CN Bio - Business Focus
Medicine, in particular pharmaceuticals, has come a long way, and yet in many ways the industry is still feeling its way in the dark. For all we’ve learned, and all the process has been refined, our method. . .
Medicine, in particular pharmaceuticals, has come a long way, and yet in many ways the industry is still feeling its way in the dark. For all we’ve learned, and all the process has been refined, our method for finding drugs is still too often a matter of trial and error. “Around 90 percent of drug candidates fail before or during clinical trials,” explains Dr Paul Brooks,CEOof CN Bio. “These compounds may show early promise, but without proper validation they collapse at the clinical stage. Forpharmaceutical companies, that represents a huge loss, wasting tens of billions of dollars across the industry. ”Animal testing has long been a standard in pharmaceutical development, but beyond the ethical issues it raises, it simply cannot replicate how a drug behaves in the human body. That is where CN Bio’s microphysiological systems (MPS) come in. “What we create is essentially a miniaturised model of a human organ,” Brooks explains. “It’s not a full-scale replica, but a highly engineered system where we take cells from the relevant tissue and grow them to create what is known as an organ-on-a-chip. Once placed into our microphysiological system, the cells assemble into a three-dimensional structure that mimics key aspects of how an organ functions. Within that 3D environment, the cells communicate with each other, share fluidic flow, and behave much as they would in the body. This gives scientists a powerful way to test new therapies and observe how a human organ might respond. ”Based in Cambridge, UK, CN Bio designs and manufactures microphysiological systems that allow the recreation of miniature human organs. These models provide pharma andbiotechcompanies with powerful tools to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their drug discovery programs. “What we’ve created is a predictive model of how the human body responds,” Brooks says. “Our technology replaces flawed preclinical methods with systems that replicate organ function and deliver more reliable answers. ”CN Bio has spent more than a decade perfecting its platform, designing a system that is robust, scalable, and easy to use. The effort has paid off: the technology is now in use with 16 of the top 20 pharmaceutical firms in the world. “They’ve seen how it fits seamlessly into their workflows,” Brooks notes. “We see repeat customers coming back, which tells us they’re getting real success with it. It’s proven, scalable technology they can plug directly into drug discovery. ”The data generated is of such high quality that customers have already used it in IND submissions to support new drugs entering clinical trials. Building on this momentum, CN Bio is now working directly with regulators to ensure data from its platform is fully recognised in the drug development process. The platform can be used for all types of therapeutics, all modalities, from small to large molecules and chemicals to antibodies. At the same time, many pharmaceutical firms are integrating AI technology and other in silico computational modelling tools into their discovery processes, and that technology relies on reliable phenotypic data, data CN Bio’s tools can provide. But for all of the useful applications that CN Bio’s system offers, it is still a challenge to take a new technology from development to commercial availability. When Brooks joined CN Bio three years ago, that was his challenge. “That meant reprioritising a lot of different things, ensuring we could go out to market,” says Brooks. “It meant a lot of rebuilding, and as part of that, we needed to ensure we had the right people on board to execute our strategy in the most effective way. ”Brooks brought several people into the company to help drive its transition, while keeping innovation at its core. “We are a blend of scientists, engineers, and support functions,” he explains. “Technical skills are fundamental, but we also need people who understand the bigger vision. It’s easy to get absorbed in one part of the work, but we need people who see the broader changes we are driving, moving away from traditional models, and who can really get behind that. ”CN Bio invests heavily in finding people who can share that vision, training and investing in them while benchmarking their rewards to ensure the company retains its talent and achieves its mission. “We’re in an innovative space, and we have to keep pushing forward in both the technology and its applications,” Brooks adds. “But ultimately, our success depends on developing and selling products. ”That mission has never been more relevant. The pharmaceutical sector is evolving rapidly, with mounting pressure to move away from animal testing. “The whole industry is on this journey,” Brooks says. “There have been many pushes to find alternatives. AI is one, but regulators like the FDA are also calling for the shift away from animal models. That’s where the consensus is forming, and that’s where we play a critical role. ”Brooks describes an inflection point in the market as it embraces new technologies and recognises the quality they can deliver. “For us, at the moment, the future is about expansion. Our platform and its applications are growing, making the discovery process more meaningful and driving new strategic partnerships,” says Brooks. “We are in a perfectly position to provide the most comprehensive, predictive data in the marketplace. ”Brooks’ enthusiasm for the industry’s direction, and CN Bio’s role within it, is clear. “It’s important to see this in the context of a bigger shift across the industry. This isn’t about organ-on-a-chip as a niche technology, it’s about how the whole ecosystem is changing. Regulators, pharma, and even AI platforms are all converging on the need for better human data. That’s exactly where CN Bio sits, and it’s why now is such a pivotal moment for us and for drug discovery more broadly. ”