Spin-offs

Research at the Hubrecht Institute has direct implications for translational and clinical applications. Technology is transferred to society as efficiently as possible. Currently, three private partners distribute technologies developed at the Hubrecht Institute.

Single Cell Discoveries
Single Cell Discoveries (SCD) was founded in May 2018 and is a spin-off of the Hubrecht Institute. SCD offers a complete single-cell sequencing service: from advice on experimental design to single-cell sequencing and data analysis. Using SORT-Seq, a technique developed at the Van Oudenaarden lab, SCD helps scientists from all over the globe to get the most out of their single-cell sequencing experiments. Single-cell sequencing and genomics data shed a new light on complex biological questions. With this techniques, researchers can discover rare cell types like stem cells and study the role cellular heterogeneity plays in organ function and disease. Watch also this movie about single cell sequencing.

NTrans Technologies BV
NTrans Technologies BV was founded in 2015 and is based on a new technology for intracellular delivery of proteins and other bioactive molecules, developed at the Hubrecht Institute by the Geijsen group, a former research group of the Hubrecht Institute now located at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). This intracellular delivery technology, called iTOP, is based on a combination of small molecule compounds which forces the uptake of large gulps of extracellular fluid (containing the bioactive molecules) by the cell. Once inside, the vesicles release their content into the cytoplasm, where the bioactive molecules can exert their therapeutic action. NTrans Technologies is developing this technology for both research and clinical purposes as a method for the delivery of biologicals.

Cergentis
Cergentis was established in 2012 as a spin-off from the Hubrecht Institute. The company’s products are based on the Targeted Locus Amplification (TLA) technology and 4C technology to identify long range DNA interactions, which are developed in the De Laat group. The TLA technology uses the physical proximity of nucleotides within a locus of interest as the basis of selection and enables targeted complete sequencing of any locus or (trans)gene of interest and allows for detection of all Single Nucleotide Variants (SNV’s) and structural variants. Cergentis’ mission is to contribute to the quality of genetic research and human healthcare by providing services and kits that enable the cost-effective complete sequencing of relevant genes and genomic loci.

Foundation Hubrecht Organoid Technology
Hubrecht Organoid Technology (The HUB) is a not-for-profit organization founded by the Hubrecht Institute, the Royal Netherlands Institute for Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands. The HUB is founded on the work of prof. dr. Hans Clevers who discovered methods to grow stem cell-derived mini-organs, called organoids, from tissues of patients with various diseases, such as cancer and cystic fibrosis. In cell culture, these organoids stably maintain the genotype/phenotype of the patient’s diseased tissue, thereby representing an in vitro platform for preclinical drug discovery and validation and a tool for personalized medicine. The HUB has established a ‘Living Biobank’, a collection of well-characterized organoids derived from patient tissues, and provides access to a unique and robust platform that links patient-specific genetic and phenotypic information to preclinical and clinical drug-responsiveness.