CUSTOMED

On May 28, 2024, in accordance with EU State aid rules, the European Commission (EC) approved the first Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) in the healthcare sector, titled “IPCEI Med4Cure.” The project supports key European research and innovation, and first industrial deployment of medical products, as well as innovative pharmaceutical manufacturing processes contributing to the objectives of the European Health Union. It aims to deliver innovations for diseases with significant unmet medical needs, enhance the EU’s preparedness for emerging health threats, and support the development of the European bioeconomy.

The IPCEI Med4Cure project was jointly prepared and notified by six Member States: Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, and Spain. These countries will provide up to €1 billion in public funding, expected to leverage an additional €5.9 billion in private investments. Within this framework, 13 companies operating in one or more Member States are expected to implement 14 projects, resulting in more than 70 planned collaborations.

The Slovak Republic will also be represented in the project by Explicell, which successfully met the stringent evaluation criteria of the European Commission. The project contributes to improving healthcare quality and enhancing the EU’s preparedness for emerging health threats. Its objectives include:

• improving drug discovery, particularly in the field of rare diseases,
• developing innovative and more sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing processes,
• ensuring sustainability of manufacturing technologies for breakthrough therapies, ranging from personalized medicine to the use of advanced digital technologies.

Explicell has been selected to implement the CUSTOMED project under IPCEI Med4Cure. The project brings together dozens of leading European biotechnology companies, including Sanofi (France), OncoRNA (Belgium), Sanofi (Italy), Fagoterapia (Italy), and others.

CUSTOMED explores next-generation approaches in implantology and tissue engineering. The project’s output will be a next-generation technology utilizing 3D bioprinting and bioreactors, combined with artificial intelligence, for the creation of personalized cartilage tissue replacements. The research aims to develop personalised biological intervertebral-disc concepts derived from patient-derived tissues. The facility is also intended to support testing of newly developed pharmaceuticals for serious diseases. As part of a “manufacturing hospital” concept, CUSTOMED aims to contribute to future treatment options for patients with bone and cartilage damage and to support earlier translation of innovative therapies into clinical practice.