Press Release
Leiden, The Netherlands, 9 September 2025 – VitroScan, a Dutch biotech company with a focus on predictive therapy testing solutions, is proud to announce the publication of a study showing its 3D ex vivo micro-tumor testing platform can accurately predict whether an ovarian cancer patient will respond to chemotherapy.
The study, published in npj Precision Oncology, shows that VitroScan’s platform can distinguish between chemotherapy-resistant and chemotherapy-sensitive patients before treatment begins. Patients whose tumor tissue responded well to chemotherapy in VitroScan’s lab showed significantly longer times to disease progression compared to patients whose tumor tissue did not. This demonstrates that the platform is a reliable predictor of how patients will respond in clinical practice.
VitroScan’s ex vivo 3D micro-tumor testing platform uses a patient’s own tumor tissue. After surgery, the tumor tissue is sent to the VitroScan lab, where it is exposed to (chemo)therapy. Drug responses are evaluated and reported within two weeks. The data also show that the micro-tumors are highly representative of the patient’s tumor.
Dr. Willemijn Vader, CEO of VitroScan, comments: “Currently, no validated clinical tools exist to predict chemotherapy responses before treatment initiation. We are delighted that the study confirms our platform’s predictive value for ovarian cancer patients. This disease is often diagnosed at a late stage, and the effect of chemotherapy is limited in duration. In the future, micro-tumor testing could support treatment decisions and ultimately help to improve treatment outcomes for ovarian cancer patients.”
Dr. Nelleke Ottevanger, Principal Investigator in the study, adds: “This study is promising because it identifies those patients that are likely to benefit from chemotherapy. Being able to do so has the potential to improve patient treatment and prevent the use of ineffective drugs. In future trials we hope to confirm that improved treatment selection will bring better outcomes for the individual patient.”
Further validation of the test results in a larger number of patients is currently ongoing. After additional prospective validation, VitroScan’s ex vivo micro-tumor platform will be uniquely positioned to offer oncologists a much-needed decision support tool at the start of the patient’s therapeutic journey.
The paper can be downloaded here.
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About Ovarian Cancer
With 5-year survival rates of less than 50%, ovarian cancer is the most lethal of gynecological cancers and has a high-rate disease progression. The European Union has the highest incidence of this cancer worldwide, which translates into the high economic burden of over 2.5 billion Euros in direct healthcare costs.
Although treatments are available, 30% of patients have a tumor that does not respond to the standard primary therapy of carboplatin + paclitaxel and move on to an advanced stage. In total, about 70% of ovarian cancer patients relapse within three years of treatment and are then treated with a range of second- and third-line therapies.
The high-rate disease progression, variable treatment success, large economic burden, as well as the few predictive biomarkers for this tumor type make ovarian cancer a prime candidate for developing reliable predictive tumor testing.
About VitroScan
VitroScan is a private biotech company located at the Leiden Bio Science Park in The Netherlands.
VitroScan offers predictive testing solutions based on ex vivo 3D micro-tumor testing. Assays are performed with fresh, patient-derived tumor tissue, with an intact tumor microenvironment. The testing platform is designed to assess anti-tumor and immune responses of existing and novel cancer therapies, including chemotherapy, antibody-drug conjugates, and immunotherapy. The assays generate a wealth of data to support treatment decisions by physicians or to de-risk (clinical) development of promising new drugs.
- For patients this means a lower risk of being exposed to ineffective treatments.
- For biotech and pharma companies this means more effective drug development and improvement of patient stratification for clinical studies.
VitroScan is funded by private investors, including Libertatis Ergo Holding (LEH), and it receives funding from the Dutch National Growth Fund program Biotech Booster to develop clinical testing for ovarian cancer patients. The company works in close collaboration with (inter)national hospitals and patient organizations.
For more information, contact:
Willemijn Vader, CEO
VitroScan B.V.
J.H Oortweg 21, 2333 CH, Leiden
The Netherlands
