Novel Approaches for the Delivery of Viable and Healthy Cells for Cell Therapy Treatment

Novo Nordisk is seeking novel cell delivery solutions to improve cell therapy treatments in humans. Specifically, the team is interested in device, biomaterial and formulation approaches to improve efficacy in Type 1 Diabetes, Chronic Heart failure and Parkinson’s Disease.

Approaches of Interest: 

• Biomaterial or formulation approaches for the preparation and administration of viable and healthy cells at point of delivery (i.e. recovery from cryopreservation, resuspension and delivery). 
  • Key challenges include limiting cell stress (shear, temperature and pH) and exposure to deleterious agents, as well as promoting angiogenesis. 
  • Methods to prevent cell sedimentation and achieve uniform dosage are of particular interest. 
• Smart biomaterial approaches to direct cell fate or allow specific alignment/positioning of cells during/following delivery to the target area (E.g. cell sheets). 
• Cell injection/implantation devices for accurate delivery of cells into the target site. Methods which manage inflammation and mitigate fibrosis are of particular interest. 

Clinical Indications of Interest: 

• Type 1 Diabetes with focus on delivery of Beta cells for bio-artificial pancreas approaches 
• Delivery of cardiac cells for treatment of Chronic Heart Failure 
• Delivery of neuron cells to the mid-brain for treatment of Parkinson’s Disease 

Developmental Stages of Interest: 

Opportunities should have a demonstrated proof of concept (PoC) data, or a clear and defined route to achieve PoC within a 6-month time frame. This information can be outlined using the submission form below. 

Submission Information and Opportunity for Collaboration

Submission of one-page, 200–300-word briefs is encouraged, along with any optional supplementary information e.g. relevant publications. Submissions should include details of achieved PoC or, alternatively, a proposal to achieve PoC should be outlined using this submission form. In submitting to this campaign, you confirm that your submission contains only non-confidential information, and that you agree to the Competition terms outlined in the submission form. 

Novo Nordisk is open to partnering and collaborations to support research towards a proof of concept work, or the appropriate next steps. Funding and support up to $75,000 may be made available to promising applications and will be judged by the Novo Nordisk team on a case-by-case basis.