Counteracting high attrition rates in oncology drug development and providing optimal therapeutic management of cancer patients require preclinical models that properly recapitulate the complexity and diversity of human tumours. Patient-derived tumour xenografts (PDXs), established by transplanting tumour fragments into immunodeficient mice, are being widely embraced by the scientific community as preclinical tools for target and biomarker discovery. The overall goal of EDIReX is to establish a cutting-edge European infrastructure offering Trans-national Access (TA) of PDX resources to academic and industrial cancer researchers, including the distribution of cryopreserved samples to third parties, the structured biobanking of user-developed models, and the performance of efficacy studies. To ensure interoperability in services, TA initiatives will be backed by Networking Activities (NAs); these will be mainly centred around the establishment of standard procedures for PDX quality control, long-term storage and therapeutic mouse trials. NAs will also entail the adoption of shared ethics parameters for animal experimentation, the wide dissemination of services and project results, and the design of plans to ensure sustainability of the infrastructure. User outreach will be maximised by Joint Research Activities through a three-pronged approach: i) the implementation of a public Data Portal for efficient and user-friendly query and visualisation of clinical, molecular and pharmacological annotation of the models; ii) a cross-validation mouse trial to harmonise inter-laboratory procedures, thus improving the quality and reliability of service provision; and iii) the development of exploratory, more advanced PDX-based preclinical platforms, such as orthotopic and humanised models and in vitro PDX-derived cells. Capitalising on all these assets, EDIReX will contribute to structuring the European Research Area and global cooperation of research infrastructures.

OcellO B.V., a Dutch SME, is recruiting an Immuno-Oncology Innovation Associate to support the diversification of its portfolio of innovative services. OcellO is a contract research organization (CRO) that delivers supreme in vitro screening tools for drug developers. The SME has a number of high-throughput screening tools on the market, all of which are based on its proprietary 3D cell culture technique with concomitant imaging and analyses tools. Currently, OcellO is growing so-called ‘organoids’ composed of a single cell type. The different screening tools it now has on the market each make use of a single cell type of different origin. Strengthened by the needs expressed by the market, OcellO wants to expand its portfolio with the delivery of 3D cultures based on two or more different cell types combined in one organoid. The primary focus for this project is on combining cancer cells with cells from the immune system, to support the development of immuno-modulating cancer drugs – a highly promising field of anti-cancer drug development. There is a high unmet need for affordable and meaningful screening technologies for the selection of the most promising drugs for clinical development from a vast number of promising compounds designed for stimulating our immune system to eradicate cancer cells. None of the screening tools currently available can deliver on the needs of the industry. For the development of its first screening platform based on the co-culture of cells in 3D, OcellO is eager to hire a post-doc level, established researcher (R3). The Immuno-Oncology Innovation Associate has a PhD in immunology and experience in oncology. (S)he has affinity with cell biology, fluorescence imaging, and with exploitation of technology. In the competitive Dutch employment environment, it is hard for OcellO to compete for the top researchers. With EU support, OcellO can target a larger market and offer a truly competitive package of remuneration and fringe benefits.

TransQST will develop a Quantitative Systems Toxicology (QST) approach, employing pre-existing data where possible, in order to yield new mechanistic insight into drug-induced toxicity. A central tenet of our programme will be to ensure the human physiological and pharmacological relevance of any test system that has been (or will be) used for generating the input data for modelling. By adopting this approach, we will be able to accurately interpret what happens when test systems are perturbed by drug exposure, and ensure translatability of modelling tools. Mechanistic translational biomarkers are a core aspect of our approach and will be applied in parallel with evidence for understanding how to develop, model and apply such biomarkers in a QST setting. The project is structured in 8 work packages to provide the following outcomes: curate the best available experimental data suitable for modelling adverse drug reactions; provide fit-for-purpose QST models that will address key toxicity measures for liver, kidney, heart and GI-tract; provide quantitative risk assessment for off-target toxicity in man based on in vitro and in vivo models; provide a quantitative mechanistic read-across from species (in vivo and in vitro) currently used for the toxicological evaluation of a new drug; provide definition and applicability of the human physiological relevance of preclinical test systems; provide a battery of translational biomarkers that can be used for quantitative read-across from in vitro systems to man and which relate to intracellular pathways (and systems) relevant to drug toxicity. Led by the University of Liverpool, TransQST brings together 14 partners, characterized by their scientific rigour and proven track record. Collectively they will enable achievement of the goals of the call, thanks to their complementarity, proven ability to work together (and with EFPIA partners), and their understanding of how to ensure the relevance of QST to human biology.

Drug repurposing (or repositioning) is the application of previously identified drugs or compounds to treat new indications. The International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) set as main goal for 2027 that 1000 new therapies for rare diseases will be approved. One of the levers to achieve this goal includes the repurposing of already existing and marketed drugs. In this context, DRUGtrain offers a timely paradigm for multidisciplinary research ideal for improving drug repurposing and development strategies of compounds, with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) as example. Identifying compounds for repurposing requires a broad variety of approaches. Therefore, the aim of DRUGtrain is to offer a multidisciplinary research training program to young researchers preparing them to become leading scientists able to integrate molecular and pharmacological data, and translate fundamental research questions to the (pre)clinic and vice versa. The research objectives of DRUGtrain are: 1) To identify potential drug targets and drug candidates for repurposing using innovative bio-informatics and cheminformatics approaches; 2) To perform drug testing/drug screenings in advanced in vitro and in vivo models, ultimately leading to testing of new treatment strategies; 3) To clarify drug mechanisms, and identify and reduce adverse events using state-of-the-art technologies from in silico and wet lab methodologies. Complementary training through courses will cover additional topics in drug repurposing and drug discovery as well as scientific skills, personal development, commerce and entrepreneurship. In DRUGtrain, 6 academic and 4 private sector beneficiaries/partner organisations and 1 NGO are collaborating in joining forces to intensify network activities between academia, industry, and a patient organization. The training offered should support the ESRs in becoming the next generation of true multidisciplinary researchers in (bio)pharmaceutical sciences.