TechBio Startup Cure51 Selects 10x Genomics Visium HD for New Drug Discovery Initiative

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Cure51 plans to analyze more than 1,000 tumor samples from exceptional cancer survivors

PARIS and PLEASANTON, Calif., Oct. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- French TechBio startup Cure51 and 10x Genomics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TXG), a leader in single cell and spatial biology, announced today that Cure51 will deploy 10x Genomics' Visium HD as part of its pioneering work to understand the unique biology of exceptional cancer survivors, whose survival mechanisms could hold the key to new therapeutic approaches.

Working alongside more than 50 medical institutions, Cure51 intends to collect and analyze tumor tissues from over 1,000 exceptional cancer survivors across 40 countries in the next 18 months. By using Visium HD from 10x Genomics, Cure51 aims to uncover new insights into long-term cancer survival mechanisms and build the first proprietary multi-omics database of exceptional cancer survivors.

10x Genomics Logo (PRNewsfoto/10x Genomics, Inc.)
10x Genomics Logo (PRNewsfoto/10x Genomics, Inc.)

10x Genomics' Visium HD assay, launched earlier this year, enables researchers to perform whole transcriptome spatial gene expression analysis at single cell-scale resolution. The assay will enable Cure51's scientific and biocomputational teams and partners to generate spatial molecular profiling of tumor samples at single cell-scale resolution and gain insights into the complex interactions between the tumor cells and their microenvironment. The findings will be used to better understand the cellular mechanisms behind cancer survival with the potential to uncover new approaches for precision medicine and drug target discovery.

"At Cure51, we are reverse engineering the cure to cancer. We're rounding up the most knowledgeable experts in the world and leveraging tech and data to reveal the hidden biology of miraculous survivors. Today's announcement is a huge step forward, as rolling out this type of precision tech onto cancerous tumors will open up research and drug discovery avenues that are simply unmatched today. We believe cancer can be a disease of the past, and we're devoting our lives and careers to creating the right tech to prove it," said Nicolas Wolikow and Simon Istolainen, Cure51 co-Founders, who raised €15 million in Seed funding from Sofinnova, LifeX and Hitachi Ventures earlier this year.

"We are thrilled Cure51 selected Visium HD for their novel work to unravel the complexities of cancer and better understand the unique biology of the outliers who defied their diagnosis," said Ben Hindson, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of 10x Genomics. "Innovative research like this reinforces our belief in the power and potential of 10x technology to transform how we diagnose, treat and ultimately cure cancer."