Shares in Imaging Biometrics Ltd (LSE:IBAI, FRA:5Y1) rose 11% to 0.94p after it announced its subsidiary Kirkstall had been awarded funding to develop a microfluidic model of glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer in adults.
The grant has been made under a joint initiative between the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), through their Business Interaction Voucher scheme.
Kirkstall, a pioneer in organ-on-a-chip technology, will work alongside Nottingham Trent University on the programme, which is led by Professor Gareth Cave of NTU's School of Science and Technology.
Glioblastoma carries a bleak prognosis: most patients survive just ten to fifteen months after diagnosis, and fewer than 6% survive beyond five years.
A key obstacle in developing effective treatments is the blood-brain barrier, the brain's natural protective shield, which prevents many potential drugs from reaching tumour cells.
Existing animal-based models frequently fail to replicate this barrier accurately, meaning drugs that show early promise often do not translate into effective therapies for patients.
The Kirkstall platform will grow human-derived cells inside a microfluidic chip to form a synthetic blood-brain barrier, before introducing glioblastoma cells to model tumour development and test how candidate compounds reach the cancer.
Fluid will flow through the device in a manner that replicates blood movement through vessels, with advanced imaging techniques including microscopy, ultrasound and MRI used to monitor tumour development and drug penetration.
Trevor Brown, chief executive of Imaging Biometrics, said the award validated the group's rationale for acquiring Kirkstall in October, noting that the company now holds two complementary platforms focused on glioblastoma: Kirkstall's tumour microenvironment modelling technology and Imaging Biometrics' own MRI analysis software.
Professor Cave described the project as having the potential to fundamentally change how glioblastoma treatments are developed.
Kirkstall is a co-funder of the programme alongside the two research councils.
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