CTIBiotech, headquartered in Lyon, continues to push the boundaries of 3D bioprinting with their innovative development of human skin models. Specializing in medical and cosmetic research applications, CTIBiotech has recently garnered significant recognition and funding to propel their SAFESKIN3D bioprinting project.
The company has been awarded the prestigious Sanofi IDEA-Tech Award and received a substantial French grant. This initiative aims to revolutionize vaccine safety testing by enhancing the prediction of mRNA vaccine safety, efficacy, and tolerance during early development stages.
The SAFESKIN3D project focuses on creating 3D bioprinted human skin models to simulate injection sites, enabling rapid screening of hundreds of vaccine formulations daily without the need for animal testing. These advanced models incorporate layers like epidermis, dermis, hypodermis, muscle, immune cells, sensory neurons, and vascular components.
With over 9 years of dedicated research and development, CTIBiotech is poised to establish a high-throughput, human-based testing platform. This platform promises to reduce costs and accelerate vaccine development timelines significantly.
CTIBiotech employs bio-plotting and bio-extrusion techniques to bioprint human tissues in three dimensions. This involves extruding bio-ink—comprising human skin cells suspended in a biocompatible gel—using advanced pneumatic or mechanical bio-extrusion printers.
Notably, CTIBiotech has pioneered several groundbreaking achievements in bioprinting, including skin models with functional elements such as artificial sebaceous glands, vascular networks, melanocytes for melanin production, and integrated hair follicles.
Investing 1 million euros into the SAFESKIN3D project, bolstered by an additional 500,000 euros grant from Sanofi’s iDEA-TECH award and support from the French government and Métropole de Lyon, CTIBiotech aims to create a world-leading technical platform by 2031. This initiative is projected to generate up to 70 jobs, reinforcing their commitment to advancing safer, more effective, and economically optimized vaccines.