REGENHU today announced its participation in the FLAMIN-GO research project aimed at developing an organ-on-chip technology for clinical trials on Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
FLAMIN-GO is an EU-funded project featuring a strong, well-balanced composition of hospital, academia, and industry partners which brings together the know-how of experts in the fields of rheumatology, material science, tissue engineering, nanotechnology, cell biology, and 3D modeling, in a cohesive, transdisciplinary, multi-sectorial approach. The objective is to develop a personalized next-generation synovia-on-chip, that, by effectively mimicking the complexity of an RA joint, will enable personalized clinical trials-on-chip, and ultimately open new avenues toward personalized care in RA.
“FLAMIN-GO was designed precisely with the intention of opening up a new pathway towards personalized medicine in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. The goal is to provide an organ-on-chip solution (OoC) whereby the best drug on the market for treating each patient can be selected, which will also support the development of new drugs. This solution will be based on the design and production of a multi-compartment microfluidic platform for 3D cell culture and perfusion of all joint tissues relevant to the disease,” mentioned Annalisa Chiocchetti, project coordinator and Professor of Immunology at the University of Eastern Piedmont in Novara.
REGENHU’s participation in the consortium will be three-fold: the company will be providing (a) a customized 3D bioprinter and associated design software capable of printing cell layers into the organ chips in a highly reproducible and accurate manner with high cell viability. (b) training in the use of bioprinter and software, and (c) technical support to the consortium members in resolving issues with printability of biomaterials.
“For REGENHU, joining FLAMIN-GO represents a great step forward in maintaining our leadership in 3D bioprinting innovation,” said Simon MacKenzie, Chief Executive Officer, REGENHU. “We believe that the knowledge generated in the consortium will lead to the discovery of new approaches to help deliver meaningful, novel, alternative solutions for the millions of patients living with RA across Europe.”
About Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder, characterized by synovial joint inflammation, affecting 1% of the overall population. Around 2,9 million patients in the EU are affected by this condition.
Over time, RA can also lead to permanent disability. Currently, there is no cure for RA, but remission of symptoms is more likely when treatment begins early, with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
About FLAMIN-GO
FLAMIN-GO is a research project designed to develop “tailored” treatments for each patient suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis. Under the leadership of the University of Eastern Piedmont, the project originated from a collaboration among different public and private organizations, including the Institute of Nanotechnology of the National Research Council (Cnr Nanotec) at Lecce, Queen Mary University of London, the Max Planck Institute, and the Swiss AO Research Institute Davos, ARI.
About REGENHU
REGENHU is a research-driven, Swiss MedTech bioprinter pioneer committed to assisting the research and scientific communities by creating and developing state-of-the-art bioprinting technologies to revolutionize medicine.
Founded in 2007, the dynamic and rapidly expanding company is based in Villaz-St-Pierre, Switzerland, with offices in the United States, and distributors in Asia and Oceania.