Antineo is a Contract Research Organization (CRO) founded in May 2015, specialized in preclinical proof-of-concept studies for anticancer agents.

Antineo’s activity is based on providing services for the evaluation of new anticancer compounds (small molecules, antibodies, peptides, etc.). The company offers scientific consulting and supports its clients in optimizing the development of their anticancer candidates through a range of services covering in vitro assays (cell toxicity, sample characterization), ex vivo analyses (mechanism of action or target identification by flow cytometry), and in vivo studies (antitumor efficacy, toxicity, pharmacokinetics).

The company maintains a collection of more than 150 human and murine tumor cell lines representing various cancer types (colon cancer, breast cancer, genetically mutated cancers, etc.). These cell lines are derived from patient tumors collected during surgery and subsequently cultured and stabilized as established cell lines. The advantage of these tumor cell lines is their high stability and reproducibility, both for in vitro experiments and for xenograft studies in mice. In this context, tumor cell lines are implanted into immunodeficient mice, which do not reject the xenograft, and different experimental groups are treated with the compounds of interest. The company also offers patient-derived xenograft models.

The evaluation of immunotherapeutic agents may also require complex preclinical models with an intact immune system. In syngeneic models, the team uses immortalized murine cancer cell lines that are allografted into immunocompetent mice of the same inbred strain. These models offer several advantages, including a fully functional immune system, making them suitable for evaluating the efficacy of new cancer immunotherapy approaches.

Antineo also conducts internal R&D activities, through which the company develops original models of resistance to standard-of-care therapies, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors currently available on the market, in order to evaluate the efficacy of new anticancer treatments. In addition, Antineo develops in vitro 3D-printed tumor models.

Antineo is also actively involved at the European level through participation in joint research projects (EUROSTARS).