AIM Biotech is leading the shift from preclinical animal models to humanized in-vitro physiological models for the discovery of new medicines, with advanced cell culture platforms that fit into existing drug discovery workflows. Evercyte is a specialist in establishment of continuously growing human cell lines by reactivation of telomerase to overcome proliferation issues such as replicative senescence and need to exchange donors, requiring repeated re-evaluation and readjustment. Marrying the two technologies offers considerable benefits for molecular research, drug discovery and development, and design of targeted therapeutics.
Research cell lines
Evercyte’s HUVEC/TERT2 human umbilical vein endothelial cell line maintains expression of cell type-specific markers and function and is therefore particularly useful for in vitro bioassays for studying angiogenesis in e.g. wound healing or metastasis as well as bioassays for testing the angiogenic properties of novel drugs.
The other cell line to be utilized with the AIM Biotech lab-on-a-chip range is Evercyte’s human lung fibroblast cell line LF/TERT309 that is valuable as a standardized in vitro model to study pulmonary function and pathophysiology such as airway inflammation and remodeling or production of extracellular matrix compounds. Additionally, the cell line is the perfect starting material for genetic engineering to create important disease models.
These are just part of Evercyte’s extensive portfolio of cell lines derived from different human primary tissues that also include renal proximal tubular epithelial cells, MSC derived from bone marrow, adipose tissue, placenta and dental pulp.
Drug screening advantages
Evercyte co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Regina Grillari said the marriage of these immortalized cell lines with microfluidics platform technology could mark a major step forward for drug screening where a major challenge has been selecting appropriate drug candidates from a vast pool of lead compounds based on toxicity, safety, efficacy, and clearance.
“Various approaches have been explored for efficient drug screening, including animal-based in vivo models and cell-based in vitro models,” Dr. Grillari noted.
“However, these methods have limitations such as interspecies differences, poor predictive ability, and ethical controversies. Animal testing, although providing in vivo drug responses, fails to accurately predict drug-induced toxicity and treatment efficiency in humans. On the other hand, cell-based models offer cost-effective solutions but lack the complexity of native tissue structures and systemic physiological processes,” she continued.
Ideal marriage
“The micro-engineered OOAC platform, made possible by advancements in microfabrication technology and microfluidics, addresses these limitations by replicating the in vivo structures and functions of human organs. By combining data from multiple assays representing various organs and tissues, it enables the emulation of complex organ-organ interactions, allowing for a more comprehensive study of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. This next-generation in vitro model surpasses animal-based and cell-based models in terms of prediction capability, cost, complexity, duration, and ethical considerations,” said Dr. Grillari.
“Where you marry these advantages with telomerized human cells whose morphology, phenotype and functions replicate parental primary cells and that show a cellular life span at least double that of the normal cells and with stable karyotype, you can create complex, relevant and standardizable in vitro OOAC models that represent the in vivo situation – a huge benefit for researchers and companies looking to humanized microfluidic platforms for the discovery of new medicines,” she concluded.
Further opportunities
Evercyte and AIM Biotech believe the potential of the OOAC technique extends beyond drug screening, to offer significant opportunities in disease research and as an alternative or supplement to animal models and even as part of clinical trials.
“The OOAC platform represents a major milestone in the field of drug development and promises to accelerate the discovery of safe and effective drugs, ultimately benefiting patients worldwide,” said AIM Biotech Executive Director & co-founder Kuan Chee Mun.
“There are different types of cells that can be seeded in the OOAC platforms,” he explained.
“Primary cells are directly extracted from living organs or tissues and are mature, fully functional, and genetically diverse. They offer a more representative and personalized approach to drug screening. However, they are difficult to obtain, have limited quantities, and their functionality declines over time as they undergo replicative senescence,” said Mr. Kuan.
“On the other hand, immortalized cell lines can proliferate indefinitely and are readily available, genetically identical, and easy to culture over time,” he pointed out.
About Evercyte GmbH
Evercyte is the leading provider of immortalized human primary-like cells (‘telomerized cells’) as well as novel cell lines for production of extracellular vesicles and is the partner of choice for innovative cell-based assays in the field of pharma, biotech, or cosmetic industries.
The core technology used for the establishment of these highly relevant human cell lines relies on the reactivation of the human telomerase enzyme. Besides customer-tailored cell line development as a one-stop shop, Evercyte is steadily expanding its catalogue of readily available cell lines to produce extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stromal cells using different tissues including adipose tissue, bone marrow, placenta, amnion or dental pulp.
By providing native extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stromal cells Evercyte will make a significant contribution to the development of new therapeutic approaches. Additionally, Evercyte will promote its platform technology for the generation of recombinant EVs e.g. tissue targeting and targeted drug delivery.
Founded in 2011, the Vienna-based company successfully pioneered the development of tools and know-how necessary for the establishment of standardized high-throughput in vitro bioassays as well as relevant cell models and cell factories.
Learn more at: http://www.evercyte.com
About AIM Biotech
AIM Biotech is a biotechnology company located in Singapore and Boston, MA. The company is at the forefront of transforming drug discovery into a more targeted, predictable and less expensive endeavor. The company’s patented microfluidic platforms and humanized functional assays in critical therapeutic areas enable the addition of human data into drug development earlier in the process, enabling therapeutic insights not previously possible through conventional approaches. AIM Biotech assays enable the blood-brain barrier, vascular networks, angiogenesis, and important aspects of oncology & immune-oncology to be modeled. AIM Biotech also develops advanced culture systems for maintaining & vascularizing larger tissues like tumoroids, organoids and biopsies. These solutions are designed to be integrated into existing drug discovery & development workflows at pharmaceutical companies. AIM also offers custom assay development services to help pharmaceutical companies implement novel assays that are relevant to their specific areas of interest.
Learn more at: https://www.aimbiotech.com
Resources
Click on Evercyte cell lines catalogued by tissue and body fluid for further information on cell lines.
Click on Evercyte cell lines catalogued by cell type for further information on cell lines.
Click on Umbilical cord – vascular system HUVEC/TERT2 for product information.
Click on Lung LF/TERT309 for product information.
Click on AIM Biotech to lean more
Contact
Evercyte GmbH
Leberstrasse 20, 1110 Vienna, Austria
+43 699 10 709 401
Office(at)evercyte.com
http://www.evercyte.com