Major success achieved by Axol Bioscience may help design new brain models

Axol Bioscience, a partner in the EU-funded MESO-BRAIN project (GA # 713140) has had a new proposal selected for funding by the EU through the FET (Future Emerging Technologies) Launchpad scheme.

The COMMER-CELL Launchpad project provides a unique opportunity for the creation of a marketable product stemming from work already programmed within FETOPEN MESO-BRAIN opening up new opportunities for neurodegenerative research including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Co-cultured in vitro cell models have the capacity to retain neuronal maturity and functionality for long periods of time. Such co-cultures, featuring only two or three different cell types have already been demonstrated to be effective models for researching the mechanisms of diseases such as AD and monitoring inflammation response, indicating consistent and reproducible results. As such, complex and consistently reproducible ready-made co-cultures will be promoted to pharmaceutical and biotech companies seeking to use iPSC-derived cells as a basis for building cell-based assays and drug screening based on the validated cells.

As the FETOPEN MESO-BRAIN project already intends to grow the major neuronal cell types, complex, physiologically relevant 2D and 3D co-cultures featuring cortical neurones, astrocytes, interneurons and microglia can be developed within COMMER-CELL and made available for sale. The creation and mass-availability of a four-cell-type co-culture in an easy-to-use and pre-made form could not only allow for improved research into CNS-affecting conditions and drug testing, but also expedite such research by circumventing the need for research institutions and scientific industrial organization (such as pharmaceutical and biotech companies) to create their own time-consuming cell models.

The proposed COMMER-CELL project harnesses results from MESO-BRAIN to deliver concrete added value by raising the technological maturity of the cells to demonstrator level. The fulfillment of the proposition, based upon anticipated positive feedback from the market, will lead to the commercialization of an innovation derived from FETOPEN MESO-BRAIN.

MESO-BRAIN partners Aston University, working in conjunction with Laser nanoFAB GmbH, and Institute for Photonic Sciences, ICFO, Barcelona, were also successful in having their own FET Launchpad proposals selected for funding with SCAFFOLD-NEEDs and MAFIn respectively.

The FET Launchpad scheme is available only to existing or recently ended FET projects to encourage development of innovative ideas emerging from a project to be accelerated through separate and dedicated, Launchpad funding.

Source: https://www.axolbio.com/