Intel stock extends gains after report of possible U.S. government stake
LONDON - ValiRx Plc (AIM:VAL), a life science company focused on early-stage cancer therapeutics and women’s health, announced Thursday that its wholly owned subsidiary Inaphaea BioLabs Limited has been awarded a Knowledge Transfer Voucher from The Open University.
The grant will fund advanced imaging-based analysis of Inaphaea’s patient-derived cell models from August 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026. The collaboration aims to utilize the university’s expertise in biophysical and machine learning approaches to build algorithms for assessing drug responses in tumor spheroids.
The project has three primary objectives: conducting confocal microscopy of tumoroids provided by Inaphaea, validating the use of the university’s contractile network dipole orientation simulations to model these tumoroids, and strengthening partnership ties for future grant applications.
Mark Eccleston, CEO of ValiRx, noted this is the third award the company has received from The Open University. He highlighted the grant’s timing coincides with recent updates to the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, which now includes 3D cell cultures as alternatives to animal testing for regulatory safety and efficacy evaluations.
Jim Hague, Senior Lecturer at the Open University, stated the partnership aims to improve spheroid use as models for drug development, with focus on treatments for triple-negative breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers.
The company indicated that the collaboration would help develop better products and services through Inaphaea and advance assets further down the pipeline using in-house resources.
According to the company’s press release statement, this initiative is part of ValiRx’s broader strategy to expand its capabilities in advanced patient-derived cell models and cell-based testing methodologies.
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.