PRECLINICAL IMMUNO-ONCOLOGY CRO
Advancing immuno-oncology pipelines, from discovery to IND-ready packages
Explicyte assesses the efficacy, safety and mechanism of action of novel IO modalities, including small molecules, multispecific engagers, ADCs, cell therapies and cancer vaccines.
They moved to the clinic with our data
Specialty Immuno-Oncology Services
Expertise. Service. IND focus.
Imane Nafia, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, on the three things sponsors look for in a preclinical immuno-oncology partner — scientific value, dedicated service, and clinical focus.
Discuss your projectFrom screening to mechanism of action
Cell-based assays for immuno-oncology programs
From early efficacy screening to advanced safety and human-relevant validation — a complete cell-based assay portfolio for immuno-oncology programs.
Immune-tumor co-cultures
Tumor killing assays
Over 100 tumor cell lines available, cultured with PBMCs or effector cells (Ts, NKs) exposed to your compounds.
Benchmarked with standards of care: chemotherapies, mAbs, T-cell engagers, ADCs, peptides
Primary human immune cells
Immune modulation assays
Activation, proliferation and suppression assays across PBMCs, T cells, NK cells, macrophages, dendritic cells and Tregs from primary human donors.
Primary human cells from characterized donors, freshly isolated and differentiated in-house
CRS risk assessment
Cytokine release assays
Multiplex cytokine release assays benchmarked with reference CRS-inducing molecules: TGN1412, OKT3, blinatumomab and others. For early de-risking of immunogenicity.
A kinetic approach balancing efficacy and safety
TUMOR ORGANOIDS & Fragments
Patient-derived 3D models
Patient-derived tumor organoids and tumor fragments — a human-relevant alternative to animal models, capturing tumor heterogeneity and native immune contexture
Low passage, native immune populations preserved
Modality-specific expertise
Tailored services for new IO modalities
Multispecifics & Engagers
From target expression and bispecific binding to T- and NK-cell-mediated tumor killing, with dedicated assays to anticipate immunogenicity and cytokine release risks.
Antibody-Drug Conjugates
From target expression profiling and ADC binding to internalization, cytotoxicity and off-target effects — a complete preclinical workflow to de-risk your ADC candidates.
Cancer Vaccines
From antigen expression and HLA presentation to antigen-specific T-cell responses, memory and exhaustion profiling — designed to capture how the immune system recognizes tumors.
Making a difference
How we create value
Robust assays, benchmarked against standards of care
Every assay we run is validated with reference treatments, so your data sits on a trusted baseline.
- Benchmarked with standards of care (chemotherapies, immune checkpoint inhibitors) and relevant investigational modalities (T-cell engagers, ADCs, cancer vaccines, …).
- Over 100 cancer cell lines available, selected to match your indication and biological features (target expression, resistance profiles).
- Exclusively primary human immune cells from characterized donors — used as PBMCs or as isolated, differentiated subsets. Our team has been mastering primary immune cell culture and differentiation for 10+ years.
Custom, step-by-step experimental plans
Every collaboration is scoped by a PhD-level study director who owns your project end-to-end.
- Kick-off interview to align on scientific objectives, timelines, and budget.
- Written proposal with options, pricing, and timing — so you can compare scenarios.
- Detailed study protocol covering experimental design, deadlines, interim reports, and go/no-go decision points.
Simultaneous capture of tumor and immune cell responses
Our core readouts profile both compartments in a single assay — no trade-offs between efficacy and mechanism.
- Combined phenotypic and cytokinic readouts capture tumor and effector cell behavior in parallel.
- Simple, non-destructive, cost-effective, and scalable readouts — ideal as a common backbone across your program.
Multiplexed downstream profiling
Because our standard readouts are non-destructive, samples can be channeled into deeper omics without repeating the experiment.
- Secretome profiling: multiplex cytokine assays, proteomics, metabolomics.
- Cellular profiling: flow cytometry, single-cell transcriptomics, spatial biology (we’re a 10x Genomics certified provider).
- One experiment, multiple layers of evidence — saving cells, time, and budget.
Reporting designed for decision-making
Every deliverable is built to help your team make confident go/no-go calls — not to fill a binder.
- Regular operational updates from your study director.
- Interim reports aligned with predefined decision points.
- Final report delivered on a secure server: raw data, materials & methods, publication-ready figures from our data science team, and a written discussion.
- Oral debrief with your team to discuss results and next steps.
TESTIMONIALS
Sponsor stories
Paul Marteau, PharmD (study director), Imane Nafia, PhD (CSO), Loïc Cerf, MSc (COO), Alban Bessede, PhD (founder, CEO), Jean-Philippe Guégan, PhD (CTO)
contact our team
Discuss your preclinical projectand request a quote
Within 3 business days, a PhD-level study director will reach out to scope your project, propose the right approach, and provide pricing.
Answers about PRECLINICAL IMMUNO-ONCOLOGY SERVICES
Frequently asked questions
What does Explicyte's preclinical immuno-oncology CRO service cover?
Explicyte’s preclinical immuno-oncology CRO services cover the in vitro and ex vivo characterization of cancer immunotherapies — including efficacy, mechanism of action and safety. We support antibodies, T-cell engagers, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), cell therapies, cancer vaccines, and immunomodulatory small molecules, from early discovery through IND-enabling studies. Our work focuses on advanced cellular models: cancer cell lines, primary human immune cell co-cultures, and patient-derived 3D organoids.
Does Explicyte run in vivo studies?
No. Explicyte has discontinued in vivo services to focus on human-relevant preclinical models — particularly patient-derived 3D organoids, tumor fragments, and complex co-culture systems. This direction aligns with FDA’s Modernization Act 2.0 and EMA guidance on New Approach Methodologies (NAM), which support non-animal models for IND-enabling work. Sponsors needing in vivo studies can be referred to trusted partners; sponsors building animal-reduced or animal-free programs can run their full preclinical workflow with us.
Where does Explicyte fit between discovery and IND filing?
Explicyte supports preclinical programs from hit characterization through IND-enabling efficacy, mechanism of action and safety studies. We don’t run GLP toxicology — but our reports are designed to feed into IND-enabling packages and to support sponsor discussions with toxicology partners and regulatory agencies.
What makes Explicyte different from a generalist preclinical CRO?
Three differentiators. First, exclusive focus on immuno-oncology since 2015 — every assay, model and study director is dedicated to this field. Second, every program is scoped and run by a PhD-level study director who owns it end-to-end, not handed off through layers of project management. Third, our standard readouts are non-destructive and multiplexable — one experiment can feed into deeper omics (single-cell transcriptomics, spatial biology, proteomics) without repeating the work, saving cells, time and budget.
Can patient-derived 3D models replace animal studies for IND filings?
Yes — and this is a direction regulatory agencies are actively supporting. The FDA Modernization Act 2.0 and the EMA’s recent guidance on New Approach Methodologies (NAM) allow non-animal models, including patient-derived organoids and complex co-culture systems, to support IND-enabling work. Explicyte has invested in patient-derived 3D organoids and tumor fragments specifically to support sponsors building animal-reduced or animal-free programs.
What's a typical preclinical project timeline at Explicyte?
Most cell-based assay programs are scoped within one week of initial discussion and started within 2 to 4 weeks of agreement. Standard study durations range from 6 to 12 weeks depending on complexity, with interim reports aligned to go/no-go decision points.
Is there a minimum project size? Can we start with a pilot?
There’s no fixed minimum. Many programs start with a small scoping study — a single cell line, a small donor panel, or a focused readout — to validate the approach before scaling. Your study director will propose options that match your budget and decision points.
Who will we work with at Explicyte?
A PhD-level study director owns your project end-to-end — from scoping and protocol design to reporting and final discussion. The study director is supported by a wet-lab team specialized in immuno-oncology cellular models, and by our in-house data science team for analysis and figure generation. Sponsors typically interact with the same study director throughout the program.