ATCC and Tissue Dynamics Announce a Strategic Collaboration to Bring a Transformative Heart Organoid Model to Market

ATCC, the world’s premier biological materials management and standards organization, and Tissue Dynamics, a disruptive pharma-tech company integrating advanced artificial intelligence tools with bionic human organoids, today announced a partnership to develop workflow-friendly cardiac organoids-based kits for improved cardiac safety testing in drug development. The collaboration will be done under the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD) framework, which awarded both companies a two-year grant. The BIRD Foundation, established in 1977, bolsters transformative partnerships that stimulate, promote, and support industrial research and development in a wide range of technology sectors. 

Tissue Dynamics partnered with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to develop the world’s first mature self-paced multi-chambered cardiac organoid model, using ATCC cells, that emulates critical aspects of human physiology. Tissue Dynamics’ partnership with ATCC aims to advance this cardiac organoid model for industrial use. This in vitro model of human cardiac physiology represents a significant leap forward and can reveal new mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmia, as recently featured in Nature Biomedical Engineering. 

“With funding from BIRD, we look forward to collaborating with Tissue Dynamics to bring this innovative organoid technology to the global scientific community,” said Raymond H. Cypess, DVM, PhD, chairman and CEO of ATCC. “We support BIRD’s commitment to building transcontinental relationships with Israel-based companies, such as Tissue Dynamics, to advance clinical R&D.”

“Drug-induced cardiac toxicity is a major safety concern,” said Professor Yaakov Nahmias, founder of Tissue Dynamics. "One in four drugs fail clinical studies due to cardiotoxicity and the limitations of traditional mice models to predict the human response. Our cardiac organoid models were able to rapidly identify safety issues and model human-relevant disease, reducing the cost and duration of drug development.” 

“We look forward to creating new standards in the cardiac toxicology testing market by leveraging ATCC’s expertise in cellular biology, manufacturing, and distribution with our groundbreaking cardiac organoid technology,” said Amir Dagan, CEO of Tissue Dynamics. 

ATCC is a premier global biological materials and information resource and standards organization and the leading developer and supplier of authenticated cell lines, microorganisms, and associated data for academia, industry, and government. With a history of scientific contributions spanning nearly a century, ATCC offers an unmatched combination of being the world’s largest and most diverse collection of biological reference materials and data, and is a mission-driven, trusted partner that supports and encourages scientific collaboration. ATCC products, services, partnerships, and people provide the global scientific community with credible, advanced, model systems to support complex research and innovations in basic science, drug discovery, translational medicine, and public health. ATCC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with headquarters in Manassas, Virginia, and a research and technology center of excellence in Gaithersburg, Maryland. To learn more, visit atcc.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or X (formerly Twitter).

About Tissue Dynamics

Tissue Dynamics, Ltd., is a pharma-tech company committed to revolutionizing drug discovery with its advanced human bionic microphysiological systems combined with artificial intelligence. The company's innovative approach will significantly contribute to animal-free drug safety assessments and a better understanding of human-specific disease mechanisms. To learn more, visit tissuedynamics.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Contacts:
Kim Testa, senior director, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, ATCC, [email protected]
Ido Atiya, director, Marketing Communications, Tissue Dynamics, [email protected]