CN Bio and Pharmaron Partner to Develop OOC Technologies for Global R&D

Editor's note: this story was originally published on PharmTech.com.

CN Bio, a provider of organ-on-a-chip (OOC) systems and solutions aimed at accelerating drug discovery and development workflows, announced on April 24, 2025, that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Pharmaron, a China-based R&D service provider for the life sciences industry, under which Pharmaron will validate CN Bio’s PhysioMimix technology across existing applications. In addition, Pharmaron will integrate OOC technologies into its R&D platform. Also under the deal, the partners will explore the development of new applications that address unmet needs in drug discovery and development.

In the initial phase of the collaboration, the companies will focus on validating CN Bio’s PhysioMimix technology in current applications of disease modeling, toxicity testing, and absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) studies. Upon successful validation, the companies will then aim to adopt the platform in priority R&D areas while co-developing novel applications to expand the capabilities of OOC technologies.

“Pharmaron [is] the ideal partner for CN Bio as we look to accelerate the growth of our OOC solutions portfolio in new and existing application areas. By working closely together and leveraging the [expertise] of each company, we can share resources that enable us to progress new, innovative solutions from concept to global market deployment more effectively than ever before,” said Paul Brooks, PhD, CEO of CN Bio, in a company press release (1).

As a global drug R&D service platform, Pharmaron specializes in providing end-to-end services across drug discovery, preclinical, and clinical development. Through this partnership with CN Bio, Pharmaron will install PhysioMimix instruments at its global facilities to enable the joint development of cutting-edge OOC solutions to meet evolving R&D challenges.

“The developments this partnership will enable are especially important given the recent FDA announcement, outlining their plan to phase out animal testing requirement for monoclonal antibodies and other drugs with more human-relevant models. Our platform is best placed to serve current market gaps including testing for immune-mediated organ damage. Together we can expedite this key development in line with global momentum for more ethical advancements that reduce costs and improve human health,” said Tomasz Kostrzewski, PhD, chief scientific officer, CN Bio, in the release. FDA made its announcement about phasing out animal testing requirements earlier in April (2).

Over the past several years, manufacturers have been developing OOC technology, largely consisting of engineered or natural tissues grown inside microfluidic chips, which allows them to maintain tissue-specific functions, according to a 2023 article in Pharmaceutical Technology Europe^TM (3). According to the article, OOCs today encompass an array of tissue and organ functionalities, including the blood-brain-barrier, central nervous system, heart, intestine, liver, lung, kidney, muscle, and skin, which allows pharmaceutical companies to better understand the underlying pathophysiology of diseases as well as determine the effect of drugs in vitro (4). Market research predicts that the global OOC market will be worth $388 million by 2028, up from $82 million in 2023, exhibiting a compound average growth of 36.4% from 2023 to 2028 (5).

“We are committed to continuous innovation that enhances the quality of our services and accelerates drug discovery and development. Organ-on-a-chip technology holds significant potential to advance translational science by improving our understanding of drugability at the preclinical stage. We are pleased to collaborate with CN Bio to explore how this technology can add meaningful value to our partners’ development programs,” said Hua Yang, PhD, chief scientific officer, Pharmaron, in the company press release (1).

References

1. CN Bio. CN Bio and Pharmaron Establish Long-Term Strategic Partnership to Develop OOC Technologies on a Global R&D Platform. Press Release. April 24, 2025.
2. FDA. FDA Announces Plan to Phase Out Animal Testing Requirement for Monoclonal Antibodies and Other Drugs. Press Release. April 10, 2025.
3. Barton, C. Frontrunner in Organ-on-a-Chip. Pharmaceutical Technology Europe 2023, 35 (5), 16–17, 30.
4. Leung, C. M.; de Haan, P.; Ronaldson-Bouchard, K.; et al. A Guide to the Organ-on-a-Chip. Nat. Rev. Methods Primers 2022, 2, 33.
5. Market Data Forecasts. Global Organ-on-Chip Market Size, Share, Trends, COVID-19 Impact and Growth Analysis Report—Segmented by Type (Heart-on-chip, Human-on-chip, Intestine-on-chip, Kidney-on-chip, Liver-on-chip and Lung-on-chip), Application and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa)—Industry Forecast from 2023 to 2028. Market Report, March 2023.