Source: intellectual Pharmacy Bureau, southmmed

Organ-like technology (Organoids) is a cutting-edge biotechnology developed in recent years. It is a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture system that can simulate the interaction, anatomy and even functional characteristics between cells and cells, as well as between cells and matrix in real organs.

Organ chip technology (Organs-on-chips,OoC) is a microphysiological system of human organs on a microfluidic chip, which guides and manipulates small amounts of solution to create an environment that contains one or more tissue-specific functions.

To put it simply, both of them are effective imitators of human physiology and diseases, similar organs are more biased towards biology, and organ chip is a typical cross-cutting edge technology of bioengineering.

According to incomplete statistics, there are 22 organ / organ chip companies in China, mainly in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other provinces.

Judging from the background of its establishment, the vast majority of companies come from the transformation of scientific research teams in colleges and universities, as well as returned doctors, and Chinese scientists from overseas organ and organ chip companies to start their own businesses.

Domestic Tsinghua University, Peking University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fudan University, as well as the Wyss Institute of Harvard University, the National Advanced Technology Research Center of the United States, and HUB abroad, these universities and research institutions have made rapid progress in the two major fields, and the talents from here are also the focus of investors.

In terms of establishment time, the vast majority of Chinese companies were established from 2016 to 2021, because with the gradual maturity of technology and the deregulation of FDA, it will become a key event to promote entrepreneurship, investment and financing in the industry.

What's the business model?

Several major commercial scenarios and models have been derived:

1. Set up a medical laboratory to provide tumor drug sensitivity testing services.

The tumor cells were cultured in vitro, and the 3D biological model similar to the function and structure of internal organs was obtained. by testing the cell activity and other relevant indexes, the patients were "tested", so as to determine the most effective chemotherapeutic drugs or drug combinations.

2. For clinical scientific research service

As organ-like and organ chips are still at the forefront of research, these companies are able to provide scientific research teams with services such as organ-like kits, organ chip design, simulation testing, and organ chip manufacturing, that is, the mode of kit or kit + service.

3. Provide in vitro screening model for drug research and development companies.

In the future, the largest and broadest market for organ / organ chips is to provide in vitro screening models for drug research and development companies to accelerate drug development. 

The transferability of animal models has been criticized, and they are often unable to predict human responses, such as specific differences in hepatotoxicity among different species. Organ-like and organ chips are very promising alternatives in vitro, which can evaluate the safety and efficacy of drugs.

4. Become a Biotech

In addition to the above-mentioned business models, there are a few companies defined as biotech, which combine organ / organ chip technology for drug development.

For example, Higeshenke is the first innovative cancer targeting drug research and development company based on disease model + AI in China. Taking advantage of the key role of organ-like disease model in efficacy evaluation and new target discovery, combined with AI artificial intelligence to screen, synthesize and optimize small molecular compounds, develop first-in-class innovative targeted drugs.

Foreign enterprises

Foreign organ technology industry started early and developed rapidly, and the head enterprises are mainly concentrated in North America and Europe.

1. ThermoFisher

Founded in 1956. Region: United States. 

Product: Nunclon Sphera 3D Culture system: this culture system is designed for pseudo-spheres (e.g. 3D tumor cell spheres) and organ-like culture (such as brain organs). Geltrex matrix products, AlgiMatrix 3D cell culture system, etc.

2.STEMCELL Technologies

Founded in 1993. Region: Canada. 

Products: 1, RoboSep cells-16: fully automatic cell separator can handle up to 16 samples 2, PBS-MINI MagDrive Bioreactor: high-throughput 3D suspension culture for hPSC and other cell types 3, HypoThermosol ®FRS: specific cryopreservation medium without animal ingredients (2-8 °C), suitable for a variety of cell and tissue types. 4. STEMdiff cardiomyocyte cryopreservation medium, XF and so on.

3.Emulate

Founded: 2014. Region: United States. 

Product: 1. Emulate organ chip: this technology has been used to reconstruct various organs, including liver, colon, duodenum, brain, kidney and lung. Organ chips reproduce the dynamic cellular microenvironment of the human body, including the interface between tissues, blood flow, and mechanical forces (such as stretching). It can also produce standardized products on a large scale to meet scientific needs such as disease research. 

2. Human body simulation system Human Emulation System ®: composed of organ chip, hardware and application programs, it aims to establish organ chip models and use certain algorithms and microfluidic devices to predict the specific reactions of the human body to drugs, chemicals and diseases, and to provide more accurate and controllable and efficient models than animal models and cells.

4. Mimetas

Founded: 2013. Region: Holland. 

Product: the core product OrganoPlate ®e enables perfusion 3D cell culture, membrane-free co-culture, and renal tubule and vascular culture, and consists of a microtitrate plate consisting of 40-96 chips to help companies achieve high-throughput screening.

5. Hesperos

Founded: 2015. Region: United States. 

Products: Human-on-a-Chip ®custom organs, barrier tissues or tumors, such as blood-brain barrier (BBB model), proximal renal small end (RPT model), neuromuscular junction, etc. 

This year, Hesperos successfully developed the first model to accurately simulate the neurological characteristics of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), which has great potential to accelerate the development of drugs for rare neuromuscular diseases.

6. CN Bio

Founded：2009. Region: United Kingdom. 

Products:

1. PhysioMimix single-organ system and PhysioMimix multi-organ system. 

Putting 3D tumor model in PhysioMimix system can simulate human pharmacokinetic environment and help to improve the success rate of tumor drug research and development. 

2. PhysioMimix COVID-19 Assays can be used to study the infection mechanism of COVID-19, as well as drug screening, drug reaction, host-pathogen interaction and immune response. Currently, FDA is working with CN Bio to evaluate the response of in vitro liver microarray models to levofloxacin and the hepatotoxic drug trafloxacin using the PhysioMimix therapeutic OOC microphysiological system. The FDA Drug Evaluation and Research Center plans to evaluate other single-organ systems, such as the kidney chip system and CN Bio's Lung-on-a-Chip platform.

7.Organoid Therapeutics

Establishment time: 2019. Region: United States. 

Product: pancreatic organs. Organoid Therapeutics successfully developed functional human pancreas-like organs with a living vascular network. Related experiments have proved that this model can save the diabetic mouse model and change the immune response from chronic pro-inflammatory to long-term acceptance. Currently, Organoid Therapeutics is working with the National Institutes of Health (NIDDK) to conduct a $1.7 million preclinical study on product safety and efficacy optimization.

8. 3Dnamics

Founded: 2016. Region: United States. 

Product: Spin Ω bioreactor provides a high-throughput platform for 3D tissue culture. Spin Ω has been shown to support the culture of human brain organs and is cost-effective for drug efficacy / toxicity testing. 3D brain organs, 3D liver organs, 3D heart organs and Spin Ω bioreactor.

9. Definigen

Establishment date: 2012. Region: United Kingdom. 

Product: OptiDIFF iPSC platform: this platform can quickly culture iPSC differentiated cells such as hepatocytes and pancreatic cells, and has a higher success rate of differentiation than the standard program, which usually takes 8-10 weeks. Derived hepatocyte model, intestinal organs, pancreatic organs and so on.

10.  Lonza

Founded in 1897. Region: Switzerland. 

Product: RAFTTM Absorber can be used to concentrate and build precisely controlled high-density collagen scaffolds to provide cells with a more in vivo environment. RAFTTM 3D cell culture model can establish islet model, corneal model, tumor co-culture model, respiratory system model, nervous system model (blood-brain barrier) and liver model. RAFT cells 3D cell culture system, human primary hepatocytes, human primary hepatocyte culture medium, etc.