Aspect Biosystems has received $72.75 million in funding from the governments of Canada and British Columbia to advance its pipeline of preclinical 3D-printed tissue candidates.
The Vancouver-based biotech will put the proceeds toward a broader $200 million project that’s focused on boosting its biomanufacturing capabilities, tissue therapeutic platform technology and its pipeline of bioprinted tissues, according to a Wednesday release.
Aspect describes these so-called bioprinted tissues as implantable, allogeneic cell-based approaches designed to replace or aid certain biological functions. The company said bioprinted tissues are made by combining selected cells, biomaterials and computational tissue design methods using the biotech’s bioprinting technology.
The biotech has already partnered with Novo Nordisk to develop such approaches for diabetes and obesity. The deal, which was inked in April last year, saw Aspect get $75 million in “initial payments” and featured up to $650 million in milestone payments per product plus tiered royalties on sales. The partnership has so far yielded an unnamed preclinical pancreatic tissue candidate for type 1 diabetes.
Separately, Aspect is working on preclinical candidates designed to restore liver function that could help patients with acquired or genetic liver diseases, according to its website.
The latest investment represents “a major step forward on our bold mission to pioneer an entirely new category of regenerative medicine and build an enduring and globally leading biotech that is delivering sustainable, life-changing impact to patients at home and around the world,” CEO Tamer Mohamed said in the release.