Imagine trying to test a new medicine on a flat layer of cells, but the real human body has a complex plumbing system of veins and arteries. This project creates 'plug-and-play' artificial blood vessels that act like a realistic plumbing kit for lab tests. It lets scientists see how drugs actually travel through the body without needing to rely on animal testing.
Preclinical drug testing relies on animal models or simple cell cultures that fail to mimic human blood circulation, leading to a 90% failure rate in clinical trials.
Three product lines: BasicVasc (bioreactor consumable), EasyVasc (cell-free vessel networks), and CompleteVasc (matured vessels containing cells).
If you are a pharmaceutical company dealing with the fact that 90% of drug candidates fail in clinical trials due to poor human predictability — this project developed standardized vascular models that provide more reliable preclinical data to lower development costs.
If you are a biotech supplier dealing with a $19 billion cell culture market where current 3D tools lack reliable vascularization — this project developed BasicVasc, an all-in-one bioreactor consumable for high-throughput production.
If you are a CRO dealing with the regulatory pressure to reduce animal trials under EU directive 2010/63/EU — this project developed CompleteVasc, ready-to-use matured vessels that mimic human physiology for more accurate in vitro testing.
Based on available project data, specific unit prices are not listed, but the project aims to reduce overall drug development costs by improving preclinical prediction.
Yes, the project has already established a synthesis laboratory and installed equipment like a microwave reactor, which enabled a fivefold increase in production scale.
Based on available project data, the project is working towards the foundation of a start-up for the commercialization of the technology.
The models are designed to be compatible with common formats, meaning no additional equipment or modifications are required for integration.
The project period runs from 2024-05-01 to 2027-04-30, during which the products are being developed and characterized for market readiness.
The project is currently highly centralized, consisting of a single academic partner (Universitaetklinikum Wuerzburg) from Germany. While it lacks industrial partners at this stage (0% industry ratio), the team is explicitly focused on spinning off a start-up to bridge the gap between university research and the pharmaceutical market.
Contact the Universitaetklinikum Wuerzburg regarding the Vasc-on-Demand start-up initiative.
Contact SciTransfer to identify potential industrial partners for the Vasc-on-Demand spin-off.
