Stratatest™ mini-tissues for screening:

Testing of new chemicals and compounds for biological activity on human cells has always posed unique problems for biotechnology, pharmaceutical and consumer goods companies. Currently there is a shortage of cultured human cells for pharmaceutical testing and the available human epidermal cell lines poorly duplicate actual human skin performance. Therefore, animal testing and use of cultured human and animal-derived cell lines remain the standards for predicting the effects of experimental drugs on human health. These testing mechanisms raise concerns about accuracy, reproducibility, ethics, cost, and applicability.

Stratatech has developed Stratatest™ tissue for application in drug discovery modalities, such as models for cancer or skin diseases that allow more effective testing of drug and cosmetic products. For example, Stratatech scientists have collaborated with scientists at the University of Wisconsin to develop an innovative human tumor invasion assay for use as a screening tool in the identification of new anti-tumor therapeutics. Development of a model of early stage tumor invasion, the precursor condition to metastasis, coupled with a highly sensitive readout, is needed to identify new targets for drugs and/or agents that can be used to abrogate the invasion of primary tumors. The NIKS™ based human tumor model, Stratatest™ OncoScreen, permits monitoring tumor cell growth within a normally developed, stratified squamous epithelium. Our UW collaborators have shown that multiphoton imaging, an important tool for nondestructive investigation of living tissues, provides a highly sensitive readout for the detection of early changes in stroma underlying and/or surrounding tumors. The unique combination of the Stratatest™ OncoScreen model with a sophisticated imaging based readout provides the pharmaceutical industry with a biologically relevant, human cell based, high throughput screening tool to evaluate novel cytostatic agents, and/or therapy strategies.