Lisbon, Portugal — Brenus Pharma and InSphero have unveiled promising preclinical results showcasing the effectiveness of their jointly developed 3D tumor spheroid models, which closely replicate human colorectal cancer conditions. The data, presented at the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) 2025 annual congress, confirm the potential of STC-1010, Brenus’ lead immunotherapy candidate, in these advanced models.
The collaboration, funded through the EUROSTARS program, produced vitrified 3D colorectal tumor spheroids by co-culturing cancer cells with fibroblasts. The cryopreservation method retains cellular structure and viability upon thawing, providing a consistent and scalable platform for testing cancer therapies under conditions that mimic real human tumors.
“These highly representative 3D models are a major step forward in evaluating potency and accelerating development for STC-1010 and our future pipeline,” said Benoit Pinteur, Chief Scientific Officer at Brenus Pharma.
STC-1010 is designed to stimulate the immune system against colorectal tumors by training dendritic cells to activate CD8+ T cells, which in turn attack cancer cells. Previous studies demonstrated that these T cells trigger apoptosis and release tumor-fighting cytokines such as IFNγ and Granzyme B, both in traditional 2D cultures and in the new 3D models.
InSphero CEO Jan Lichtenberg emphasized the importance of these advanced testing systems: “This work illustrates how cryopreserved 3D tumor models can help bring immunotherapies like STC-1010 closer to clinical application.”
The partnership marks a key advancement in translational immunotherapy by enabling more realistic and scalable testing environments, potentially accelerating the path from laboratory research to patient treatment.
