On January 19, 2023-Brenus Pharma, a biotech company specialized in the development of new generations of allogeneic cell-based immunotherapies, and InSphero AG, a pioneer in 3D cell-based assays and organ-on-a-chip technology, reported that they have received a €1.5 million grant for the collaborative project "STC-1010 : A First-in-Class Allogeneic Cell Vaccine Against Cancer", which aims to use 3D cell culture to develop a novel cell immunotherapy for colorectal cancer (Press release, Brenus Pharma, JAN 19, 2023, View Source [SID1234626378]).
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Funding is provided by the Eurostars fund, a support mechanism for small and medium-sized enterprises under the European Commission’s "Horizon 2020" research and innovation support program, as well as by Bpifrance and InnoSuisse.
The project "STC-1010: A First-in-Class Allogeneic Cell Vaccine Against Cancer", coordinated by Brenus in collaboration with InSphero, was officially launched on November 1 st 2022 for a duration of 36 months. This collaboration aims to leverage the innovation of the 3D model in the development of the STC-1010 drug candidate, based on Brenus’ technology platform, and soon to enter the clinical phase, targeting metastatic colorectal cancer.
This tool, using 3D cell culture, should make it possible to get closer to the clinical conditions of patients to select new drug candidates and thus accelerate and secure their development.
Paul Bravetti, CEO of Brenus Pharma, declares: « Despite advances in therapy, a significant number of cancers remain resistant to treatment because the cancer cells can adapt and become invisible to the immune system, causing the patient to relapse. These cold tumors, which escape the immune cells and become for the most part insensitive to immunotherapies (only 5% of colorectal cancers are sensitive, for example), represent one of the greatest challenges for oncology research today. Our STC platform enables the production of new generation immunotherapies that will give the patient’s immune system a step ahead by educating it to anticipate and fight against the resistance and escape mechanisms put in place by cancer cells. The ambition of this technology is to offer a solution to a large population of patients who are currently at an impasse with current treatments. We are delighted with the collaboration with InSphero, which is fully in line with our strategy to develop new drugs for cancer patients.
Jan Lichtenberg, co-founder and CEO of InSphero adds : « We are delighted to partner with Brenus Pharma on the Allogenix project. 3D cellular approaches will play an important role in the future of innovative therapies such as those delivered by the STC platform, ensuring accelerated and quality data assessment. InSphero’s revolutionary cryopreservation technology will also support complementary developments for the Brenus STC platform. The resulting new medicines will provide solutions for patients suffering from tumors around the world. We look forward to this successful partnership, which would not have been possible without the trust and support of EUROSTARS."
About Eurostars Eurostars is part of the Horizon Europe program which supports innovative SMEs and project partners (universities, research organizations and other types of organizations) by funding international collaborative R&D and innovation projects. Eurostars is managed by EUREKA, an intergovernmental network of 37 countries.