Live Cell High-Content Imaging is Driving Drug Discovery

Live-cell imaging techniques offer dynamic, spatio-temporal insights into cellular processes and provide a comprehensive, cost-effective way to objectively examine drug effects across different cellular models (1). When used with fluorescence reporters or label-free methods alongside artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) techniques, it can deliver detailed phenotypic screening, enabling thorough compound profiling, understanding mechanisms of action (MoA), enhancing translational predictivity, and speeding up lead optimization (Figure 1).

Which European frontrunners are leading the field in live-cell imaging technologies?

Several European biotechs, including Cellbox Labs, Evotec SE, Nanolive SA, and Salipro Biotech AB, have developed innovative high-throughput screening methods to improve in vitro–in vivo translation (IVIVE) and accelerate the discovery of new chemical entities (NCEs) for clinical evaluation.

Cellbox Labs Ltd (Latvia) was founded in 2020 by Artūrs Ābols, Gatis Mozoļevskis, and Roberts Rimša. The company focuses on developing modular “organ-on-chip” (OOC) systems to improve drug discovery, in which endothelial and epithelial layers are stacked in vertical channels separated by permeable membranes, enabling organ modelling in a controlled environment. The company has developed various OOCs, including the blood-brain barrier, kidney, gut, lung, and pancreas, to accurately predict individual responses to drugs, food, and probiotics (4). The OOCs can be mass-produced to enhance reproducibility and cost-efficiency, and can be scaled up from 8 to 24 chips, if needed.

In 2024, Cellbox raised a pre-seed round of €935,000 led by Latvian Buildit VC, with participation from LatBAN angels, ASP Asset Management AIFP, and private investor Ansis Spridzans (5). In August 2025, Cellbox attracted a further €3.3 million in funding from Tech4Cure, a state-funded Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI). These funds will be used to expand Cellbox’s OOC high-throughput technology and to integrate biological sensors for improved IVIVE (6). Earlier this year, Cellbox Labs began a collaboration with the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teadusmosaiik OÜ, and Fewer Moving Parts to develop a first-in-class vascularised Gut-Brain-Axis (GBA) on-chip platform, a multi-OOC model that, if successful, could have significant applications in real-world drug evaluation (7).

In August 2025, Cellbox forged a collaboration with Altis Biosystems to scale an automated, gut-on-chip model using iPSCs and patient-derived microbiota, and it plans to integrate oxygen and pH sensors directly into the OOC to provide more detailed analysis for AI-driven drug discovery (7). Cellbox is also leveraging its pancreatic islet OOC to assess and benchmark biosimilars and glucagon-like protein 1 (GLP-1) generics under dynamic flow conditions, and compare the data generated with traditional in vitro and in vivo animal models to help improve biosimilar testing. In addition, Cellbox Labs is working with ESQlabs and MPSlabs to develop digital twin models to enhance the predictive power of the OOC platforms for human outcomes. Overall, these next-generation OCCs could improve the translational prediction of compound effects compared to classic monolayer cultures and help de-risk and accelerate preclinical drug development (8).

Evotec SE (Germany) is using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) screening to model human diseases and enable patient-specific drug testing. Initially, the company focused on 2D cultures to improve translational prediction and is now investigating more physiologically relevant models, including multilineage cultures, organoids, and co-cultures, to improve fidelity. The proprietary platforms integrate live-cell imaging with iPSC-derived cell types for specific conditions, including neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases (9). Evotec has leveraged its iPSC phenotypic screening and imaging platform to establish strategic collaborations with biopharma. In January 2022, Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) entered a partnership with Evotec to combine its PanOmics Platform with iPSC-based disease modelling and phenotypic screening to identify novel candidates for vision-related diseases (10). In the second quarter of 2025, Evotec reported key advancements in its neuroscience collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb, resulting in a US$20 million research payment to the company. To date, the company has received US$75 million in programme-based payments, and two partnered assets have entered Phase II clinical trials (11).

Evotec has also established collaborations with Esperon and identified a preclinical candidate for the treatment of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. Another partner, Dewpoint Therapeutics, submitted an investigational new drug (IND) application for a first-in-class condensate modulator, DPTX3186, for Wnt-driven cancers, earlier this year (12). In addition, Evotec Ventures funds translational projects with academia through its Biomedical Research, Innovation & Development Generation Efficiency (BRIDGE) model. Since its establishment, it has created eight BRIDGE partnerships and made three investments in start-ups (e.g., Autobalm Labs, ArgioBio, and Extend) (13). In November 2025, the company reported strong nine-month financial results. It announced a US$650 million deal for Sandoz to acquire its Just-Evotec Biologics (JEB) EU in Toulouse and license its continuous manufacturing platform technology. The company is cash-rich and is on target to deliver its strategic objectives, enhance its live cell offerings, and build strategic partnerships with biopharma to secure future growth (11).

Nanolive SA (Switzerland) provides label-free live-cell holotomographic imaging platforms that measure the quantitative refractive index of cells, enabling continuous imaging of living cells over long periods without fluorescent reporters. Its proprietary LIVE Cytotoxicity Assay and LIVE T Cell Assay can be combined with AI-powered analysis to determine interaction dynamics, viability, and organelle changes (14). This technology has the potential to accelerate the discovery of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T), T-cell receptor T (TCR-T), bispecific antibodies, and other immunomodulators. For example, Pagliuca et al. deployed Nanolive’s technology to monitor real-time interactions between Vγ9Vδ2 T cells and tumour cells following treatment with BTN2A1-agonist antibody, which has potential in haematological and solid tumours (15). Nanolive continues to expand its offerings and, earlier in 2025, launched its Smart Mitochondrial AssayLIVE for real-time mitochondrial analysis, enabling researchers to evaluate metabolic function, cellular stress, and drug-induced toxicity. This assay could be a helpful addition for researchers evaluating NCEs targeting mitochondrial diseases and oncology (16).

Salipro Biotech AB (Sweden) develops nanomembrane-protein stabilisation technology, Salipro DirectMX, to improve the development of therapeutic antibodies and small molecules targeting membrane proteins, such as G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels, and transporters (17). This technology can be used in downstream applications such as B-cell sorting, immunisation, mass spectrometry, phage display, radioligand binding, and other processes to facilitate drug discovery. In May 2023, Salipro and DyNAbind GmbH screened and identified several small-molecule binders using the Salipro and DEL (DNA encoded library) platform, successfully discovering binders against a challenging membrane protein target. This partnership provided proof-of-concept data demonstrating that Salipro’s platform enhances the discovery of new drugs targeting previously undruggable proteins (18). Salipro published a paper with Bio-Rad Laboratories, showing that Salipro platform technology, combined with Bio-Rad’s Pioneer Platform, can generate a synthetic human antibody phage display library to identify several high-affinity antibodies targeting CXC chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), which play a central role in immune-oncology (19). Salipro has formed strategic partnerships with AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, and Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD) to unlock drug targets for various drug development programmes. BI signed a deal to utilize Salipro’s platform technology to accelerate target discovery in therapeutic areas such as mental health and cardio-renal-metabolic diseases (20). Salipro technology complements imaging and phenotypic tools and can support drug discovery, particularly for membrane-bound protein targets that have proven challenging to study using traditional methods.

Future opportunities in live-cell imaging in drug discovery

According to market research, the global live cell imaging market is projected to reach US$3.03 billion in 2024 and grow to approximately US$6.73 billion by 2034, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.30% from 2024 to 2034 (21). Live-cell imaging increasingly enables phenotypically and mechanistically informed, translationally relevant screening, aiding in drug discovery and personalised medicine. Additionally, regulators aim to phase out animal testing and promote the use of new approach methodologies, including OOCs and live-cell imaging, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new medicines during non-clinical development (22). The integration of advanced cell models, sophisticated imaging, and AI/ML analytics is creating a new generation of discovery platforms that facilitate quicker identification, validation, and progression of NCEs into clinical trials. Cellbox Labs, Evotec, Nanolive, and Salipro Biotech are leading in Europe, offering diverse approaches to accelerate drug discovery and reduce biopharma’s investment in in vivo studies. Over the coming years, platforms capable of combining scale, physiological relevance, mechanistic insight, and actionable decision-making will gain momentum in the market, leading to improved target/compound selection and ultimately a higher hit-to-clinical success ratio, thereby reducing late-stage drug attrition and supporting faster go/no-go decisions.

References

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About the author

Cheryl Barton, PhD, is founder and director of PharmaVision, Pharmavision.co.uk.