Cells in Matrix – an innovative 3D model for R&D of Diabetes

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The demand for diabetes drugs keeps increasing as adult Diabetes prevalence reached 425 million people in 2017 (1 in 11 adults) and is estimated to rise to 629 million till 2045. The market of Diabetes drugs is expected to reach €80.5 Billion in 2019 while the investment in Diabetes drug development is ~ €4 Billion (CAGR of 13%). There is a constant need for more effective diabetes medications, hampered by the poor predictability of the current systems for identification of lead compounds during drug discovery. The failure rate of new drugs development is about 90% and the cost for reaching the market with a new drug is ~ €1 Billion. Cells in Matrix Project develops an innovative 3D model for R&D of Diabetes Drugs , an Engineered Micro Pancreas (EMP) based on organ-derived 3D cell culture and human sourced insulin producing cells as an innovative tool for accelerating and cost reduction of Diabetes drug development. EMP system offers significantly extended shelf life and function for in-depth studies of drug molecules mode of action, validation, toxicology and in vitro pharmacokinetics, rendering higher prediction reliability. Cells in Matrix disruptive technology creates market added value to all the stakeholders, especially pharma industry, by improving compound screening at least X4 (from 5% rate of success today to at least 20%), resulting in cost saving that could reach €100 million per innovative new drug development. The project receives strong interest from stakeholders and plans immediate commercialization of the product to direct endusers, including academia and pharma companies, such as Boehringer Ingelheim. The FTI funding will enable market entry and validation & support external fundraising for the wider penetration of the global drug discovery market. Betalin Therapeutics and Kugelmeiers, the project commercial leading partners will share the growth and revenues gained by its commercial success.