Promising cooperation between medac and chiron for the development of organ-on chip technology

Testing new substances in animals is a regulatory cornerstone of drug development. At the same time, the development of animal free testing methods is progressing. In this context the pharmaceutical company medac and the start-up chiron biotechnology are working together on the further development and establishment of animal free testing methods for the pharmaceutical industry.

Animal testing still has a role for medical research and the development of therapies. Due to legal requirements animal testing is an obligatory part of pharmaceutical development and drug approval. Nevertheless, ethical aspects of animal testing as well as the question of their replacement through other testing methods are being discussed and challenged continuously.

The global pharmaceutical company medac located in Wedel and the Dutch start-up chiron biotechnology are working together for the further development and establishment of animal free testing methods for the pharmaceutical industry.

chiron has developed an advanced organ-on chip technology, which comprises placing of human cells on chips - eg. cells present in the joint - to test the efficacy of drugs. This ground-breaking technology has the potential to be a future alternative to animal testing in drug development.

The cooperation with medac includes testing if methotrexate – the gold standard for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis - which could be used as a reference substance on the chips containing joint cells and to demonstrate the applicability of the method. As a reference substance Methotrexate should always show an effect under certain test conditions. Methotrexate would then serve as a reference for efficacy when new drugs are analysed. medac negotiated a master service agreement with chiron and provides methotrexate for further development of chiron's technology.

Florian Ende, Head of Product Development at medac, commented on this cooperation: “With this cooperation medac makes an important contribution to the development and establishment of new approach methods (NAMs), which can be used for analysis of drug efficacy using human cells instead of performing animal studies.”

The cooperation between medac and chiron presents a meaningful step towards a forward-looking development of alternative methods for animal free drug development.

About chiron

chiron is an organ-on-chip (OoC) company possessing patent-protected technology for the mechanical stimulation of human cells, leveraged to develop an in-vitro model to study rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. chiron possesses a competitive advantage as the only OoC company able to provide mechanical stimulation while simultaneously monitoring cells under a microscope, offering access to extremely important information for drug development, cell therapies, as well as scientific discovery. Based on these unique features, chiron's first product line is focused on recreating the human joint, specifically the knee. chiron's cartilage-on-chip and synovial-membrane-on-chip devices are the cutting edge of translational models for rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.

About medac

At medac group, we believe that health is humanity's most valuable resource. Since 1970, our mission has been to improve patients' quality of life worldwide by making the best medical treatments available. As a globally operating pharmaceutical company headquartered in Germany, we provide high-quality medical treatments for patients worldwide in more than 90 countries. With more than 2.000 employees we are committed to improving human health.

Our products are manufactured in Germany and other European countries to the highest standards, utilizing our own logistics center and production sites, and subsequently distributed worldwide.

We are constantly working to improve authorized medicines and to develop innovative therapies in the fields of rheumatology, urology, hematology, and oncology. Part of our mission is to provide safe, high-quality and innovative original products, as well as generics and biosimilars. In this way, we make vital treatments accessible to those affected.

Further information on the company can be found online at www.medac-group.com

Contact information:

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T + 49 4103 8006 – 9111
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medac Gesellschaft für klinische Spezialpräparate m.b.h.

Theaterstraße 6
22880 Wedel
Germany
www.medac-group.com