Neuroscientists use living organisms to simulate, or model, biological processes in the lab. These models allow them to gain insights into the underlying causes of neurological disease. These insights, in turn, inform both clinical studies and drug development. Sometimes animal models are used, but early research often begins by looking at cells grown outside a living organism in a test tube or dish. This method is known as research in vitro—Latin for “in glass.”
To study neurons in vitro, the plastic or glass surfaces on which cells are cultivated must be coated with a chemical base layer to help them stick to the surface and grow. However even with coated surfaces, neurons are hard to maintain long term because the cells degrade the coating over time. This degradation causes the cells to detach from the surface, clump together and eventually die.
With existing surface coatings, many neurons are only viable for two weeks or less, presenting major problems for neuroscientists who need to see how aging neurons function to study neurodegenerative disease.
In 2020, researchers in Tim Kennedy’s lab at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) were evaluating new types of chemical coatings for electrodes implanted into the brain; Jean-Pierre Clément and Laila Al Awan were working to investigate how nerve cells respond to a chemical called “dendritic polyglycerol amine”, or dPGA—a complex molecule that isn’t easily broken down like existing surface coatings.
They saw such positive results that other researchers started coming to the lab to get dPGA for their own experiments. Hearing opportunity knock, the team approached McGill’s Innovation and Partnerships office. “Entrepreneurship was a completely new area of expertise for us”, explains Jean-Pierre.
They filed a patent on the technology and a market research study indicated that they could potentially capture a significant portion of the market. From there, they realized they needed a roadmap for how to start a company. They quickly learned that incorporation and filing a patent were the easy parts of the process.
“NeuroSphere really was the first step to learn the ropes of entrepreneurship through their Neuro Innovation program and help us build a ‘roadmap’ of how to take the invention we made in the lab and turn it into a commercial product”, says Jean-Pierre.
After participating in the NeuroSphere/Dobson Centre Neuro Innovation Lean Startup program, the team was confident they could turn their project into a truly profitable venture. The program included workshops with intellectual-property experts, marketing and business consultants and entrepreneurs, giving the researchers an opportunity to learn firsthand from successful start-ups.
NeuroSphere also awarded them funding through its Ignite grant competition, allowing them to invest in validation and proof-of-principle projects to expand the list of cell types shown to thrive on dPGA-coated surfaces and fine tune protocols and key technological features. They then applied to the McGill Innovation Fund (MIF) and were awarded additional funding that helped them create and launch their company, DendroTEK Biosciences.
“We wouldn’t have been able to make this possible without the funding we received from NeuroSphere, the McGill Innovation Fund and the business connections we were able to make in the process”, shares Jean-Pierre.
The group anticipates their product will draw a great deal of interest from the scientific community studying neurodegenerative diseases, putting the company in an ideal position to attract industry partners for licensing and commercialization.
Check out MIF's DendroTEK business profile video, and learn more about how NeuroSphere can help you commercialize your neuroscience innovation by checking out the Neuro Innovation Lean Startup program and Neuro Commercialization Grants.
Reference
Clément, J-P et al. (2022). Dendritic Polyglycerol Amine: An Enhanced Substrate to Support Long-Term Neural Cell Culture. ASN Neuro. 2022;14. doi:10.1177/17590914211073276
