Taconic Biosciences and Cellaria Biosciences Agree to Scientific Collaboration to Facilitate Xenograft Use in Oncology Research

Taconic Biosciences and Cellaria Biosciences have announced that the two companies have entered into a scientific collaboration designed to facilitate and improve the utility of patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) in animal models for oncology and immuno-oncology research. Cellaria’s novel methodologies for generating cells from patient tumours will complement Taconic’s industry-leading portfolio of tissue humanised mouse models, which are well-suited as hosts for PDXs.

The value of using patient-derived tumours in oncology and immuno-oncology research has been well documented, but traditional methods of obtaining tumour cell material have proven labour-intensive and expensive, inhibiting researchers’ access to this material. Cellaria’s innovative approach to propagating tumour cell material and generating PDX banks significantly reduces the associated labour and costs, making patient-derived tumour models more accessible to investigators.  

“Our scientific collaboration with Cellaria is a prime example of Taconic continually pushing the boundaries of technology to improve the utility of humanised animal models in biomedical research,” said Todd Little, president of Corporate Development, Taconic Biosciences. “By collaborating with a company that has achieved great success in generating cell lines from patient-derived tumours, Taconic will be able to deliver more predictive tissue humanised models that will improve and accelerate oncology research and drug discovery.”

Cellaria’s advanced technology facilitates the creation of PDX banks in a more controlled manner, supports more effective tumour engraftments on study animals, and enables harvesting sufficient tumour material for use in long-term and repeat studies. The companies’ initial collaborations will focus on the creation of breast cancer cell lines from PDX models for which Taconic holds licences from the University of Utah.  

“ Taconic and Cellaria have a shared goal to create relevant tools for cancer,” said David Deems, CEO, Cellaria. The new models created through this collaboration have enormous potential to better define target patient populations and evaluate the efficacy of new therapies.”