Trince: new UGent/CRIG spin-off with technology enabling safe, fast and cheap production of personalized cancer treatments

CRIG

Over the past ten years, the teams of prof. Kevin Braeckmans and prof. Stefaan De Smedt have been developing a novel technique to produce cell therapy faster, safer and cheaper.


‘We add nanoparticles to the immune cells. By irradiating them with laser light, small holes are induced in the membrane, even controlable on nanoscale. The therapeutic molecules can enter through the holes to genetically modify the immune cells. Our technology is safer for the cells than pre-existing technologies, and improves the quality of the final therapeutic cells'


To build the patent portfolio, develop the bench top models and build the business case, the team - with support from business developer Dr. Daisy Flamez - received IOF financing and were able to convince a VC consortium to invest 4 Million EUR. The spin-off Trince will now further commercialize the technology and provide devices and consumables for the research market and develop the technology further for use in the cell therapy market.