OcellO

OcellO B.V. operates as a specialized contract research organization (CRO) focused on providing advanced compound testing and screening services for drug discovery. Founded in 2011 by Dr. Leo Price and based in the Leiden Bio Science Park in the Netherlands, the company emerged from technology developed at Leiden University. Dr. Price, who served as CEO and CSO for a decade, has a background in cell physiology, holding a PhD from University College London, and was a faculty member at Leiden University before establishing OcellO. This academic and research-intensive foundation is central to the company's operations.

The company's core business revolves around its proprietary high-throughput screening platform which utilizes automated three-dimensional (3D) cell culture technology combined with high-content imaging and analysis. This platform is designed to generate and analyze human micro-tissues and organoids, offering a more physiologically relevant environment for drug screening compared to traditional 2D methods. OcellO's services cater to biopharmaceutical companies, providing them with critical data on drug efficacy, toxicity, and polypharmacology early in the drug development process. The business model is service-based, offering compound screening and profiling for various diseases, including cancer, inflammation, and polycystic kidney disease.

OcellO's technology enables the use of complex, patient-relevant models such as organoids, PDX-derived tumoroids, and primary tumor cultures, representing a wide array of solid tumor types. This allows for the evaluation of multiple drug combinations and targets with improved predictability of clinical relevance. A significant milestone in the company's history was its acquisition by Crown Bioscience, a JSR Life Sciences company, in May 2021. This acquisition integrated OcellO's high-content imaging and 3D model expertise with Crown Bioscience's broader preclinical in vitro and in vivo services. Following the acquisition, Dr. Leo Price joined Crown Bioscience as Senior Vice President, In Vitro, to lead the division's activities in the US and Europe. The integration also made Crown Bioscience the sole global licensee of the specialized Hubrecht Organoid Technology (HUB) for drug development programs.

Keywords: contract research organization, 3D cell culture, high-content imaging, drug discovery, preclinical services, organoid screening, compound testing, cancer drug development, human tissue models, phenotypic screening, in vitro assays, Leiden Bio Science Park, Leo Price, Crown Bioscience, biopharmaceutical services, tumoroids, high-throughput screening, patient-derived xenograft, immuno-oncology, drug development services