BICO Partners with the Center for Contemporary Sciences to Reduce Animal Testing in Life Sciences
The two organizations will work closely to build support for the bipartisan FDA Modernization Act and reduce animal testing by promoting human-specific medical research technologies that include advanced in-vitro tissue models and 3D bioprinting.
Today BICO, a leading bio convergence company, announced a partnership with the Center for Contemporary Sciences (CCS), a research and advocacy organization championing the advancement of human-relevant methodologies in scientific research and drug discovery. Together the two organizations plan to closely align strategy and outreach efforts to support the passage of the bipartisan FDA Modernization Act of 2021, along with other initiatives to reduce animal testing in the life sciences industry.
The FDA Modernization Act would amend the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act legislation that requires all new pharmaceuticals be tested on animals for safety and efficacy, regardless of whether such tests are predictive or relevant to outcomes in humans. With more than 80 years in existence, this regulation contributes to an estimated 100 million animals being experimented on each year for biomedical research in the U.S. alone, at least 90% failure rate in human clinical trials, and a staggering cost in the development of new pharmaceutical drugs, which is typically passed onto consumers.
One of the main goals of the partnership is to promote bio convergence technologies to accelerate human-relevant drug development and other applications, without experimentation on animals. Such technologies include advanced in-vitro tissue models, 3D bioprinting, organs-on-a-chip, and sophisticated microfluidics platforms.
“The Center for Contemporary Sciences will be a key ally in our efforts to help pass the FDA Modernization Act,” says Erik Gatenholm, CEO and co-founder at BICO. “Aysha and her team bring decades of experience in science, medicine, and policy to help develop and advance human-relevant technologies that drive positive change in the industry.”
The Center for Contemporary Sciences’ goal is to educate, connect, and support the scientific research industry with modern innovations but also replace experimental animal testing. With a science-driven mission that recognizes that animal models are not translatable to human biology, CCS places emphasis on human-relevant methods that currently exist or can be developed, to provide a more accurate human response and bring safer, more efficacious therapies to market for the benefit of patients.
"The partnership with, BICO, one of the most exciting and credible bio convergence forces in the industry today reflects our commitment to work alongside like-minded organizations to modernize the drug development process through dedicated advocacy efforts and discerning policies rooted in evidence-based science,” says CCS Chief Science Officer, Zaher Nahle, PhD, MPA. “It is also a realization of the vison of CCS co-founder and CEO, Aysha Akhtar MD, MPH and the Board, to bring real change to a process that has been woefully neglected for far too long, and that would save both human and animal lives.”
The partnership also comes a month after CCS partnered with MatTek, a BICO company and leading developer of in-vitro human tissue models widely used in the drug-, cosmetic-, and chemical industries to replace animal testing.
To join BICO and the CCS’s efforts, please contact Riley Munks, Public Affairs Manager at BICO at: rmun@bico.com
For further information, please contact:
BICO Press office US
Phone (US):
Riley Munks, PR Manager: (650) 863-6699
Alyssa D’Orazio, PR Manager: (617) 634-9601
Email: press@bico.com
This information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, on January 13, 2021, at 15:00 (CET).
About BICO
Founded in 2016, BICO (formerly CELLINK) is the leading bio convergence company in the world. By combining different technologies, such as robotics, artificial intelligence, computer science, and 3D bioprinting with biology, we enable our customers to improve people's health and lives for the better.
The company has a focus on developing technologies that will advance Health 4.0 Next Generation Core Industry Ecosystems that enable tissue engineering, diagnostics, multiomics, and cell line development. BICO’s technologies enable researchers in the life sciences to culture cells in 3D, perform high-throughput drug screening and print human tissues and organs for the medical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. We create the future of health.
The Group’s instruments in the field amounts to 25,000, including all the top 20 pharmaceutical companies, are being used in more than 65 countries, and have been cited in more than 9,500 publications. BICO is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm under BICO. www.bico.com
About the Center for Contemporary Sciences
The Center for Contemporary Sciences is a nonprofit organization founded in 2020 with the mission of pioneering a paradigm shift towards innovative, evidence-based research methods that are based on human biology. CCS works with policymakers, regulators, academic centers, and industry partners and is on a mission to improve the quality of lives for both humans and animals. Through collaboration, CCS champions technologies that are better for humans and that replace animal testing.