CTIBIOTECH has unveiled CTIONCOTEST, a €3 million oncology research program designed to industrialize 3D bioprinted microtumors for more predictive preclinical cancer testing. The Meyzieu-Lyon-based French CRDMO said the initiative has secured €1.25 million in support from Bpifrance through the Aide au Développement Deeptech program, with backing from France 2030 and the French government. The announcement positions the company’s human tissue engineering platform as a potential tool for improving drug development decisions before treatments reach patients.
Funding and Development Roadmap
The project targets one of oncology’s persistent bottlenecks: the weak predictive power of many preclinical models used to evaluate experimental cancer medicines. CTIBIOTECH says CTIONCOTEST will create an automated process capable of producing hundreds of standardized human microtumors from primary tumor cells taken from individual patients. Over 36 months, the company plans to advance the platform from technology readiness level 5 to level 8, with the goal of preparing a high-throughput commercial product for market entry in 2029.
Technology and Scientific Focus
At the center of CTIONCOTEST is computer-aided 3D bioprinting intended to reproduce key features of the tumor microenvironment, including hypoxic and necrotic zones that are difficult to capture in conventional models. The company says its models have shown cellular viability for up to 128 days, a duration that could support longer studies of drug resistance, metastasis and tumor response. The first priority areas are breast, colon and pancreatic cancers, where CTIBIOTECH sees a need for more reliable human-derived testing systems.
Collaborations and Market Strategy
The initiative also reflects broader regulatory and industry interest in New Approach Methodologies, which aim to reduce reliance on animal testing and improve the relevance of laboratory data. CTIBIOTECH plans to commercialize the platform through a dual model that combines turnkey kits with contract research, development and manufacturing services for biopharma partners. The project has been labeled by Lyonbiopôle Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and brings together academic, clinical and industrial collaborators including Centre Léon Bérard, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Medical University Plovdiv, Transgene, GenXMap, Oncodesign Services and Novotec.
Executive Perspective
Professor Colin McGuckin, CTIBIOTECH’s president and chief scientific officer, described the industrialization of CTIONCOTEST as a step toward cancer care in which treatment selection can be tailored to the biological profile of a patient’s tumor. Chief executive Dr Nico Forraz said the French state funding would help the company accelerate development and commercialization of its 3D bioprinted microtumor technology. Their comments underline the company’s view that better preclinical models could support both pharmaceutical de-risking and more personalized therapeutic strategies.
Local Impact and Company Context
Beyond its scientific ambitions, CTIONCOTEST is expected to contribute to regional economic development around Lyon. CTIBIOTECH said the project will create five permanent scientific positions in 2026, with longer-term projections of 51 jobs and €16 million in revenue by 2031. Development work will be carried out at the company’s 800-square-meter facility and certified biobank in Meyzieu, where CTIBIOTECH develops advanced human tissue models for pharmaceutical, medical device, cosmetics and cell therapy applications.
The CTIONCOTEST launch gives CTIBIOTECH a publicly backed route to scale a technology aimed at making cancer drug testing more human-relevant, standardized and commercially accessible. While the platform will still need to meet technical, regulatory and market expectations, the combination of France 2030 support, Bpifrance funding and clinical-industrial partnerships gives the project a stronger foundation than a laboratory-only program. If successful, it could strengthen France’s position in bioprinting and help oncology developers test therapies against models that more closely reflect the complexity of real human tumors.