Macomics Ltd, a company specialising in macrophage drug discovery, has entered into a scientific collaboration with Prof. Massimiliano Pagani from the IFOM (the AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology) to explore novel modes of action for macrophage targeted therapies.
IFOM is focused on the study of cancer formation and development at the molecular level. Prof. Pagani’s laboratory is pioneering studies on Regulatory T cells in the tumour microenvironment.
Characterising macrophage targeted therapies
The collaboration will see Macomics work with Dr Francesca Simoncello in Prof. Pagani’s lab to synergise this deep knowledge, particularly in the use of ex vivo tumoroids and T cell biology, with Macomics’ macrophage expertise.
Under the collaboration, the parties will explore the potential for the use of ex vivo tumoroid models developed by the Pagani lab in the characterisation of macrophage targeted therapies, including testing of novel drug candidates with new modes of action discovered by Macomics in complex human assay systems.
Dr Luca Cassetta, VP Immunology and Founder of Macomics said, “This collaboration will allow us to optimise the design our therapies by harnessing the power of patient-derived organoids which, unlike cell lines, recapitulate the overall architecture and functional features of the cancer tissue from which they originate. They also better replicate the complexity of the human tumour microenvironment than commonly used pre-clinical models. This understanding will accelerate the advancement of our programs towards clinical development.”
