ScreenIn3D reports on how their proprietary lab-on-a-chip technology is enabling cancer researchers to miniaturize their testing of biopsy tissue samples across a wide range of modalities and to test both single and combination drug therapies on live tissue samples.
Combining the latest advances in microfluidics and 3D cell culture, ScreenIn3D’s lab-on-a-chip technology enables researchers to use as few as 1,000 cells for tens of 3D cancer screening experiments. ScreenIn3D has recently secured investment from Gabriel Investments Ltd, Scottish Enterprise and the University of Strathclyde’s Entrepreneurial Fund to expand the capabilities of the platform for testing new tumor indications and to scale up chip manufacture, making the platform available to pharma and biotech companies who wants to license the technology for “in-house” use. Integration of this innovative technology into testing protocols can revolutionize pharma company’s ability to swiftly assess drug efficacy on patient-derived tumors, amplifying their endeavors by generating more physiologically relevant data compared to conventional biopsy approaches reliant on non-viable or dead cells.
“There are challenges with evaluating solid tumors, not just cancerous cells but those surrounding them and their interactions with immuno-cells,” Michele Zagnoni, PhD, chief executive officer of ScreenIn3D. “Tumor tissue is a precious resource, which is underutilized in drug development due to high cost and its limited quantity. Our technology offers a completely new way to test a vast number of combination therapies on patient-derived samples, offering drug developers increased opportunities of finding new treatments, quicker and with less failures.”
ScreenIn3D co-founder, Alex Sim, continues: “Drug development is expensive. We have developed a technology platform which could accelerate the development of therapies on models that are representative of what happens in the body during disease. This bold approach will unlock remarkable advancements for precision oncology. For example—how to tailor an anticancer treatment to an individual patient, reduce animal tests and profoundly impact the way drugs can be developed for other diseases in the future.”
Founded in 2018 by Zagnoni and Sim, the mission of ScreenIn3D is to impact cancer drug development and improve the lives of cancer patients by significantly amplifying the screening capabilities of dynamic, live, patient-derived 3D tumor models. This is achieved by using S3D’s proprietary lab-on-a-chip technology, which enables the miniaturization of 3D tumor-based tests through precise control of fluids, cells, and molecular transport in small amounts.
Featured Image: Lab-on-a-chip plate technology for screening minute amounts of cancerous tissue. Photo: ScreenIn3D
