European Collaboration for Advancing Immunotherapies with VoxCell's 3D Tumor Models

Victoria, May 2024—At VoxCell BioInnovation, we’re proud to spotlight our collaboration with TheryCell GmbH (Germany) and the Natural and Medical Sciences Institute (NMI) (Germany) on the BARACUDA project. The project aims to validate next-generation 3D vascularized tumour models for the development of personalized immunotherapies.

The BARACUDA project is built on the combined expertise of the three organizations.

• NMI has developed a method to isolate and cultivate patient-derived microtumors from tumor fragments, enabling long-term studies that capture the complexity of real tumors for therapeutic testing.

• TheryCell contributes tumor-specific TCR-T cell therapies by identifying and sequencing reactive T cells from both tumor and healthy tissues. Their NGS-based platform detects tumor-specific antigens with over 95% certainty in an antigen-agnostic manner, enabling the development of personalized T-cell candidates.

• VoxCell BioInnovation provides expertise in 3D bioprinting of vascularized tissue models. For this collaboration, VoxCell has created a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) model using the NCI-H460 cell line. These vascularized constructs allow TheryCell’s T-cells to perfuse through capillaries and engage tumor cells in a human-like microenvironment.

  
  

Together, these technologies enable the BARACUDA platform to simulate immune cell infiltration and therapeutic activity in a highly controlled, human-like tumour microenvironment, going beyond traditional 2D cultures or static organoid systems.

In Vitro Modeling of Immune-Tumor Interactions for T-Cell Therapy Development

Early work on the project has demonstrated both tumour growth within VoxCell’s vascularized models and immune cell infiltration by TheryCell’s TCR-T cells. These promising results reinforce the model’s value for simulating human tumor-immune interactions.

NCI-H460 cells were bioprinted into 3D non-small cell lung cancer vascularized models and cultured for 7 days.

LEFT: Tumour spheroid formation is shown in Brightfield (5X); RIGHT: CD8+ T cell infiltration visualized in fluorescence (CellTracker Green CMFDA). Scalebars = 200 µm.

Paving the Way for More Effective, Patient-Centered Therapies

The core goal of the BARACUDA collaboration is to validate VoxCell’s 3D bioprinted tissue model platform as a viable tool for developing patient-personalized cell therapies and to identify therapeutic T-cell candidates that can advance toward clinical development.

This marks an evolution from traditional in vitro testing. While TheryCell and NMI have conducted valuable lab-based tests to identify tumor-specific T-cells, BARACUDA takes the next step by enabling those candidates to be screened in a vascularized, human-like tumor microenvironment. This offers a more predictive system to evaluate therapeutic potential, helping determine which candidates will likely succeed in patients.

About VoxCell BioInnovation

VoxCell BioInnovation is a leading provider of next-generation in vitro models, powered by our 3D bioprinted, vascularized tissue technology. Our ready-to-perfuse models closely replicate human biology with in vivo–like microvascular networks, enabling nutrient and oxygen delivery, systemic drug distribution, and more predictive therapeutic responses. VoxCell’s end-to-end solution offers researchers and pharmaceutical companies a scalable, ethical alternative to animal testing. Our mission is to reduce reliance on animal models, accelerate preclinical development, and advance more effective therapies for patients.

Want to learn more or collaborate?

Visit our website, connect with us on LinkedIn, or email us at hello@voxcellbio.com.