Advanced 2D cell culture for improved phenotype assays (CELPPLUS)

This project addresses the relevance of in vitro assays used for early drug screening by developing a technology based on ligand patterns to allow 2D culture assays with better phenotype. 

The objective of this project is to demonstrate a novel 2D cell culture technology for improving the phenotype of cell assays for early drug discovery and target exploration. Better early high throughput assays will contribute to better candidates and reduced fall out during pre-clinical and clinical trials.

In vitro culture technologies try to mimic in vivo components to allow screening/identification of drug candidates in high throughput. Increased complexity of culture, e.g. 2D, 3D, spheroid/organoid can improve phenotype but at the cost of readout speed/quality. Recent scientific advances in the field of biomaterials utilize micro and nanopatterns of ligands to better represent the in vivo microenvironment in 2D culture. Here, these approaches will be made available in a 96 well format and demonstrated for improving the phenotype of 2D assays by improving a current assay at Leo Pharma A/S in the area of skin inflammation. The phenotype of the primary human keratinocytes will be monitored by the expression of biomarkers and single cell RNA seq and compared to existing in vivo data and the original assay. 

The value creation for pharmaceutical companies will be realized with the future development and use of better assays in a broad range of disease areas. This open project will enable closed scale up projects between manufacturers/pharma.

Participants:

AU: Duncan Sutherland, iNANO
AU: Claus Johansen, Department of Clinical Medicine
Leo-Pharma A/S: Christine Brender Read