INVICOL GmbH is a biotech start-up located in the Innovationspark Wuhlheide in Berlin,  developing the BMProbe – a medical device that is inserted into the patients’ cubital vein for the isolation of rare circulating cells. The minimal invasive approach has a high sensitivity and specificity providing compelling and improved diagnostic value. Our technology opens new possibilities in the field of personalized medicine, early diagnosis and disease monitoring

Currently, most products used for the isolation of rare cells from human blood as biomarkers follow an in vitro approach. In contrast, the BMProbe is introduced into the cubital vein of a patient via an indwelling venous cannula.

The geometry of the BMProbe was optimized to screen the largest possible volume of blood in the cubital vein. This increases the examined blood volume by a factor of more than 30 compared to a regular blood sample. Therefore, the sensitivity for detecting circulating cells is far superior to exisiting in vitro methods.

Once the BMProbe is withdrawn, the number of isolated cells can be determined in just over an hour. This procedure is semi-automated and requires little training. The isolated cells can be further analysed using downstream molecular diagnostics.

Circulating Endothelial Cells:  

Endothelial cells provide the physical interface between blood and surrounding tissue. They regulate nutrient and blood component traffic. Due to mechanical or chemical reactions endothelial cells can detach and enter the blood stream. They are then referred to as Circulating Endothelial Cells (CECs). CECs are low in healthy patients (around 4 CECs/mL) and increased in patient with Acute Conorary Artery Disease or Heart Failure patients, among others. CECs are therefore considered a biomarker to monitor arterial plaque disruption as well as treatment response.  

Circulating Tumor Cells: 

Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) represent a proven diagnostic and prognostic indicator of cancer progression. They disintegrate very early from the primary tumor and travel via the blood stream to all parts of the body. Isolating and analysing CTCs enables an earlier detection of the tumor compared to using common imaging technology, resulting in a higher probability of successful treatment. Additionally, distant metastases that may even be present in early-stage patients, can be detected and identified. This can help physicians selecting the optimal treatment for each patient.

Hehnen, F.; Wendt, G.; Schaller, J.; Geus, P.; Villwock, J.; Kertzscher, U.; Goubergrits, L. “Investigation of the Attachment of Circulating Endothelial Cells to a Cell Probe: Combined Experimental and Numerical Study” Adv. Eng. Mater. 2022, 24, 2101317. https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202101317

Geus, P.F.; Hehnen, F.; Krakowski, S.; Lücke, K.; Hoon, D.S.B.; Frost, N.; Kertzscher, U.; Wendt, G. “Verification of a Novel Minimally Invasive Device for the Isolation of Rare Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) in Cancer Patients’ Blood” Cancers 2022, 14, 4753. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14194753

RePo4EU aims to host an online platform for validated precision drug repurposing with a global reach. For this purpose, a mechanism-based approach to define diseases is established by understanding the underlying mechanisms governing a specific disease. This will allow for efficient and low-risk repurposing of existing drugs from one indication to another that shares some of the underlying mechanisms.

INVICOL is one of 28 partners from 10 countries worldwide participating in this EU-funded initiative. With the BMProbe, we will provide a simple and cost-effective sampling and assay technology to identify patients for high-precision mechanism-based intervention.

Funding Program:    RePo4EU
Funding by:                HORIZON
Project duration:       01.09.2022 – 31.08.2029
Website:                     https://repo4.eu/

The overall goal of the proCTC-project is to examine whether preclinical models from CTCs or patient-derived organoid models can be used to investigate therapy response and/or resistances in cancer patients. This would allow to individually predict therapy response and thus select the most promising therapy for each patient.

INVICOL will investigate novel BMProbes targeting a specific tumor entity (i.e. breast cancer and colorectal cancer) and develop a method to detach cells bound to the BMProbe.

Funding Program:        Pro FIT Projektfinanzierung
Funding by:                   European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Project duration:          01.12.2022 – 30.11.2025
Cooperation partner:   Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

The goal of this project is the development of an in vivo approach to isolate CTCs from the peripheral blood stream. The main objective is to enrich a sufficient number of CTCs on the BMProbe’ssurface to enable their use as a reliable tool in diagnostics.

This joint project will be cofinanced within the framework by the IBB Pro Fit and European Regional Development Fund. Together with the Biofluid Mechanics Laboratory of the Charité Berlin and the University of Potsdam.

Funding Program:        Pro FIT Projektfinanzierung
Funding by:                   European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Project duration:          01.01.2020 – 30.10.2022
Cooperation partner:   Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
                                        University of Potsdam