Two market leading companies in the field of cell based assays and predictive toxicology announced a new product collaboration. Medicyte (inventors of the upcyte technology) and Reinnervate (market leaders in the growing field of 3D cell culture) said they will work together to combine their upcyte and Alvetex Scaffold technologies to bring next generation cell bases assays to the biopharma and academic research markets.
Early data, already presented at academic meetings, indicates that Medicyte’s upcyte hepatocytes combine the benefits of quantity (generation of up to 2000 vials per donor) with the quality of primary hepatocytes. Furthermore, upcyte hepatocytes, grown with a more native 3D morphology in Reinnervate’s alvetex scaffold, seem to outperform their 2D counterparts.
‘We are delighted that Medicyte have chosen to put Alvetex Scaffold at the heart of their new product development plans’ commented Prof Stefan Przyborski, CSO of Reinnervate Ltd. ‘The ability of 3D cells to better predict in vivo responses to therapeutic and environmental challenges makes alvetex scaffold technology an important new tool for scientists’ he added.
‘We are excited about working with Reinnervate to explore the growing area of 3D cell culture. The combination of both technologies will undoubtedly lead to a more predictive culture model without the limitation of cell supply’ commented Dr. Joris Braspenning, Managing Director of Medicyte GmbH.
The two companies did not disclose financial terms relating to the collaboration.
Date: July 9, 2012
Source: Medicyte and Reinnervate
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
