STEMCELL Technologies and Hubrecht Organoid Technology (HUB) have announced that they have signed an agreement for the use of tissue-derived organoids\u2014including lung, intestinal, and liver organoids\u2014for use in preclinical toxicology screening and non-cancer drug development services to be offered by the Contract Assay Services division of STEMCELL. These services will help researchers and organizations working on drug development incorporate organoids into their preclinical testing programs and bring new therapeutics to market faster and more cost-effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
HUB Organoids\u2122 are experimental models derived from the adult stem cells present in epithelial tissues. Expansion and differentiation of these stem cells gives rise to functional \u201cmini-organs in a dish\u201d. HUB Organoids\u2122 represent a patient-specific way of assessing the efficacy and toxicity of drugs during preclinical screening. By closely mimicking human biology, HUB Organoids\u2122 can be used to more accurately predict patient response to treatment than traditionally used systems. As such, they have the potential to drastically lower the costs and failure rates currently associated with bringing new treatments to market. Under the existing agreement, STEMCELL develops and supplies a wide range of cell culture kits that efficiently expand and maintain the different stem cell-derived organoids that will be used for many of these screening programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This new agreement complements HUB and STEMCELL\u2019s existing partnership, where STEMCELL is the exclusive provider of cell culture media for all HUB Organoids\u2122, by allowing STEMCELL to perform preclinical toxicology screening as well as non-cancer drug testing and validation services. “We are extremely pleased to be able to expand our partnership with HUB to include these new services,” remarked Dr. Allen Eaves, STEMCELL\u2019s Founder, President, and CEO. “As Scientists Helping Scientists, our goal is to make these incredible technologies more accessible to researchers, whether they are growing organoids in their own labs or partnering with service providers to advance their science.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt HUB we are on a mission to bridge the gap between the lab and the clinic and bring patients-specific models into the lab,\u201d said Dr. Robert Vries, HUB CEO. \u201cCarefully selecting our strategic partners is key to expanding global access to HUB Organoid Technology and, ultimately, to improving patient care. STEMCELL has already demonstrated thought leadership in the Organoid Technology field; therefore, we believe that expanding the scope of our partnership to include services will benefit the research and drug development community worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n