- Monday, September 8, 2025 @ 12:00 am
In a groundbreaking collaboration, abc biopply AG, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), and the University of Zurich (UZH) have joined forces to develop a next-generation 3D multi-organoid in vitro platform designed to transform drug development and personalized cancer therapy. The initiative is supported by the Swiss national funding agency Innosuisse.
Addressing a Critical Gap in Drug Development
Traditional 2D and conventional 3D cell culture models lack the biological complexity needed to predict clinical outcomes reliably. abc biopply’s proprietary 3D CoSeedis in chip communication technology and the related 3D CoSeedis Multi-Organoid assays have already demonstrated translational success across multiple disease models. However, the absence of immune components has limited its application in preclinical validation of new immunotherapies.
The innovative model now integrates cancer organoids with supportive fibroblasts, immune cells, and extracellular matrix (ECM) components to increase the physiological relevance of the intrinsic in-chip tumor microenvironment. By simulating complex in vivo-like conditions, the new platform technology will enable accurate testing of immunotherapies, including cutting-edge EGFR-targeting CAR macrophages. Thus, the new 3D CoSeedis Immuno-Micro-Tumor Model will fill this gap by embedding heterotypic organoids into a 3D ECM scaffold. The model will be validated using different kinds of cancer and different cell types of various origins.
Collaborative Excellence to set a New Benchmark in Preclinical Cancer Research
The project is an interdisciplinary effort and combines abc biopply’s expertise in 3D cell culture and translational model development, ZHAW’s capabilities in tumor marker analysis and imaging and UZH’s pioneering work in CAR and ChCR macrophage immunotherapies. The innovative model will be fully integrated into abc biopply’s global CRO services, leveraging the scalability and reproducibility of the 3D CoSeedis Multi-Organoid assays and improving preclinical data accuracy for immunotherapies.
“This project marks a major milestone in our mission to humanize in vitro models. By integrating immune cells and ECM into our 3D CoSeedis platform, the new 3D CoSeedis Immuno-Micro-Tumor System represents a paradigm shift in cancer modeling, offering a scalable, immune-integrated platform for drug discovery and personalized medicine” Dr. Arne Faisst, CEO, abc biopply AG said. “By bridging the gap between in vitro testing and clinical relevance, this innovation promises to accelerate the development of next-generation cancer therapies.”
