Click here to read more about how Atelerix worked with RareCan, NovoPath and the Rare Cancer Research Group at the University of Sheffield to further develop and validate Atelerix’s TissueReady™ product for the stabilisation of fresh tissues.
New distributor agreement between Atelerix (UK) and Scintila S.R.O (Czech Republic and Slovakia).
We are proud to announce the beginning of a new distribution agreement with Scintila S.R.O, who will be distributing our products across Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Our global customer base is growing rapidly due to problems associated with cryogenics, the vast increase in the use of complex physiologically relevant cell models in drug discovery, and our movement towards the regulated market of cell and gene therapy. Under this agreement, Scintila S.R.O, will increase our visibility and distribute Atelerix’s portfolio of hypothermic cell, tissue, and virus preservation technology.
Scintila, s.r.o. is a distribution company that has been focusing on long-term cooperation with top and renowned foreign manufacturers of products and technologies for biomedical research and diagnostics for almost 20 years.
They offer high-quality, innovative reagents and devices for research laboratories and clinical workplaces in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. With an important customer base consisting of key university hospitals, universities, academies of science and biotechnology companies.
Atelerix has been awarded a place on the Global Business Innovation Programme for Biomanufacturing of Biologics and Advanced Therapies in Canada. Organised by Innovate UK and delivered by Innovate UK EDGE, this programme, comprising workshops and a 5-day innovation visit to Canada, will support Atelerix’s future entry into the advanced therapies market.
“We are very pleased to be awarded a place on this programme. It will allow us to engage with advanced therapy developers in Canada to establish key pain points and confirm areas where Atelerix’s technology offers the greatest value. It will also foster key relationships, identifying collaborators and future partners, whilst gaining insight into the commercialisation and regulatory landscape in Canada.” Dr. Steve Swioklo
Atelerix sees global potential for the use of their hypothermic preservation technology in cell-based therapies and gene therapies after being demonstrated to dramatically extend the shelf life of leukapheresis starting material, therapeutic cell types, and viral vectors. The technology has also been successfully integrated into a clinical trial for an ocular cell-based therapy. It is hoped that this programme will offer an important contribution to Atelerix’s wider commercialisation within advanced therapies.
New White Paper Released! The sourcing of primary tissue is vital for many fields of research and is becoming increasingly important for use in advanced screening techniques/diagnosis, drug development and patient-derived model generation as healthcare moves towards personalised medicine. Tissue quality deteriorates rapidly after retrieval, and therefore need to be used as close to the retrieval time possible to ensure the best quality outcomes. Unfortunately, the sites of tissue retrieval is not always close to sites requiring the tissue, resulting in extended distribution times and a reduction in the quality of tissue.
TissueReady™ PLUS offers a simple solution that preserves the viability and quality of tissue at ambient temperatures, increasing their shelf-life, enabling shipment, enhancing the flexibility of workflows and improving the quality of screening and model generation from these tissues.
You can access the full paper using the link below:
TissueReady™ offers a simple solution that preserves the viability and quality of fresh tissue at ambient temperatures, increasing shelf life, enabling shipment, enhancing the flexibility of workflows and improving the quality of screening and model generation from these tissues.
Our newest release TissueReady™ PLUS now comes complete with recommended medium for the longest possible preservation times for fresh tissue samples. You can access the full launch webinar where Alistair Leitch, Senior R&D Manager talks through 3 external case studies using the link below:
New White Paper Released!
The use of organoids for disease modelling, drug discovery and personalised medicine has become increasingly popular. Processes for the generation and maintenance of organoids can be complex, requiring high technical awareness.
Additionally, some organoid models are unsuitable for storage and shipment by freeze/thaw. WellReady™ offers a simple solution to these challenges, allowing for the shipment of developed organoid models at ambient temperatures, supplying the end-user with a ready to use model.
You can access the full paper using the link below:
The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
23th – 27th April 2023
New Orleans, Louisiana
Booth 1445
Email lindsay.smith@atelerix.co.uk to book a meeting
Atelerix Limited, which develops and markets innovative solutions for the storage and transport of cells, tissues, and viruses at hypothermic temperature (without freezing) is pleased to announce they have signed a commercial agreement with a major advanced livestock breeding company, RAFT Solutions Limited.
Atelerix encapsulation technology has continuously shown promise in multiple applications in the life science industry. For the past year, Atelerix has also been collaborating in a research program with RAFT Solutions and cattle breeders in Canada to develop products for the preservation and transport of germplasm for use in livestock breeding programs. The planned products, which would avoid the high costs and logistical challenges of using cryopreservation, would be used by both large and smaller breeders who don’t have access to or want to avoid the use of cryopreservation. The research program has reached a satisfactory stage in terms of the results being achieved, and both parties have entered into an agreement whereby RAFT Solutions shall have the first option to become the exclusive licensee of the licensed rights globally for the sale of products designed for the transport of bovine and porcine germplasm related to fertility in livestock species.
The research program will run through to the end of the year, which will enable Atelerix to perfect its solution ahead of commercialisation.
The marketing and commercialisation of a range of products are anticipated to be from 2024 onwards.
“We have long believed in the wide breadth of applications for Atelerix technology, and we are excited that our innovative encapsulation technology will be used to develop new products for the transport of germplasm relating to fertility in livestock species. I look forward to working with Jonathan and the team at RAFT Solutions”
Debra Leeves
Executive Chair – Atelerix
“RAFT has long championed sustainable livestock farming and we are clear that sustainable food relies on reproductive success and a good fit between genetics and a particular farming environment. Genomics and advanced breeding techniques offer a huge range of genetics to precision match a farm system. However, germplasm is extremely fragile and liquid nitrogen transport is both hazardous and expensive. We are therefore very excited at the prospect of working with Debra and the team at Atelerix in developing such new innovation in safe and inexpensive transport of germplasm”.
Jonathan Statham
Chief Executive – RAFT Solutions
Atelerix Ltd.
Atelerix offers an innovative approach to the storage and transportation of fresh cells, tissues, and viruses meeting the varied needs and demands of our customers by extending the time that biological samples can be stored at hypothermic temperatures. Atelerix’s focus is to protect its customer’s biological products from biochemical and physical damage while maintaining a consistently high yield, viability, and functionality.
RAFT Solutions Ltd.
With a highly experienced team within the livestock production industry, RAFT focuses on keeping sustainability at the heart of its business. Using innovative research and advanced breeding, they offer enhanced training and precision livestock farming (PLF) solutions for food sustainability for farmers, vets and industry colleagues around the world.
Following on from LVPEI’s successful proof of concept studies highlighting the successful use of Atelerix’s technology to distribute a limbal-stromal cell therapy throughout India (Damala et al., 2019), we are delighted to announce the publication of subsequent preclinical studies. These studies demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the therapy after being encapsulated and stored at room temperature, used to support the successful acceptance of an ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial (Clinical Trial ref. CTRI/2021/07/035034). It is hoped that this clinical trial will demonstrate how our technology can be utilised to increase the accessibility of advanced therapies in India to treat debilitating conditions such as corneal pathologies and blindness.
You can access the full publication HERE
The liver microenvironment is proving to be a major obstacle to the success of immunotherapy in solid organ tumours. The liver is characterised by tolerogenic properties that lead to the suppression of the immune system that can potentially benefit tumour growth and evasion. A key cell type in this tolerogenic environment are the endothelial cells that line the liver vasculature termed hepatic sinusoidal endothelium. These cells have distinct mechanisms to engulf and filter foreign antigens and suppress T cell responses.
Most of these studies have taken place in murine models but testing on primary human liver tissue will hopefully drive clinical translation. Through our transplant programme in Birmingham, we have access to human tissue and can isolate our own endothelial and epithelial cells. The possibility to recapitulate the human liver microenvironment using a 3D printed chip with the cells from patients may prove key when investigating cross-talk between resident cell types and the immune system during disease and cancer. This could help set up a platform for testing immunotherapies targeting the liver and support personalised medicine.
Figure 1. Histological section illustrating hepatocytes separated by sinusoids and the cell types involved in general homeostasis
Current experimental techniques using primary LSEC
The current standard technique for storage and shipping of primary endothelial cells Is through the use of cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen (-130°C). In order for novel 3D experiments to take place, our isolated LSEC must be sent to specialist laboratories where this technology is housed, meaning they must be transported in a cryopreserved state. This technique does have limitations including impact on cell viability after freezing. Due to human cells needing to operate within a small temperature range (36-38ºC), uncontrolled transition between normothermic and low temperature ranges causes a variety of damage to the stored cells. The process of ice formation within the cells after freezing can cause damage in two ways: intracellular salts become more concentrated inducing osmotic stress; or extracellular ice puncturing or damaging the cell membrane.
Figure 2. The LSEC isolation process from primary liver transplants using CD31 positive magnetic separation
Our LSEC are isolated fresh from transplanted tissue as seen in figure 2, through positive selection using CD31-coated dynobeads after enzymatic digestion of liver tissue. These cells are then cultured in preparation for seeding into 3D printed chips. Within the chips, LSEC are able to be successfully co-cultured with epithelial cells and primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC’s), to recapitulate the microenvironment that can be exploited by a cancerous tumour. For these chips to become clinically personalised, epithelial, endothelial and immune cells must be isolated from the same patient. Making these experimentally available at the same time is challenging, so certain cell types must be cryopreserved to wait for patient bloods or during transport to specialist laboratories.
How CytoStor™ can help
To combat the issue of cryopreservation, our primary LSEC were preserved in CytoStor™ for up to 7 days and retrieved back into culture to determine whether cell viability and function were affected by CytoStor™, as seen in figure 3.. As previously described, LSEC were isolated from donor tissue and cultured to an appropriate cell number. LSEC were transferred to CytoStor™ gels with the total cell number split in two with one cohort incubating in CytoStor™ at 4°C and another cohort, from the same tissue sample, incubated at room temperature. These were subsequently left for a week before the gel was dissociated and the cells were returned to culture. After the week, a sample from the same tissue donor with the same cell number was removed from liquid nitrogen storage and returned to culture also. Cell viability was measured by counting number of live cells that were in culture for each cohort to determine which preservation condition worked best. Furthermore, quantitative and qualitative analysis was performed on the LSEC through staining for key phenotypic markers of LSEC and activation markers after proinflammatory treatment to determine whether CytoStor™ increased expression in comparison to liquid nitrogen storage. Finally, qPCR was performed on each sample to quantify whether activation markers of LSEC were maintained across each sample at a DNA level.
Figure 3. The protocol of preserving LSEC in CytoStor™ at 4°C and Room Temperature and the quantitative analysis subsequently performed
CytoStor™ permitted the transfer of cells from a preserved state to an active one whilst maintaining all key phenotypic and activation markers for experiments and proves an exciting prospect to facilitate the transport of primary LSEC across the country for novel research.
James Kennedy
PhD Student
LifETIME CDT
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), derived from whole blood or leukapheresis, encompass several major immune cell populations including lymphocytes, monocytes, NK cells and dendritic cells. Apheresis material is a PBMC-enriched blood product widely used in cell therapy, the maximum shelf life of which is 48h when supplied fresh. The collection, processing, and shipment of fresh apheresis material must therefore by rigorously controlled to ensure optimal cell quality and performance for the patient or downstream application. Timely shipment and delays encountered during global transfer between clinical and manufacturing sites adds to further decline in sample viability and quality. A solution to avoid this demanding process is cryopreservation, which permits the long-term storage of frozen PBMCs. Many companies now supply frozen leukopaks to gain this additional flexibility, however cold-chain supply is notably more expensive and impractical for transportation at the global scale. Equally, cryopreservation is a relatively violent process in which freezing and thawing methods can cause physical and chemical stress on cells, resulting in changes in the cell surface markers and function. Among PBMCs, monocytes are particularly sensitive to these freeze-thaw insults, and have been reported to show unfavourable alterations in yield, function, and gene expression following cryopreservation (1), (2) . Solutions such as cryopreservatives including DMSO can increase viability upon thawing, however, are toxic when exposure is prolonged. A modern solution is therefore required to enable the transport and temporary storage of high-quality, fresh monocytes with a longer shelf life.
Atelerix’s technology known as LeukoStor, provides a cryo-free storage and shipment solution for apheresis material at 2-8°C. Our evaluation of the monocyte population within LeukoStor-preserved apheresis material shows that encapsulation at 2-8°C maintains 80-85% monocyte viability after 5 days’ storage (Figure 1A) and offers a considerable improvement in monocyte yield compared to competitor solution and NGC (Figure 1B). This technology offers a novel solution to avoid the logistics and costs associated with cryopreservation, while maintaining high monocyte quality and yield. This has important implications for both clinical trials and research that relies on the use of fresh, non-cryopreserved monocytes and PBMCs.
Figure 1. LeukoStor preserves monocyte viability and yield after 5 days of storage at 5°C. Apheresis material was stored with or without LeukoStor before assessing quality by flow cytometry. A. Live monocytes corresponded 80-85% of total monocytes following 5 days’ storage in LeukoStor. Monocytes were defined as single, CD45+ CD11b+ CD14+ cells, and as live (unstained), apoptotic (AnV+) or dead (7AAD+). B. Total Monocyte yield (CD11b+ CD14+ cells as a % of Day 0 non-stored) at day 5 following storage was improved by LeukoStor compared to the no-gel control (NGC) which represented non-manipulated apheresis material, and HT-FRS. (n=5).
References
1. Anderson J. Effect of peripheral blood mononuclear cell cryopreservation on innate and adaptive immune responses. J Immunol Methods. 2019;465:61–6.
- Li B. Comprehensive evaluation of the effects of long-term cryopreservation on peripheral blood mononuclear cells using flow cytometry. BMC Immunol. 2022;23(30).
Another fantastic publication highlighting one of the multiple applications Atelerix products have within the scientific research and development industry.
Anastassia Kostenko , Che J. Connon, and Stephen Swioklo (2023), have successfully shown that Atelerix BeadReady™ is a simple, adaptable solution for room temperature cell storage in combination with biofabrication and how this can be integrated for on-demand bioprinting.
Abstract
Over the last decade, progress in three dimensional (3D) bioprinting has advanced considerably. The ability to fabricate complex 3D structures containing live cells for drug discovery and tissue engineering has huge potential. To realise successful clinical translation, biologistics need to be considered. Refinements in the storage and transportation process from sites of manufacture to the clinic will enhance the success of future clinical translation. One of the most important components for successful 3D printing is the ‘bioink’, the cell-laden biomaterial used to create the printed structure. Hydrogels are favoured bioinks used in extrusion-based bioprinting. Alginate, a natural biopolymer, has been widely used due to its biocompatibility, tunable properties, rapid gelation, low cost, and easy modification to direct cell behaviour. Alginate has previously demonstrated the ability to preserve cell viability and function during controlled room temperature (CRT) storage and shipment. The novelty of this research lies in the development of a simple and cost-effective hermetic system whereby alginate-encapsulated cells can be stored at CRT before being reformulated into an extrudable bioink for on-demand 3D bioprinting of cell-laden constructs. To our knowledge the use of the same biomaterial (alginate) for storage and on-demand 3D bio-printing of cells has not been previously investigated. A straightforward four-step process was used where crosslinked alginate containing human adipose-derived stem cells was stored at CRT before degelation and subsequent mixing with a second alginate. The printability of the resulting bioink, using an extrusion-based bioprinter, was found to be dependent upon the concentration of the second alginate, with 4 and 5% (w/v) being optimal. Following storage at 15 ◦C for one week, alginate-encapsulated human adipose-derived stem cells exhibited a high viable cell recovery of 88 ± 18%. Stored cells subsequently printed within 3D lattice constructs, exhibited excellent post-print viability and even distribution.
This represents a simple, adaptable method by which room temperature storage and biofabrication can be integrated for on-demand bioprinting.
Read the full article here:
Storable Cell Laden Alginate Based Bioinks for 3D Biofabrication
