S W I S S R E S E A R C H I M e d i c a l Te c h n o l o g y
➜ “Digitalised and personalised healthcare will be part of everyday life in the future.” CARMELO BISOGNANO. Head of Strategy at the Inartis Association
“Financing questions arise early, during development
nique offers a better mimicking of the
similar projects worldwide. The next
tumour micro-environment in compari-
step in such studies is to find out which
son to conventional tissue culture. The
environment
dimensions of the chip are very similar
most therapy-relevant ex vivo responses.
to the native tissue and perfusion and
With that, the prediction of the most
delivery can be controlled. In the 3D cell
successful treatment for the patient will
culture, co-cultivation of tumour and
become even more precise.
give
Nevertheless, the technique looks
ent matrices, in order to fake natural tu-
promising. This will hopefully encour-
mour environment, can be tested. Cells
age more Swiss physicians and bio-
isolated from tissue after biopsy are
engineers to pursue the clinical direc-
tested for the tumour markers CD133 or
tion, which would help moving the field
ErbB-2. Cells harbouring these genes
of personalised medicine forward even
are thought to be possible cancer stem
faster, in order to make the latest tech-
cells and therefore are cultivated to
nologies accessible for the affected
form aggregates (spheroids) on a chip.
people.
These spheroids can then be treated with radiation or chemicals. ORGANIZATIONS MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
search is necessary for the approach to
JEAN PLÉ. CEO of Symbios SA
superficial and can be fought with
become gold standard in cancer treat-
• i-net Innovation Networks Switzerland: www.i-net.ch
ment. Fine tunings, like the optimiza-
• CSEM: www.csem.ch
tion of micro channels or studies with
• Swisstom AG: www.swisstom.com
more patient samples have to be carried
• Inartis Association: www.inartis.ch
out. This is already being done in many
• Symbios Orthopédie SA: www.symbios.ch
surgery, chemotherapy and immunotherapy,” Zwahlen states. The latter comprises instillation with BCG (Bacillus-Calmette-Guérin). The germs induce a local inflammation which activates
the
body’s
immune
reaction
against tumour cells. “Unfortunately, in bladder cancer recurrence rate is high, about 20–25 %, which is poor,” Zwahlen points out. In order to investigate the possibilities
of
personalized
cancer
therapies, the collaboration was started. Whilst KSGR brings in clinical expertise, knowledge and equipment for
Master of Science (MSc) in Life Sciences
radiotherapy and access to tumour tissue, CSEM provides know-how in mi-
Vertiefungen in Food and Beverage Innovation Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Chemistry for the Life Sciences Natural Resource Sciences
crofluidics technology and equipment of a cell culture laboratory. And this is how the two partners profit from synergies: Bladder stem cells and tumour tissue is harvested from patients. Tumour tissue can then
Info-Anlass in Wädenswil
be grown in vitro and cancer stem cells
Dienstag, 29. September 2015 18.00 Uhr, Campus Grüental, Wädenswil
(such as CK5, CK17, DC44 and 67LR) can be isolated. By flow cytomtery and genetic analysis, the cells and tissues are screened for biomarkers like p532, pRB and others. In a further approach of personal-
Zürcher Fachhochschule
ized medicine, a 3D tumour cell culture is grown by microfluidics. The tech-
Lifesciences plus 02 I 2015
the
non-tumour cells is possible and differ-
For sure, more experience and re-
of a new technology.”
combinations
13
www.zhaw.ch/lsfm/master-lifesciences