3D models of skin, liver, and intestinal barrier are produced from knowledge sharing between researchers from the CNPEM and 3DBS (tissue engineering equipment company)
Researchers from the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), an organization supervised by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), recently partnered with the startup 3D Biotechnology Solutions (3DBS) to validate a methodology for the biofabrication of groundbreaking 3D tissue models in Brazil.
These two institutions have worked together since 2021, exchanging knowledge for joint development of three-dimensional applications to cultivate cells in vitro.
We work in an extremely challenging multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field, where nobody accomplishes anything alone and partnerships have become extremely important. The joint developments by 3DBS and the CNPEM are essential for cutting-edge technologies like this to reach the market.
At the CNPEM and 3DBS laboratories, models were developed for the biofabrication of liver, intestinal barrier, and skin spheroids, which will be used by the startup after licensing.
“They are fundamental inputs for a variety of academic research, and also for the tests required to assess the toxicity, efficacy, and safety of products developed by industry,” states researcher Ana Carolina Figueira, responsible for the 3D culture and microfluid lab at the CNPEM.
Greater availability of these tissue types in the market and in laboratories has the potential to hasten research, making some stages of this work more objective. Improving these methodologies is intended to significantly reduce the use of animal models in testing.
The CNPEM’s 3D culture and microfluid lab, which is part of the Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), is one of three central structures in RENAMA (the Brazilian Network for Alternatives to Animal Use); its objectives include replacing existing methods with others that are equally or more efficient and refining well-established methods to reduce the impact of research involving animals. Another area this laboratory is getting involved in is regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, by using bioprinted models and materials that may have therapeutic properties.
“There is a strategic need for self-reliance in the production of these inputs. Since they are mostly imported, they are very costly. Importation presents another problem; these materials are perishable, with a shelf life of only a few days. It is very likely that they will not reach the lab in usable condition,” says Figueira.
“I believe that this partnership shows how connections between companies and research centers can further establish this segment of the biotechnology market to new levels. In Brazil we have many trained research groups and a large volume of knowledge that can be applied to solutions that society needs,” says Pedro Massaguer, CEO of 3DBS.
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About CNPEM
Sophisticated and effervescent environment for research and development, unique in Brazil and present in few scientific centers in the world, the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is a private non-profit organization, under the supervision of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). The Center operates four National Laboratories and is the birthplace of the most complex project in Brazilian science – Sirius – one of the most advanced synchrotron light sources in the world. CNPEM brings together highly specialized multi-thematic teams, globally competitive laboratory infrastructures open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects in partnership with the productive sector and training of researchers and students. The Center is an environment driven by the search for solutions with impact in the areas of Health, Energy and Renewable Materials, Agro-environment, and Quantum Technologies. As of 2022, with the support of the Ministry of Education (MEC), CNPEM expanded its activities with the opening of the Ilum School of Science. The interdisciplinary higher course in Science, Technology and Innovation adopts innovative proposals with the aim of offering excellent, free, full-time training with immersion in the CNPEM research environment. Through the CNPEM 360 Platform, it is possible to explore, in a virtual and immersive way, the main environments and activities of the Center, visit: https://pages.cnpem.br/cnpem360/
