In the body, cells reside and operate in the extracellular matrix (ECM), which is a structural scaffold comprised of glycoproteins, polysaccharides, and proteoglycans. It provides a physical support to tissues, but also serves as a complex reservoir of binding ligands and signaling molecules that drive a wide range of biological functions of tissue cells.
MxDx Bio employs ECM-derived biomaterials as the core technology that support cells in the organoid and organ-on-a-chip portfolio. One strategy is the use of decellularized or reconstituted ECM from native tissues, thus maintaining the majority of structural and biochemical factors of a given tissue type. This is a comprehensive platform that best mimics the complexity of the ECM in vivo.
A second strategy is engineering the ECM from the ground up in a modular fashion. This approach employs only a small number of ECM components, but chooses to use a stripped down, and well-defined formulation for increased acceptability in applications subject to regulatory approval.
Our Technology
Extracellular matrix biomaterials
Tissue Matrix Scaffold (TMS)
This is a bioengineered porous scaffold platform reconstituted using full ECM protein extracts. TMS is available as loose or panelized format to fit the needs of different experimental purposes. TMS is ready-to-go for 3D tissue cultures and has the following advantages over the traditional 2D or synthetic polymer 3D cultures:
- Contains all the major ECM proteins of a tissue
- Mimics native ECM structures and mechanics Supports 3D tissue cultures in vitro
- Supports cell-laden in vivo implantation
- The panelized format is suitable for high throughput assays and drug screening
- Customized shapes or sizes are possible upon request and technical discussion
ECM Hydrogels
Extracted from native ECM, the hydrogels with the full spectrum or defined species of tissue ECM components will satisfy the needs for biomedical and bioengineering research applications.
- Culture vessel coating and 3D cell culture
- Suspension tissue culture
- Bioprinting
- Drug delivery
- In vivo injection
3D Bioprinting
3D bioprinting has advanced rapidly in the past decade. However, the interactions between the biomaterials (aka, bioinks), the bioprinting hardware, and the cells that populate the bioinks are still poorly understood.
Previous biomaterials were not optimized for the dynamic events encountered during bioprinting. MxDx Bio’s bioprinting technology incorporates novel biomaterials with advanced, stimulus-responsive mechanical properties, facilitating deployment on most bioprinter platforms, enabling biomanufacturing of organoids for in vitro drug evaluation. A biomimetic formulation, inspired by biology, allows for customization with cell-recognized proteins, but in a defined manner, suitable for clinical applications.
Biomarker, drug, and toxicological screening
The tissue microenvironment is essential for native cells to display biomarkers that are key for cellular functions and to respond to therapeutic treatments, such as drugs and radiation. Our primary ECM-derived products and bioprinted platforms will provide native tissue-like culturing tools for:
- Biomedical research and novel biomarker discoveries
- Pharmacological drug and toxicological screening
- Clinical diagnostic and prognostic screening
- Personalized and precision medicine
In Vitro Disease Models
The culmination of MxDx Bio's technology portfolio is a versatile platform comprised of in vitro and ex vivo disease models, including 3D organoids and organ-on-a-chip systems. Taking cancer – which is the second leading cause of death in the United States – as an example, with MxDx Bio's disease model platform, cells from a patient’s own tumor biopsy can be combined with a proprietary bioengineered matrix technology to create 3D tumor organoids correlating specifically with that particular patient. These organoids facilitate screening studies to be performed in the laboratory that generate empirical data to identify the most effective treatment plan for the patient. Paired with precision oncology genomic sequencing efforts already in place at most cancer centers in the United States, MxDx Bio's organoid technology has the potential to impact patient outcomes for the better.
In addition to personalized medicine applications, the MxDx Bio disease model platform can support basic cancer biology and other life science studies by providing more realistic, human- derived models for research, as well as serve as a generic disease model tool for drug development, drug candidate, pharmacological and toxicological studies, lending promise for better diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics.