InSphero

InSphero is a company located close to Zurich in the Technopark, also spun off from ETH in 2009. Hmmm, next post will come from the romande side, I've got an interesting recent spin-off in Geneva to talk about next. Digression aside, InSphero sounds pretty futuristic. They develop 3D micro-tissues using a method of hanging-drop and they have many collaborators. The advantage of using 3D tissue culture is since there is no cell adherence to artificial surfaces (like the plastic bottoms of tissue culture plates), it is supposed to more closely replicate tissue in its native state.

The idea of eliminating toxic compounds early in screening is very enticing, although this also creates another barrier, if it isn't accurate it could lead to elimination of compounds that might have been very good. I think Derek Lowe covers a bit of this theme nicely.

InSphero also has some interesting funding, they are part of an FP7 consortium, an interesting funding branch that I haven't heard of before, the Future and Emerging Technologies Open Schema (FET-open), founding new, fragile and innovative ideas. They have also been supported by KTI through VentureLab.