InSphero and Path BioAnalytics Announce Partnership to Develop Advanced 3D Airway Tissue Model for Cystic Fibrosis Research
Path BioAnalytics will employ InSphero 3D cell technology to produce organoids from primary cystic fibrosis patient tissues to aid in development of new treatments.
Schlieren, Switzerland - December 19, 2018 - InSphero AG and Path BioAnalytics today announced a partnership through which Path BioAnalytics will produce and test 3D cystic fibrosis (CF) organoid models from primary human bronchial and nasal epithelial cells using InSphero’s proprietary 3D cell-based technology, which enables the formation of biologically-relevant, personalized organoids without the use of artificial matrices.
CF research efforts are currently hampered by the high variability in response to therapies among CF individuals due to the complexity of CF-causing mutations and individual genomic backgrounds. The new scaffold-free CF models developed by Path BioAnalytics will have the potential to be used for high-throughput screening of drug candidates and address the genomic diversity within the CF patient population.
Path BioAnalytics CEO Dr. John Mellnik says, “Through this partnership, we aim to build on our domain expertise and further enable precision drug development with human 3D cell-based models that mimic complex human respiratory physiology and disease etiology with minimal confounding factors.” Path BioAnalytics, which specializes in 3D disease modeling of respiratory tissues, plans to compare the utility of scaffold-free CF models to its established media and hydrogel-based assays. The company will evaluate the efficiency of the formation of differentiated organoids and assess morphology, lifespan in culture, and response to different stimuli using its proprietary image analysis software.
“Patient-derived 3D cell models are crucial for discovering new treatment solutions and matching patients to the best available therapies. Working with Path BioAnalytics will enable us to support much-needed respiratory disease research and contribute to the ongoing search for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. Our team is excited to help tackle a disease that so severely affects the lives of 70,000 people worldwide,” says Dr. Jan Lichtenberg, InSphero CEO and Co-founder.
InSphero partners with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to provide comprehensive 3D cell-based solutions, disease modeling, and drug safety testing. It has commercialized the development of 3D cell-based disease models for metabolic diseases of the liver (NASH and Fibrosis) and pancreas (Diabetes Type 2 and Type 2) using co-cultures of primary human cell types as well as oncology models from patient-derived xenograph materials (PDX). Its proven 3D technology and microtissue models are used by top pharmaceutical companies worldwide.
