Nordic Bioscience and Ectica Technologies forge strategic alliance to strengthen Nordic Bioscience translational in vitro model offering.
The partnership combines Nordic Bioscience's expertise in extracellular matrix (ECM) research with Ectica Technologies' cutting-edge 3D hydrogel cell culture technology.
Introduces a powerful tool for compound screening, utilizing Nordic Bioscience's extensive library of ECM turnover biomarkers and Ectica Technologies' proprietary 3D hydrogel-based fibroblastic cultures.
Ectica Technologies will license its innovative cell culture platform to Nordic Bioscience, enabling the Danish biomarker company to conduct pre-clinical drug discovery services in fibrosis.
Herlev, Denmark / Zurich, Switzerland, 12 December 2023 - NORDIC BIOSCIENCE (Herlev, Denmark), a leading company in extracellular matrix (ECM) research and biomarker development, announces an innovative strategic partnership with ECTICA TECHNOLOGIES (Zurich, Switzerland), a pioneer in cutting-edge 3D hydrogel cell culture technology.
This strategic partnership is set to leverage the strengths of both organizations to provide innovative translational 3D in vitro models as biomarker-driven drug discovery services in fibrosis.
This collaboration couples NORDIC BIOSCIENCE’s extensive library of ECM turnover biomarkers and ECTICA TECHNOLOGIES’s proprietary 3D hydrogel-based fibroblastic cultures to provide an innovative tool for compound screening, which will accelerate and enhance the success of drug development.
With over three decades of experience and more than 650 papers, NORDIC BIOSCIENCE stands at the forefront of quantifying distinct collagen and other ECM proteins fragments in the bloodstream, providing precise insights into tissue formation and degradation. This information contributes to accelerate clinical trial and drug development phases and help find the right treatment for the right patient.
“We have always known that cells respond differently to different environments, and that their context determines their fate and behavior. But we all still use cells in plastic, and it is time to change this paradigm. In collaboration with Ectica, we can now measure ECM biomarkers secreted from human primary fibroblasts growing in a 3D network, which resemble the human tissue morphology more closely than cells grown on plastic. The synthetic hydrogel matrix allows us to measure exclusively the ECM produced by the fibroblasts, making this translational in vitro platform clinically relevant.” said Morten Karsdal, CEO of NORDIC BIOSCIENCE.
Under this partnership, ECTICA TECHNOLOGIES will license and provide NORDIC BIOSCIENCE access to its proprietary cell culture platform for pre-clinical drug discovery services in fibrosis at the certified NORDIC BIOSCIENCE laboratory in Herlev, Denmark.
"Our partnership with NORDIC BIOSCIENCE stems from a shared fascination with the role of ECM in fibrosis and other chronic diseases. It marks a key step in our journey to enhance drug discovery with more relevant human disease models. We've always been intrigued by how fibroblasts produce collagen in our synthetic hydrogels under a microscope, which is different from 2D plastic setups. The ability to analytically measure these processes with Nordic’s biomarkers opens the door for pharma and biotech companies to explore exciting questions about ECM turnover in fibrosis" said Benjamin Simona, Co-founder, and CEO of ECTICA TECHNOLOGIES.
About NORDIC BIOSCIENCE
Nordic Bioscience is a Danish biomarker company headquartered in Herlev, Denmark. Nordic Bioscience is engaged in biomarker development using our unique neoepitope technology. We combine our expertise in biomarker development with preclinical and clinical research. This enables us to develop biomarkers that provide fast and objective decision-making for compound selection and development in clinical trials as well as provide value for patients in a diagnostic setting.
About ECTICA TECHNOLOGIES
Established in 2015 as a spin-off from the University (Hospital) Zurich and ETH Zurich, Ectica Technologies is a Swiss life science company specializing in the development and production of hydrogel-based in vitro and ex vivo human organotypic models. Ectica aims to contribute to pre-clinical research and drug discovery with advanced human models, enhancing the efficiency of the selection of anti-fibrotic and anti-cancer compounds and reducing the industry’s reliance on animal models.
CONTACTS
Nordic Bioscience A/S
Herlev Hovedgade 205
2730 Herlev
Denmark
+45 4452 5252
Ectica Technologies AG
Raeffelstrasse 24
CH-8045 Zurich
Switzerland
