ADSI-AUSTRIAN DRUG SCREENING INSTITUTE GMBH

Their core work

ADSI is a private contract research organization based in Innsbruck, Austria, specializing in biological screening of chemical compounds and natural product extracts for pharmacological activity. Their core work involves evaluating compounds in cell-based and biochemical assays — measuring effects on cancer cell viability, inflammatory pathways, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. In H2020 projects they functioned as a specialist screening service provider, supplying the testing infrastructure that research consortia need to validate whether a compound candidate is worth advancing. Their dual background spans natural product science (olive-derived bioactives, nutraceuticals) and targeted therapeutic compounds (selenium-based nanocapsules for oncology).

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (Olive-Net, 2017), ADSI's focus was squarely on natural product screening — olive mill waste fractions, polyphenol profiling, and testing compounds relevant to cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and metabolic conditions like obesity. By 2018, their second project (NEOSETAC) shifted to oncology: breast cancer cell targeting, selenium-based nanocapsules, and apoptosis induction, which represents a move up the therapeutic value chain. The trajectory is clear — from ingredient validation for consumer products toward preclinical drug candidate screening in oncology.

ADSI appears to be positioning itself as a contract screening partner for targeted oncology compounds, moving away from natural product and cosmetic testing toward therapeutic drug discovery support.

How they like to work

ADSI has never coordinated an H2020 project — they join as a specialist partner and contribute their screening capabilities to consortia led by others, typically universities or research institutes. Despite only two projects, they accumulated 23 unique partners across 10 countries, which is characteristic of the large MSCA-RISE network structure where industry partners provide hands-on training and commercial infrastructure. This suggests they are comfortable working within large, geographically dispersed teams rather than leading tightly scoped bilateral projects.

With 23 unique consortium partners across 10 countries from just two projects, ADSI has broad European exposure built through MSCA-RISE networks, which typically span Mediterranean, Central European, and South American nodes. Their Austrian base in Innsbruck positions them within a strong life-sciences corridor.

What sets them apart

ADSI is unusual in the MSCA landscape as a private screening company (not a university lab), which means they bring commercial-grade throughput and quality standards that academic partners in a consortium often cannot match. Their combination of natural product testing competence and oncology assay capability makes them a versatile screening node for projects that need to bridge food or cosmetic science with pharmaceutical endpoints. For consortium builders, they represent a ready-made bridge between early-stage bioactive compound discovery and therapeutic application testing — without the administrative overhead of engaging a large CRO.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Olive-Net
  The largest project by funding (EUR 171,000) and broadest in scope, spanning food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications of olive bioactives — a rare multi-domain natural product study.
• NEOSETAC
  Marks ADSI's pivot into oncology screening, testing selenium-based polymeric nanocapsules for breast cancer — a technically demanding assay combining nanoparticle biology with cancer cell models.