Discussion

BioSeek has pioneered the development of in vitro human primary cell-based co-culture systems (BioMAP®) that model a variety of human diseases including cancer. We have established complex co-cultures using primary human fibroblasts or endothelial cells co-cultured with immune cells (PBMC) and cancer cells to model the biology of host-tumour stromal and vascular microenvironments. These host-tumour models re-capitulate the complex interactions between tumour cells, the host stromal or vascular networks and infiltrating immune cells recruited into the tumour mass. We will present data showing how these oncology BioMAP systems model tumour-mediated immunosuppression, matrix modulation and other activities relevant for disease progression and anti-cancer targets. These systems are highly relevant for screening both small molecule inhibitors as well as immunotherapeutic antibodies that either potentiate the immune response or selectively target the cancer cell by ADCC. Moreover these systems support the evaluation of clinically relevant monotherapies versus drug combinations prior to treating the patient. Oncology BioMAP systems provide physiological and pharmacological information on compounds being developed for cancer. These tumour-host cell models support a more predictive and physiologically relevant strategy for anti-cancer compound development from early discovery through pre-clinical development stages.