BARACUDA: Advanced 3D-Bioprinting Platform for Next-Generation Tumor Models with Patient-Like Vascularization, Enhancing Preclinical Drug and Cell-Based Cancer Immunotherapy Development
Berlin, June 2024 - Therycell GmbH is pleased to announce an international collaboration with VoxCell Bioinnovation (Canada) and the NMI (Germany). It started in June and is combining innovative 3d cell culture technologies to enhance the development and testing of new cellular cancer therapies.
NMI has developed a unique method to generate and cultivate patient-derived microtumors from tumor fragments, allowing for long-term study. VoxCell Bioinnovation's advanced human tumor tissue model incorporates vascularization, with 3D-bioprinted organoids featuring vessel-like structures and tiny capillaries for controlled drug and T-cell perfusion. Their system will enable detailed observation of T-cell behavior as they navigate through endothelial barriers to interact with tumor cells, closely mimicking the in vivo environment.
Therycell GmbH provides therapeutic T-cells for this platform, using TCR-T cells equipped with tumor-specific T-cell receptors. The BARACUDA system serves as a preclinical testing platform for evaluating new antitumor pharmacological and cellular therapies. CAR- and TCR-T cells undergo quality assurance checks for therapeutic efficiency and tumor reactivity.
The key goal of this collaboration is to establish a highly needed platform of next-generation cancer models with human-like vascularization for preclinical drug development. These capabilities make BARACUDA an attractive option for pharmaceutical companies developing cellular therapies. With its partners TheryCell will pave the way for innovative cancer treatments, advancing the field of oncology.
TheryCell coordinates an innovative project to advance TCR-T therapy for solid tumors with partners Charité, HS Diagnomics GmbH, and EPO GmbH
Berlin, October 30, 2023 - TheryCell is coordinating a cutting-edge project together with partners HS Diagnomics GmbH, EPO GmbH and Charité, aimed at developing novel cellular immunotherapies (TCR-T) of solid cancers. A central component will be the identification and preclinical validation of tumor-specific T-cell receptors (TCRs) which are determined for each patient individually.
Building upon a patented antigen-agnostic approach successfully validated in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), this novel methodology to identify and employ tumor-specific T-cell receptors will now be extended to more solid cancers with high medical need.
The collaborative effort of three Biotech companies and the Dept. of Hematology, Oncology & Cancer Immunology and the Institute of Pathology of the Charité will focus on identifying and validating tumor-specific T-cell receptors for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), Colorectal Carcinoma (CRC), and Breast Cancer (BC). This ambitious project aims to advance TCR-T therapies ranging from the selection of therapeutic TCRs to establishing a GMP-compliant workflow for the manufacture of therapeutic doses of personalized as well as off-the-shelf TCR-T cell therapies.
The project is funded for three years by the ProFIT program of the IBB Berlin and the European Union (EFRE, Europäischer Fonds für regionale Entwicklung), underscoring the significance and potential impact of this pioneering initiative.
