screening platform applicable for the development of both new drugs and repurposed drugs in oncology and beyond. The company is able to provide devices based on customer needs. The company is searching for research institute and pharma companies which are developing drugs and/or treatments and looking for novel platforms to test compounds in the in vitro pre-clinical phase. The company is also searching for CRO, CDMO and companies offering master service to test compounds in vitro. The company offers a master service for the execution of customized experimental protocols. The company is also available to co-operate for the development of specific novel applications besides oncology. The company is also sending the product through commercial agreements with technical assistance to research labs and SMEs for the testing of innovative medicines without animal experimentation.