PRIM-TECH3R
The EU-funded PRIM-TECH3R project, coordinated by Infrafrontier ERIC, brings together experts to develop and validate new complex in vitro models (CIVMs) as an alternative and support to mouse models used in research to understand and develop treatments for human diseases. PRIM-TECH3R brings together 18 institutions from 10 countries across Europe and officially launched on April 1, 2025.
Project description
The use of mouse models in biomedical research has been pivotal in understanding human diseases due to their genetic and physiological similarities to humans. However, concerns on ethics and translatability have prompted a shift towards alternative methods such as complex in vitro models (CIVMs). PRIM-TECH3R addresses this shift by leveraging advanced technologies to develop reliable mouse and human CIVMs for preclinical studies, aiming to reduce and refine the use of animal models. Through standardised protocols and robust validation procedures, the project will create state-of-the-art in vitro models from mouse disease models, complementing existing in vivo models. This initiative aligns with EU policy objectives and societal demands to address phasing out of animal testing in biomedical research. The project will establish a comprehensive repository of preclinical resources, ensure open access, and foster collaboration between research infrastructures and the biomedical industry. Training programmes will equip personnel with the necessary skills to provide CIVMs to the research community. By achieving these objectives, PRIM-TECH3R aims to advance the state-of-the-art in research infrastructures, facilitate industrial exploitation, and contribute to transformative changes in biomedical research practices.
Euro-BioImaging participation in CIVM validation
Two Euro-BioImaging Nodes are directly participating in the project as development partners, providing advanced imaging services for the validation of the developed CIVMs.
The team of Morten Nielsen from Aarhus University, part of the Danish BioImaging Node are contributing to the development of a model for respiratory infections with high-throughput microscopy and analysis in collaboration with the Infrafrontier center in France (CIPHE).
The imaging facility of the Institute for Physiology at the Czech Academy of Sciences, part of the Advanced Light & Electron Microscopy Prague Node, under the leadership of Daniel Hadraba, will provide label-free imaging expertise to developers of a model of bioprinted muscle fibres in a tumor-on-chip model of cancer cachexia.
Additional imaging services - both for validating additional CIVMs as well as for the mouse models to compare them to - will be provided by other Nodes in the course of the projects, depending on the needs of the developments.
The Euro-BioImaging ERIC Hub will support its Nodes in their participation in the project, contribute to the compilation of PRIM-TECH3R in vitro resource database and FAIRification of produced data. We will also work on the concepts for common access pathways to the new joint service pipeline between Infrafrontier, BBMRI and Euro-BioImaging that is being developed in the course of the project and their sustainability. The ERICs will also exchange experiences around engaging with industry users of RI services.
