Misvik Biology is a contract research laboratory for precision medicine, oncology research and drug development. Founded in 2014, Misvik is the only CRO specialized in high-throughput biology in Finland and already one of the oldest privately owned biotechs in Finland. Our Clients are clinical and preclinical biopharma companies, biotechs and academic institutions that seek to study their drug candidates and biological hypothesis in the latest and most clinically relevant tumor models. Utilizing our proprietary cancer cell panel, the MISB cancer cell line collection, we can identify predictive drug response biomarkers, exceptional responders, new disease indications and synergistic drug combinations/scheduling across all current molecular entities. To support biomarker discovery and development, we also provide as service access to next-generation DNA and RNA sequencing, functional proteomics and advanced AI powered bioinformatics.
Our aim is to transform precision oncology by developing new approach methodologies (NAMs) that will help shape and define the future technologies for pre-clinical drug development, precision medicine and predictive toxicology. By converting our own science into novel technologies, we constantly improve our technological offering to mediate scientific progress in global scale. Our team has been involved in the development of high-throughput screening since the discovery of RNAi and our laboratory is built around a state-of-art high-throughput screening core facility and industrial scale microarray production capabilities. Our services are designed to support coordinated measurement science programs encompassing advanced multi-parameter assay technologies, general cell biology assays, custom reporter assays and miniaturized assay technologies. We also specialize in computational biology related to next generation genomics, proteomics, predictive toxicogenomics and translational medicine.
150+ CANCER CELL LINES
700+ TUMOR MODELS
90+ CANCER TYPES
2 RESEARCH DIVISIONS
100+ PUBLICATIONS
13 FUNDED EU PROJECTS
The definition of rare cancers is based on the incidence rate of 50 cases per 100.000 people. In Europe, the overall incidence rate of rare cancers is 114 per 100.000 and these account for ~22% of all new cancers diagnosed in Europe. Due to the low incidence rates of individual rare cancer types, the tumorigenesis of many of these malignancies is largely unclear and due to low number of cases there is little literature on e.g. common genetic aberrations that would confer to targeted treatment strategies. To allow patient specific assessment and clinical utilization of targeted therapeutics for rare cancers, we are developing ex vivo drug efficacy testing as a methodology to determine the anti-tumoricidal effects of hundreds of treatment options within days from the biopsy and provide prioritized recommendations as well as identify patterns of responses for novel agents across different cancers. In combination with genetic profiling of the patient’s tumor cells, the drug response profile can be used as empirical evidence to support treatment decisions. Out platform is built around state-of-the-art high-content microcopy setup, propietary image cytometry pipelines, versatile panels of off-the-shelf phenotypic assays, drug libraries covering all EMA/FDA approved drugs, thousands of experimental drug molecules and genome-wide siRNA, CRISPR and miRNA libraries. Evidence from the methodology has already been used for development of n-of-1 style trials for patients with a particularly aggressive rare cancers, after the standard treatment options were exhausted.
The ex vivo therapy efficacy screening technology developed by Misvik Biology is currently in pre-clinical development stage, but if you are interested to participate to our research as a patient, the clinical feasibility studies are currently open for participation:
Ex VIvo DEtermiNed Cancer Therapy (EVIDENT) – NCT05231655
EVIDENT study´s aim is to test if ex vivo drug screening can predict whether patients with solid cancers will respond, or not respond, to standard care treatments. Patients undergoing standard care surgery to excise their tumor, those undergoing a biopsy, or those having a fluid aspirate of a solid tumour with surplus tissue available after diagnostic use will be eligible for this study. The specimen will then be assessed with ex vivo drug screening utilizing all standard therapies and therapies that are more novel and in early stages of development. The results of the ex vivo drug screen will be compared to the cancer’s actual response to standard care treatments for those that undergo therapy to determine how effective the test is at predicting treatment response.
For additional information and queries about participation in a study please consult:
Assessment of targeted therapy opportunities in sinonasal cancers using patient-derived functional tumor models.
Lehtinen N, Suhonen J, Rice K, Välimäki E, Toriseva M, Routila J, Halme P, Rahi M, Irjala H, Leivo I, Kallajoki M, Nees M, Kuopio T, Ventelä S, Rantala JK. Transl Oncol. 2024 Jun;44:101935.
In-vitro assays for immuno-oncology drug efficacy assessment and screening for personalized cancer therapy: scopes and challenges.
Rahman MM, Wells G, Rantala JK, Helleday T, Muthana M, Danson SJ. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2024 Aug;20(8):821-838.
Ex-vivo drug screening of surgically resected glioma stem cells to replace murine avatars and provide personalise cancer therapy for glioblastoma patients.
Gagg H, Williams ST, Conroy S, Myers KN, McGarrity-Cottrell C, Jones C, Helleday T, Rantala J, Rominiyi O, Danson SJ, Collis SJ, Wells G. F1000Res. 2023 Aug 8;12:954.
Precision oncology using ex vivo technology: a step towards individualised cancer care?
Williams ST, Wells G, Conroy S, Gagg H, Allen R, Rominiyi O, Helleday T, Hullock K, Pennington CEW, Rantala J, Collis SJ, Danson SJ. Expert Rev Mol Med. 2022 Oct 3;24:e39.
Ex Vivo Drug Screening Informed Targeted Therapy for Metastatic Parotid Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Nykänen N, Mäkelä R, Arjonen A, Härmä V, Lewandowski L, Snowden E, Blaesius R, Jantunen I, Kuopio T, Kononen J, Rantala JK. Front Oncol. 2021 Sep 16;11:735820.
Ex vivo analysis of DNA repair targeting in extreme rare cutaneous apocrine sweat gland carcinoma. Mäkelä R, Härmä V, Badra-Fajardo N, Wells G, Lygerou Z, Sangfelt O, Kononen J, Rantala JK. Oncotarget. 2021.
Ex vivo assessment of targeted therapies in a rare metastatic epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma. Mäkelä R, Arjonen A, Suryo Rahmanto A, Härmä V, Lehtiö J, Kuopio T, Helleday T, Sangfelt O, Kononen J, Rantala JK. Neoplasia. 2020;22(9):390-398.
Ex vivo modelling of therapy efficacy for rare Krugenberg tumors – a report of two cases. Arjonen A, Mäkelä R, Virtakoivu R, Härmä V, Kuopio T, Hakkarainen H, Hollmén M, Kononen J, Rantala JK. Onc. Res. 2020;3(7).
Ex vivo modelling of drug efficacy in a rare metastatic urachal carcinoma. Mäkelä R, Arjonen A, Härmä V, Rintanen N, Paasonen L, Paprotka T, Rönsch K, Kuopio T, Kononen J, Rantala JK. BMC Cancer. 2020;20(1):590.
Image-based ex vivo drug screen to assess targeted therapies in recurrent thymoma. Arjonen A, Mäkelä R, Härmä V, Rintanen N, Kuopio T, Kononen J, Rantala JK. Lung Cancer. 2020;145:27-32.
