Bracco-Limula | Cell therapies: cooperating to innovate

It was while browsing a blog in 2022 that Samir Cherkaoui, a researcher in Bracco's R&D department, discovered the activities of Limula, a Lausanne-based company specializing in the development of automated solutions for the production of cell and gene therapies. Bracco, for its part, develops and produces contrast agents for medical imaging. An initial meeting was held between Luc Henry, CEO of Limula, Samir Cherkaoui, and Thierry Bettinger, Director of the Bracco Research Center in Geneva. Each presented their approach, and it was a lightbulb moment: their technologies proved to be highly complementary. Bracco wanted to expand the use of its contrast agents to applications other than medical imaging, while Limula was actively seeking partners offering reagents to use in combination with their production machine. This is how the OnePot project was born.

Complementary technologies

Cell and gene therapies represent a medical revolution, but their use is still limited by complex and costly production. These personalized treatments are made from each patient's own cells, a delicate process that requires extensive laboratory work and strict sterility. In particular, the selection and activation of the cells of interest are critical steps. This is where the collaboration between the two companies comes into its own. The microbubbles produced by Bracco can modify the density of cells, allowing them to be isolated in a complex mixture such as blood, before activating them to cause them to multiply. However, microbubbles cannot be used alone: their implementation requires a manual process that is difficult to reconcile with clinical use. This is where the automation platform developed by Limula comes in.

"Integrating Bracco's microbubble technology, which has been used in medical imaging for over twenty years, with Limula's instruments offers a compelling approach to improving the manufacture of cell therapies, with the aim of making these treatments more affordable for patients," explains Thierry Bettinger. By combining microbubbles as a reagent with Limula's platform, the process is automated and can be used in hospitals. This will facilitate access to cell therapies used to fight cancer and autoimmune diseases. Tests to demonstrate the effectiveness of this collaboration will be carried out at the University of Fribourg by Professor Nicola Vannini, an expert in the physiology and metabolism of immune cells.

Compiling the Innosuisse application

Bracco and Limula are both members of the Alliance association. "At first, Alliance helped us familiarize our teams with Swiss and European public funding," recalls Thierry Bettinger. "Then, at the beginning of the year, we secured our first project funded by Innosuisse with the support of Elise Gortchacow." As a deep tech start-up, fundraising is part of Limula's DNA, and they have already secured several Innosuisse grants with Alliance's support. "Even though we are used to establishing partnerships and writing our research and development proposals, Alliance helps us improve the description of the innovative aspects in an Innosuisse application, which allows us to ensure that our proposal is well designed and understandable," explains Luc Henry.

Innosuisse projects often serve to develop a new solution, improve a technology, or validate the contribution of an innovation to society. "Until now, we were looking for funds to develop our own product. We are at a stage where we need to document and validate its performance in a concrete application," explains Luc Henry. "Collaborating with Bracco and the University of Fribourg is of great value to us." The two companies called on the expertise of Elise Gortchacow to put together the Innosuisse application. She helped restructure and refine the project proposal, adjusting the descriptions and emphasizing the scientific or commercial aspects. The project was submitted in early spring this year and, once accepted, began in mid-October 2025 for a period of two years.

Collaborate with academic institutions

Whether it's a large company such as Bracco or a small organization such as Limula, public funding and collaboration with academic institutions play a catalyst role in the implementation of innovation projects. This is an essential phase in reducing the risk of an invention, for which they do not necessarily have the funds, infrastructure, or skills in-house. "This access to external expertise is invaluable," explains Luc Henry. "The public-private partnerships supported by Innosuisse are beneficial for everyone," emphasizes Thierry Bettinger. "They promote academic expertise while supporting companies and the economy in creating solutions. We want to continue developing this type of project in the years to come."