Today, 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) announced the formation of a new,
wholly owned company called Systemic Bio™, a biotech company
focused on the application of advanced bioprinting technologies to
pharmaceutical drug discovery and development. Systemic Bio will
leverage 3D Systems’ breakthrough, production-level bioprinting
technology to create extremely precise vascularized organ models
using biomaterials and human cells. These proprietary
organs-on-chips can be manufactured reproducibly in large
quantities, and then perfused with any desired drug compound to
study drug metabolism and the effects on healthy or diseased tissue
at the earliest stages of new pharmaceutical drug development. The
ability to accurately simulate human response to an experimental
drug in the laboratory, early in the development process, offers
the potential to significantly reduce both the high costs and
extended times required for pharmaceutical companies to bring a new
drug to market. In addition, this approach could eventually reduce
or even eliminate the need for animal testing as a precursor to
full-scale human trials for new drug development.
Systemic Bio’s efforts will be supported by an initial $15
million seed investment from 3D Systems, which, given the maturity
of the underlying materials and process technology, is envisioned
to support them through the start-up phase, bridging them to a
material revenue level and profitability. Systemic Bio intends to
open an exciting new growth market for 3D Systems in the
pharmaceutical arena, creating a biotech revenue stream for the
company that could approach $100 million annually over the next
five years.
3D Systems is a recognized leader in the use of bioprinting to
accelerate innovation in regenerative medicine for both human organ
and non-organ applications. In June 2022, United Therapeutics
Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) announced that, in partnership with 3D
Systems, it had successfully produced the world’s most complex
3D-printed object – a human lung scaffold. Systemic Bio will
leverage its innovative bioprinting solutions in combination with
3D Systems’ Print to Perfusion™ process to bioprint highly complex,
custom-designed, vascularized tissues for its proprietary
organ-on-a-chip platform, called h-VIOS™.
The h-VIOS (human vascularized integrated organ systems)
organ-on-a-chip platform comprises plates of cellularized or
acellular vascularized three-dimensional scaffolds, and
accompanying accessories needed for drug testing. Unlike other
currently available models which are created from synthetic
materials such as silicone, h-VIOS uses hydrogels that much more
closely resemble human tissues. The combination of these hydrogels
with 3D Systems’ Print to Perfusion process for cellularization,
enables 3D printing of high-resolution scaffolds that very closely
mimic human tissues. A critical differentiator of this technology
over competing historical tissue engineering approaches is the
precision of the printing process with these unique hydrogel
materials. These bioprinted scaffolds can be seeded with human
cells from different organs, including both healthy and diseased,
creating tissues to screen drug candidates for safety and efficacy.
This human-based, physiologically relevant platform has the
potential to change the way new drug therapies are developed.
Systemic Bio produces these customized chips on its bioprinters
at its facility in Houston, Texas. These bioprinters are capable of
at least 10x greater build volume and up to 10X higher resolution
than other available platforms which enables efficient,
production-grade manufacturing. Systemic Bio is now working to
establish multi-phase partnerships with pharmaceutical companies
that could lead to the discovery of promising new drugs. Beyond
providing organ-on-a-chip test samples, pharmaceutical companies
may also seek to retain Systemic Bio to provide contract research
services in addition to procuring custom-designed h-VIOS to perform
their own research and testing.
To lead the new company, 3D Systems has named Taci Pereira as
Systemic Bio’s Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Pereira joined 3D
Systems in May 2021 from Allevi, where she was Chief Scientific
Officer. Since that time, she has served as Vice President and
General Manager, Bioprinting, leading the development and
commercialization of research tools for 3D bioprinting
applications. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering
from Harvard University, where she worked at the Wyss Institute for
Biologically Inspired Engineering. Ms. Pereira’s research at the
Mooney Laboratory for Cell and Tissue Engineering (Wyss) focused on
biomaterials for cancer immunotherapy, under the advisory of David
Mooney, Ph.D.
“As the leader of our Allevi business, Taci brought a unique
blend of business acumen and bioprinting expertise that has enabled
our continued growth in laboratory solutions,” said Menno Ellis,
executive vice president, healthcare solutions, 3D Systems. “Her
knowledge, passion, and demonstrated leadership position Taci very
well for her new role as CEO of Systemic Bio. I’m confident that
the solutions her team delivers can have a transformative impact in
the field of pharmaceutical drug discovery and contribute
meaningfully to the exciting growth we have envisioned for our
healthcare business.”
Dr. Jeffrey Graves, president and CEO of 3D Systems added, “I am
pleased and inspired by the progress we continue to make in the
emerging field of regenerative medicine. The complexity and
precision that we have now demonstrated using biocompatible
materials and our most advanced production bioprinting platform
technology is truly groundbreaking, opening a host of new
applications ranging from the laboratory to replacement organs
within the human body. In forming Systemic Bio we are applying
these core technologies to specifically address critical needs
within the pharmaceutical market. With our potential to ultimately
manufacture hundreds or even thousands of custom-designed,
proprietary human tissue models, pharmaceutical companies can more
rapidly and accurately evaluate the efficacy of developmental drugs
in the laboratory, with the goal of reducing development time and
eventually eliminating the need for animal testing. By leveraging
the progress we have made on our core bioprinting technologies, we
are now in a unique position to create this new business — bringing
added value to our shareholders, our employees, and, most
importantly, to those in need of new, advanced drug therapies to
extend, or improve the quality of their lives.”
Systemic Bio is currently offering its h-VIOS platform to select
initial partners. Companies that are interested in becoming a
Systemic Bio partner can visit the website for more
information.
Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements
made in this release that are not statements of historical or
current facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results,
performance or achievements of the company to be materially
different from historical results or from any future results or
projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. In many cases, forward-looking statements can be
identified by terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "may,"
"will," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates" or "plans" or the
negative of these terms or other comparable terminology.
Forward-looking statements are based upon management’s beliefs,
assumptions, and current expectations and may include comments as
to the company’s beliefs and expectations as to future events and
trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to
uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of the
company. The factors described under the headings "Forward-Looking
Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the company’s periodic filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other
factors, could cause actual results to differ materially from those
reflected or predicted in forward-looking statements. Although
management believes that the expectations reflected in the
forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking
statements are not, and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of
future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to
be accurate indications of the times at which such performance or
results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included
are made only as of the date of the statement. 3D Systems
undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements made by management or on its behalf, whether as a result
of future developments, subsequent events or circumstances or
otherwise, except as required by law.
About 3D Systems More than 35 years ago, 3D
Systems brought the innovation of 3D printing to the manufacturing
industry. Today, as the leading additive manufacturing solutions
partner, we bring innovation, performance, and reliability to every
interaction - empowering our customers to create products and
business models never before possible. Thanks to our unique
offering of hardware, software, materials, and services, each
application-specific solution is powered by the expertise of our
application engineers who collaborate with customers to transform
how they deliver their products and services. 3D Systems’ solutions
address a variety of advanced applications in healthcare and
industrial markets such as medical and dental, aerospace &
defense, automotive, and durable goods. More information on the
company is available at www.3dsystems.com.
Investor Contact:
investor.relations@3dsystems.comMedia
Contact: press@3dsystems.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available
athttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/61289c73-0c37-429e-9ec0-5e9f5fffc059https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ca965db-aaf0-417e-adb8-ea03a9490944
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