Rigenerand signs distribution partnership with Lacopa LLC for VITVO 3D cell culture technology

Rigenerand signs distribution partnership with Lacopa LLC for VITVO 3D cell culture technology

Lacopa has rights for distribution in Asian markets including Russia

Modena, Italy, March 9, 2021 – Rigenerand SRL, the biotech company that both develops and manufactures medicinal products for cell therapy applications, primarily for regenerative medicine and oncology, today announces the singing of a distribution agreement with Lacopa LLC. 

The agreement will enable Lacopa to distribute Rigenerand’s VITVO 3D cell culture technology across the Central Asian regions of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Rigenerand has developed VITVO as an innovative handheld bioreactor with an integrated scaffold for establishing an in vitro 3D cell culture model. It is expected that Lacopa will encounter most demand from Russian academic research teams as well as pharma companies in the region. VITVO’s 3D models will greatly enhance academic and pharma research and pre-clinical programs for cell and gene therapies. Lacopa specialists will actively work with a Rigenerand team to enhance the well-established Rigenerand distribution strategy for VITVO to specifically meet regional needs and requirements, based on an evaluation of regional client expectations in Central Asia. 

“As personalized medicine research continues to increase in complexity, this has greatly increased the demand across international markets for 3D cell culture models over more old fashioned 2D technology. Despite this, 3D models are not yet routinely deployed,” said Giorgio Mari, Rigenerand CEO. “This agreement with Lacopa LLC will enable the markets in Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus to access a simple solution to 3D cell culture technologies that will increase the advancement of research across the entire personalized medicine sector, and specifically the cell and gene therapy field. Rigenerand has used VITVO to develop its own autologous gene therapy medicinal product, RR001, for the treatment of solid tumors. As a result, we are ideally placed to offer our 3D cell culture technology to help pharma and research teams across the globe to develop other much-needed personalized medicine products that will greatly affect the outlook for patients of a variety of conditions.” 

VITVO is already used for highly predictive pre-clinical testing as it has been specifically designed to offer an increase to the market in usability, sizing, closed system, and flexibility for 3D cell culture technologies. 3D cell cultures combine the benefits of in-vitro and in-vivo construction with lowered attrition rates. VITVO’s standardized 3D platform is comprised of a contained in closed, transportable device that minimizes contamination. VITVO will also enable Lacopa to offer its customers technology compliant with 3R principals, helping aid the reduction of animal use in pre-clinical testing and for dose finding studies. Full pre and post sales support will also be offered by a combination of Lacopa and Rigenerand teams.

Rigenerand developed and extensively used VITVO for pre-clinical development of its own autologous gene therapy medicinal product, RR001, for the treatment of solid tumors. VITVO contributed considerably to the evaluation of the action and efficacy of the drug. 

In addition, VITVO has also been used in a variety of assays focusing on oncology. The efficacy of chemotherapy, biologics and cell-based anti-cancer agents has been tested by comparing VITVO with an in vivo preclinical xeno-transplant model. The system was challenged using primary tumor cells harvested from lung cancer patients as an innovative predictive functional assay for cancer responsiveness to a checkpoint inhibitor, such as nivolumab. The results suggest VITVO as a 3D in vitro model for pre-clinical testing with a possible relevant impact in other areas external to oncology. 

About Rigenerand

Rigenerand SRL is a biotech company that both develops and manufactures medicinal products for cell therapy applications, primarily for regenerative medicine and oncology and 3D bioreactors as alternative to animal testing for pre-clinical investigations.

Rigenerand operates through three divisions: 

1) a proprietary pipeline, developing and GMP manufacturing of cell and gene therapies for cancer treatment, 

2) a CDMO division, providing GMP support for scale-up of cell based medicinal products for clinical and commercial purposes within fully equipped Grade A/B cleanrooms, and 

3) a division developing 3D technologies for cell culture, developing and manufacturing 3D solutions for R&D diagnostics and pre-clinical purposes (VITVO®). 

Rigenerand is developing RR001, a proprietary ATMP gene therapy medicinal product for the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). RR001 has been granted an Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) by US-FDA and from the European Medicine Agency. The Clinical trial is expected to start in Q1 2021. 

Rigenerand is headquartered in Medolla, Modena, Italy, with more than 1,200 square metres of offices, R&D and quality control laboratories and a cell factory of 450 square metres of sterile cleanroom (EuGMP Grade-B) with BSL2/BSL3 suites for cell and gene therapies manufacturing. It combines leaders and academics from biopharma and medical device manufacturing sectors.