Two EU Programs allocate funding to Pharmatest Services

Turku, Finland: – Oncology and skeletal disease specialist CRO Pharmatest Services Ltd (Pharmatest) has received the green light to participate in two important EU funded research programs with a total budget of close to €1.75m.

Together with its European partners Pharmatest has received two positive funding decisions for its R&D projects, one from the Eurostars-program and the other from the EuroTransBio program of EU. Both approvals are for three-year projects that include development of new preclinical efficacy models of oncology.

Eurostars and EuroTransBio

Pharmatest is a contract research organization that offers preclinical efficacy services for the pharmaceutical industry in the fields of oncology and skeletal diseases. Eurostars and EuroTransBio are funding programs of the EU especially for SMEs in European countries participating in the programs.

ACT and HUMiC

In the Eurostars-funded ACT project, Pharmatest will partner with four European SMEs. The role of Pharmatest is to establish novel types of breast cancer models that will be used for efficacy testing of novel drug candidates.

In the EuroTransBio-funded project HUMiC, Pharmatest will partner with an SME in Germany to develop a new Combined Humanized Assay Platform based on patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of breast and prostate cancer, and associated 3D cell culture models.

Novel state-of-the-art cancer models

“These new fundings are very important for Pharmatest,” said the company’s R&D Director, Dr. Jenni Bernoulli. “They will allow us to develop new innovative state-of-the-art cancer models that will open new markets and business opportunities,” she added.

“Both projects are very challenging, but we are confident that we will be successful with our expert European partners and local academic collaborators,” said Dr. Bernoulli.

About Pharmatest

Pharmatest Services Ltd (Pharmatest) is a contract research organisation (CRO) specializing in clinically predictive preclinical efficacy services in the therapeutic areas of oncology and skeletal diseases.

Pharmatest helps establish proof-of-efficacy of cancer drug candidates with cell culture assays, organotypic 3D models, orthotopic animal models, and disseminated cancer models. Its models of skeletal diseases include bone cell culture assays and animal models of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis that can also be used for bone safety testing.

Headquartered in Turku, Finland, Pharmatest’s preclinical research unit offers modern research facilities including fully equipped laboratories and barrier-type animal facilities.

The CRO has supported close to 100 clients from pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations worldwide in research to develop new therapeutics against cancer and skeletal diseases. It has also assisted many nutraceutical companies in the development of new phytopharmaceutical products.

Pharmatest has developed a proven ability to reduce costs and notably increase the speed of drug development by processing outsourced preclinical efficacy testing with maximum efficiency and providing clients with access to latest translational tools for lead validation and proof-of-concept studies in oncology and skeletal diseases.