InSphero from the Greater Zurich Area develops 3D microtissue that is used for drug safety and efficacy testing. One of its products is an islet cell model comprising a cluster of cells in the pancreas known as pancreatic islets. These islet microtissues will now be at the heart of a new project with the 3D InSight Diabetes Platform, as was reported in a press release. InSphero will be working together with the UK biotech DefiniGEN, which has experience in CRISPR gene editing, among other areas. The two companies will contribute their respective expertise to develop a new platform for diabetes drug discovery.
They have been awarded a grant of €750,000 for this project by Eurostars, a joint funding and support program between the European Commission and the research initiative EUREKA. The aim of the project is to reduce dependence on donor islet availability in future by using cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells that have reprogrammed as necessary by DefiniGEN. The grant funding will enable DefiniGEN and InSphero to redefine how researchers test the effects of new diabetes therapies, explained Filipa Soares, Director of Strategic R&D at DefiniGEN, in the press release.
InSphero is a spin-off from the University of Zurich (UZH) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH).
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