Passion for
Health
The Life Sciences Competence Center is dedicated to fostering innovation and advancing research in the biomedical field. We are committed to developing sustainable solutions and fostering collaborations between academic and industrial partners.
The Life Sciences Competence Center
Our mission is to provide a valuable growth opportunity for both local and international companies operating in the industry, granting them access to cutting-edge skills, state-of-the-art technologies, and top-notch infrastructure.
Our offer
We develop new R&D platforms to improve patients’ life. We offer our partners and members:
A unique biofabrication platform to translate basic research into applied R&D, specifically designed for pre-clinical drug testing on human 3D complex tissues in-vitro
An innovative environment for the collaborative development of in-vitro models tailored for personalized medicine applications.
Access to cutting-edge wet labs and research infrastructure through our research partners in Bellinzona.
BIOFABRICATION
We develop in collaboration with you and tailored to your needs models using “Organ-on-a-Chip” (OOC) technology and organoids, which enables preclinical testing using human cells of different tissues, with the ultimate goal of reducing reliance on animal models.
OOC and Organoids models are a valuable choice for different reasons:
- Animal studies are not 100% predictive for human clinical response
- Many products fail in clinical trials due to unexpected toxicity or insufficient pharmacological activity
- Drug development is typically an extensive and expensive process, taking over a decade and costing billions of CHF
- Regulatory authorities are urging the development of alternative methods that better simulate human physiology and enhance the validity of in vitro trials
RESEARCH PARTNERS
The network of local well established academic and pre-clinical and clinical research institutions serves as hubs for finding the right scientific and engineering expertise and the proper R&D infrastructure for your innovation. We promote collaboration with these entities, granting you access to a vast pool of expertise across diverse fields and navigate you through the project funding opportunities.
Members
The Life Sciences Competence Center is governed by an association led by an Executive Committee, comprising representatives from various institutions and companies operating in the field.
Location
The Life Sciences Competence Center is headquartered in Bellinzona city centre, at the heart of the thriving life sciences hub of the south of Switzerland. Our laboratories and offices are at inside the Biomedical Hub property of the City of Bellinzona.
Thanks to the City of Bellinzona investments into the Biomedical Hub building in Via V. Vela 6, in 2025 we have acquired new wet labs compliant to industry ISO8 and BSL2 standards on a 650 sqm surface. The wet labs are pre-equipped with lab furniture and technical fluids and have access to common shared labs’ infrastructure.
Laboratory Surface.
Join us
Join Switzerland Innovation Park Ticino to access expertise, connect with a dynamic network and benefit from dedicated infrastructure. Accelerate your innovation.