Innovation Funding and Crown Bioscience: Collaborating to Discover the Next Wave of Oncology Therapies

Leiden, Netherlands—May 23, 2024. Crown Bioscience, a global contract research organization (CRO) and a JSR Life Sciences company, has announced its pivotal role in several scientific innovation projects funded by European grants. These projects aim to advance cancer treatments and the development of the tools to do so, employing cutting-edge techniques such as organoid and ex vivo patient tissue technologies, with the goal of bridging the gap between research and patient care. With collaborative efforts among small and medium-sized businesses, academic institutions, and enterprise companies, these initiatives will enhance R&D partnerships and advance the development and commercialization of lead compounds and novel oncology therapeutics.

The portfolio includes the first-in-class LIPIDOMAB project*, a novel initiative in advanced cancer therapy backed by a €3 million grant from the Eurostars-Eureka program. Crown Bioscience and its partners, ONA Therapeutics SL, Ariana Pharmaceuticals, and oloBion SLU, aim to combat cancer progression with an anti-CD36 therapeutic antibody. Launched in October 2023, this two-year project seeks to decode the antibody's mechanism of action through organoid, lipidomics, and Ariana’s KEM® eXplainable AI technology. Crown Bioscience will utilize and advance its OrganoidXplore^TM panel screening capabilities to expedite the development of new patient-derived tumor and metastasis-derived organoids with matched immune components in an autologous co-culture system. The project’s objective is to identify novel biomarkers that could influence patient stratification and the design and development of clinical trials—potentially leading to companion diagnostics (CDx).

Adding breadth to Crown Bioscience’s innovation initiatives are several more EU-funded projects, each pledged to facilitate scientific research, job creation, and overall growth:

• LEFTY Project*: Partnered with Onena Medicines, Cancer Research Center Lyon, and HAWK Biosystems, this initiative focuses on countering therapeutic resistance in solid cancers using a monoclonal antibody (mAb-LEFTY1). Initiated in March 2023 with €1.8 million in support, the project aims to develop and expand Crown Bioscience’s organoid panel screening capabilities for the characterization of standard of care compounds and mAb-LEFTY1 drug responses, along with the development of CRISPR-edited drug-resistant organoid models.

• GLIOPEP Project*: In collaboration with Oncopeptides AB, Uppsala University, and Xenopat, this €1.8 million funded project aims to develop a pioneering tumor-directed chemotherapy for glioblastoma (GBM) patients based on Oncopeptides´ proprietary PDC platform. Also started in March 2023, this project involves Crown Bioscience in the creation of advanced patient-derived in vitro GBM models, including ex vivo patient tissue-based assays and organotypic cultures.

• Ab-SENS Project*: This project, which began in June 2022 with a €3 million allocation, seeks to pioneer cancer therapy by developing a monoclonal antibody and a diagnostic tool targeting senescence. Together with Rejuveron Senescence Therapeutics and Screenin3D, Crown Bioscience is striving to enhance tumor organoid co-cultures and delve into senescence within its organoid platform.

• DRUGTrain Project: Supported by a €2.4 million grant from Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks, this project focuses on drug repurposing and discovery targeting Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD). Having commenced in November 2021, Crown Bioscience, along with European partners; Leiden University Medical Center (coordinator), Janssen Pharmaceutica, Universidad Santiago de Compostela, Universitat Konstanz, Universitet Uppsala, University of Manchester, and Universitätsklinikum Aachen, plays a key role. Crown Bioscience’s contribution has been central in developing new scientific leaders and advancing the PKD platform, including the development of a smFISH platform.

Crown Bioscience’s active participation in these high-impact projects underscores its unwavering dedication to scientific excellence, and the mission to help customers develop novel therapies aims to ensure that patients receive the right treatment at the right time.

Visit the Crown Bioscience website for more insight into the innovative platforms and services available.

* Eurostars-Eureka-funded project