StemTek and Biopredic International partner to deliver assay ready liver models

Both companies plan to combine their respective technologies to deliver storable assay-ready 3D liver models for toxicology testing to reduce time and cost in new drug development.

August 21, 2018, Bilbao, Spain and Saint Grégoire, France — StemTek and Biopredic International are joining forces to design convenient, ready to use storable systems for toxicology screening on 3D liver cell models. 3D cell culture technology recapitulates the natural architecture of the tissue in a convenient laboratory format, producing more predictive data for in vivo tests. This technology allows a better understanding of the interaction of candidate compounds in areal physiological model, thus reducing drug failures.

StemTek providesits assay-ready storable 3D cell culture technology to produce ready to use models from Biopredic International liver cells, while Biopredic International shares its expertise in drug toxicology testing and market to deliver a rapid, low risk solution for everyday toxicological assessment in drug development. The partnership will begin with hepatoma cells, as the most commonly usedmodelfor initial drug testing andultimately move into primary hepatocytes.

“These are two different kinds of companies at different stages in their life cycles that can bring unique and innovative capabilities together,” says Angel G. Martin, founder and CEO of StemTek.“ We are convinced that combining our storable assay-ready 3D cell culture technology with BiopredicInternational, as the leader in the toxicology space, will spearhead the market adoption of 3D cell modelsfor toxicology testing, as a biologically relevant system for reducing attrition rate in pharmacological development.”

Christophe Chesné, CEO of Biopredic International, commented that “industrial scientists look for integrated solutions ready to be implemented in their workflows, such as frozen and ready to use assay systems. Plus, the benefits of the 3D mode of culture in matter of functional performance and phenotype and in term of miniaturization and related cost benefits begin to be apprehended. We expect the Stemtek products relying on our cellular bricks to complete our 3D offerings.”

About StemTek

Founded in 2013, StemTek is a biotech startup entirely dedicated to cancer research and drug discovery. StemTek uses proprietary 3D cell-based spheroid assay technology automated for HTS, allowing the company to test thousands of compounds that target cancer cells. StemTekis dedicated to closing the gap from lab to market when it comes to breakthrough cancer research, pharmaceutical drug development and personalized medicine. With over thirty years combined experience in molecular and cellular oncology, StemTek’s ultimate goal is to find treatments that put an end to cancer relapse. Join our fight @StemTekTher or for more information go to: www.stemtektherapeutics.com.

About Biopredic International

Founded in 1993, Biopredic International provides biological research products to the life sciences industry. The key lines of products derive from the liver, the skin, and the blood and have wide-ranging applications in drug metabolism, drug-drug interaction, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology areas. Biopredic is the only producer of the human hepatic HepaRG cells distributed under many different labels. Biopredic has a large tissue acquisition network, fully auditable in a matter of ethics, traceability and sanitary compliances. The products are provided fresh and frozen, as such or processed along our’s or the customer’s specifications.

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