chrn on-chip biotechnologies (chiron)
chrn on-chip biotechnologies B.V. (chiron) is a spin-off of the University of Twente. chiron develops organ-on-chip devices which better mimic the human physiology and are used as animal-free, preclinical drug development models.
Cancer drug development
Cancer is the leading cause of death in the European Union. The development of new and effective therapies to cure cancer patients is therefore essential. This development is generally done through a set route: first the preclinical phase (testing in cultured cells and laboratory animals) and then the clinical phase (testing in healthy subjects and eventually in patients). However, of all the therapies that are still effective in the preclinical phase, many are not effective in the clinical phase. This is because the pre-clinical validation poorly translates to the human physiology.
Chiron’s cancer-microplate for cancer studies
chiron has therefore developed a product that allows anti-cancer therapies to be tested preclinically in conditions more similar to clinical conditions. This allows researchers and companies to conduct preclinical research on cancer therapies under more realistic conditions, making the research results more reliable. The use of this platform ensures more efficient research and avoids unnecessary time investments and costs for therapies that are ultimately unsuccessful. In the long run, drug development costs will therefore also be reduced.
Funding support
To finance the development of their organ-on-chip devices, chiron applied for the MIT R&D collaboration grant and for WBSO. For both applications, Hezelburcht provided full support. The MIT R&D application was ranked 8th of all applications. Furthermore, Hezelburcht assisted in finding a suitable collaboration partner for the MIT R&D: GlycoTherapeutics B.V., a spin-off of Radboud University and Radboudumc.
Future collaboration
chiron and Hezelburcht continue to collaborate on optimizing the non-dilutive funding opportunities for chiron and the development of their organ-on-chip devices. Other developments by chiron focus on cartilage, tissue biopsies and the synovial membrane.
Hezelburcht was fundamental in securing the MIT R&D funding. Sven did a wonderful job both in terms of project management as well as technical writing. - Carlo Alberto Paggi, PhD
