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The NC3Rs open innovation platform CRACK IT has awarded £1 million in its annual competition run in collaboration with the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, using the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI).
CRACK IT Challenges address a range of problems in science and in business across different bioscience areas, each with significant potential to replace, refine or reduce the use of animals in research.
The aim of Neuratect Challenge is to generate a physiologically-relevant platform from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for assessing neurotoxicity (neuronal viability/functional impairment) in vitro.
The competition is conducted in two phases to identify the winning candidate. In Phase 1, chosen projects were awarded up to £100,000 for proof-of-concept validation. Six months later, in competition to receive Phase 2 funding, the candidates took part in a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style interview before an independent panel of experts.
The winning team is led by Jos Joore from MIMETAS BV, an organ-on-a-chip company based in the Netherlands.
Read the full press release here.