Biotech Start-Ups Share How They Are Addressing Key Limitations in Disease Models
We asked a selection of start-ups how their technology addresses key limitations in disease modeling.
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Disease models are a cornerstone of drug discovery. However, the accuracy and reproducibility of traditional models have presented significant hurdles.
Recent advances in bioengineering have led to the development of more sophisticated models with high clinical biomimicry and predictability. These advances include methods to differentiate inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to grow organoids – self-organizing 3D tissue cultures crafted to replicate the complexity of an organ. Other developments include the creation of platforms such as organ-on-chip (OoC) systems that can capture the complexities of biological processes such as metabolism.
Alongside advances in cell models, new non-invasive techniques for observing live cells have enabled the real-time quantification of cell behavior within a stable environment. Live-cell imaging techniques have been used to study diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration to better understand cellular and signaling events.
Increasingly complex systems are becoming invaluable disease models, particularly for studying organs that have previously lacked relevant models. Research efforts continue to focus on ways of improving models for various diseases and developmental conditions.
At the European Laboratory Research and Innovation Group’s (ELRIG) Drug Discovery 2024 event, Technology Networks asked a selection of start-up companies featured in the conference’s Breakthrough Zone how their technology addresses key limitations in traditional disease models.
Julio Martin, senior strategic liaison at A4Cell:
“The challenge we're tackling is the lack of a non-invasive, long-term method to observe live cells over time. Existing technologies offer limited insights, often harming cells and restricting observations to short periods. We [A4Cell] seek to transform the way researchers study live cells, from static snapshots to dynamic, continuous monitoring, revolutionizing cellular imaging by moving beyond morphology to reveal physiological changes”
“Unlike traditional fluorescent probes that diffuse freely inside cells and are limited by time and space, SPAchip is a silicon microchip with covalently grafted fluorescent probes. Once inside cells, these chips offer several advantages – they’re harmless and non-cytotoxic. They stay localized in the cytosol, providing precise, real-time data over weeks. They are resilient to cell handling, not expelled and metabolically stable. They offer spatial and spectral resolution, unlike conventional solutions. Plus, their multiplexed capabilities allow handling 2D and 3D cultures.”
Krzysztof Wrzesinski, CSO and co-founder of CelVivo:
“Traditional 2D cell cultures often suffer from uneven nutrient distribution (diffusion depletion zones) limited cell-to-cell contact and communication as well as very unphysiological growth surfaces (hard plastic surface). While dynamic 3D systems offer some solutions, they often cause damaging shear stress. The ClinoStar resolves these issues by offering a low-shear, clinostat environment that supports the growth of larger, longer-lasting 3D cultures. This approach holds promise for more accurate disease modeling, drug testing and regenerative therapies.”
François Dohet, vice president of global business development and sales at LiveDrop:
“LiveDrop is advancing cell models with 3D cultures, including spheroids, in collaboration with drug discovery researchers, among which are UPM Biomedical, Karolinska Institute and AstraZeneca. These spheroids mimic human tissues better than 2D cultures, improving drug testing accuracy.”
“Using ModaFlow in 3D cultures allows for more realistic drug interaction studies, enhancing preclinical accuracy, reducing animal testing and increasing the chances of finding effective treatments and pushing the boundaries of personalized medicine.”
Dr. Chris Saunter, CTO at Magnitude Biosciences:
“Traditional cell models struggle with two key challenges: translatability and the inability to model aging. Cells – except for certain types like fibroblasts – don’t naturally age, limiting their usefulness in studying age-related diseases. Mammalian models, while more predictive, are costly and can take months or years to generate the same data.”
“Our [Magnitude Biosciences] Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) platform addresses both of these limitations. The worms have a lifecycle of just three days, and have a total lifespan of two-three weeks, allowing us to rapidly test compounds for their effects on aging and longevity. This offers a significant advantage over traditional models, both in terms of cost and speed. We believe that our scalable, whole-organism approach will play a pivotal role in the future of disease modeling, particularly in aging research, where there’s a growing need for faster and more predictive models.”
Dr. Elad Katz, founder of Navigate Precision Biology:
“We [Navigate Precision Biology] are presenting the NaviPlate as a technology enabling drug discovery using organoids and spheroids. This technology is HTS-ready and has been demonstrated in several disease areas and readouts.”
“NaviPlate-based solutions offer new ways to model osteoporosis as well as chronic kidney, heart and lung diseases. These are offered in unrivaled scale to enable drug discovery in humanized disease relevant formats, previously unavailable.”
Dr. Frøydis Sved Skottvoll, co-leader of the PharmaChip innovation project at SINTEF:
“The PharmaChip is an analytical tool that provides a more efficient, accurate and sustainable solution for chemical analysis in organoid and OoC research. Unlike conventional drug analysis platforms, which demand large samples and complex manual preparation steps, the PharmaChip project aims to streamline the process. The PharmaChip provides efficient sample clean-up and works seamlessly with simpler detector systems. This allows the researcher to perform drug analyses in the lab without specialized expertise, making it a promising solution for disease modeling in organoids and OoC systems.”
This article is part of a series highlighting the technologies on display as part of the ELRIG Drug Discovery 2024 Breakthrough Zone. You can read the other two articles in the series below:
