Oncodesign Services and Nexus BioQuest have formed a preclinical research partnership combining human-relevant in vitro models with in vivo pharmacology expertise for biotech drug development programmes.

Partnership combines in vitro and in vivo models

The collaboration brings together Nexus BioQuest’s expertise in human primary cell-based immunology and Oncodesign Services’ experience in in vivo pharmacology.

The companies have experience across oncology, inflammation and autoimmunity, with the partnership intended to give biotech companies access to complementary preclinical capabilities as programmes progress.

Nexus BioQuest develops 2D and 3D in vitro models incorporating immune cells and relevant tissue targets, alongside assay development for immuno-oncology, inflammation and autoimmune research.

Oncodesign Services provides in vivo pharmacology capabilities including syngeneic, patient-derived xenograft (PDX), cell-derived xenograft (CDX) and humanised immune-system models. Its capabilities also include inflammatory disease models, radiopharmaceutical research and preclinical imaging.

The companies said the arrangement is aimed particularly at biotech companies with smaller internal research teams, which may need to access different specialist capabilities during preclinical development.

Aidan Synnott, CEO at Oncodesign Services, said: “For biotech teams, the challenge is often not finding another CRO, but finding the right expertise for the scientific question they need to answer next.”

He added that the partnership allows the companies to refer programmes to one another when a particular scientific requirement falls outside their own specialist areas.

Endometriosis provides example of joint approach

Endometriosis is being used as an example of how the two sets of capabilities could be combined.

The disease is complex and involves inflammatory and pathological processes that can be studied using different experimental models. Nexus BioQuest’s primary cell inflammatory models can be used to investigate disease mechanisms in human-relevant in vitro systems, while Oncodesign Services has in vivo endometriosis models designed to assess endpoints including lesion development, fibrosis and inflammatory responses.

The companies said using complementary models could provide researchers with different types of evidence during preclinical development.

The partnership also covers research in oncology, inflammation and autoimmunity, where the companies’ respective model systems can be used at different stages of a programme.

Will Parish, CEO at Nexus BioQuest, said: “Early drug discovery rarely comes down to a single experiment or model. There are points where you need to understand what is happening in a human-relevant in vitro system and others where an in vivo model can provide a different level of insight.”

Biotech teams retain choice of research provider

The companies said clients will not be required to use both organisations. Recommendations will instead be based on the scientific requirements of each programme and the expertise available from each partner.

Where appropriate, researchers can involve both organisations in discussions about preclinical study design before deciding which studies to commission and where the work should be carried out.

The companies said this approach is intended to give smaller biotech teams access to specialist expertise without requiring them to identify and assess multiple providers independently.

The partnership does not represent a single combined CRO offering, with each company retaining its own capabilities and client relationships.

For drug developers working across complex preclinical programmes, the companies said the arrangement provides access to both in vitro and in vivo approaches as research questions change during development.