Before they are tested on humans, preclinical testing is carried out, usually on animals such as rats and guinea pigs, rabbits and monkeys. This method is controversial not only from an ethical perspective: according to a 2021 report by the trade association Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), 92% of drugs tested on animals later fail in human clinical trials.
It's also expensive. A simple test on rabbits to see if a drug will cause a fever can cost $475, while a large-scale test of a cancer drug on rats can cost $700,000.
Biotech startups are offering solutions that could one day eliminate Bulk SMS Cyprus animals from the process. For example, the British company ImmuONE has developed a miniature model of the human lung.
Cell in a cup
The ImmuONE product consists of a small, flat tray with a set of test tube-like mini-cells. It looks like a painting palette or an upside-down pop-it.
The goal is to recreate the lower respiratory tract of a human lung, and therefore the company adds cell cultures to each cell that combine human tissue and immune cells, which during tests will reproduce the interaction of these cells in the human body.
Then, molecules of the product being tested are added to each cell to test how the lung and immune system cells respond.
Because the method involves adding immune cells, it allows for more details to be revealed, such as whether the lung cells are reacting to a substance that is inhaled, such as when a person sneezes from dust (this is called a reactive reaction), or whether the substance is provoking an immune cell response and is therefore potentially harmful.
ImmuONE sells the development to organizations for independent testing, and also provides testing services.
The startup is a spin-out of the UK’s University of Hertfordshire, based on the r
