Tony Kiuru (UPM Biomedicals)
Tony Kiuru discusses GrowDex, which is an animal free, ready to use hydrogel that mimics the extracellular matrix (ECM) and supports cell growth and differentiation with consistent results. Bridging the gap between in vitro and in vivo studies GrowDex can be used for 3D cell culture for spheroid and /organoids, in personalised medicine, regenerative medicine, organ-on-a-chip models, drug release studies, 3D printing and much more. GrowDex hydrogel is manufactured according to ISO13485. You can find more information about GrowDex at https://www.upmbiomedicals.com/siteassets/documents/growdex-brochure-2018.pdf and https://www.linkedin.com/company/growdex/ . General email address: biomedicals@upm.com.
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Expert interviews
HealthInnovationIn vitro
Janny van den Eijnden-van Raaij (hDMT consortium)
The Institute for human Organ and Disease Model technologies (hDMT) is a precompetitive non-profit technological R&D institute, initiated in the Netherlands. hDMT integrates state-of-the-art human stem cell technologies with top level engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, clinical and pharmaceutical expertise from academia and industry to develop and valorize human organ and disease models-on-a-chip. More information on: www.hdmt.technology , www.h2020-orchid.eu , and www.euroocs.eu .
Expert interviews
HealthEducation
Daniela Salvatori: TPI Utrecht
Prof. dr. Daniela Salvatori, chair of TPI Utrecht, presents the aims of the local TPI group and invites all who want to share their ideas or questions on the transition towards animal-free innovations to get in touch via uu.nl/tpi.
Expert interviews
HealthInnovation
Elly Hol (UMC Utrecht): possibilities for neuroscience
Prof. dr. Elly Hol (neuroscientist) talks about the opportunities for conducting animal-free research in Utrecht. She explains why it is necessary to use animal models next to cell-based models, for example for her Alzheimer research. More info at https://www.umcutrecht.nl/en/research/center/brain-center , http://translationalneuroscience.nl , http://www.ellyhollab.eu .
Expert interviews
ToxicologyIn vitro
Erwin Roggen (ToxGenSolutions)
ToxGenSolutions provides a cutting-edge patchwork of test methods required for modern testing and assessment of compounds and products. It builds on a virtual generic platform of leading test and technology developers providing novel technologies addressing key events in outcome pathways. ToxGenSolutions products are proprietary mechanism-based gene signatures for identification and classification of toxicants during screening, product development and safety assessment. More information on https://toxgensolutions.eu/ .
New
Projects
InnovationIn vitro
SMART OoC platform
The SMART Organ-on-Chip project aims to bring organ-on-chip technology to the next level, out of the pioneering labs to industrial applications. NWO awarded 4.8 million euro to a large and diverse consortium of universities, companies, research institutes and foundations that will together develop standardised organ-on-chip models. These models will be made to fit the scale and quality that pharmaceutical companies need to use them for safety assessment of novel drugs, with better science and less animal use as a result. The project will kick off at the start of 2022. More information on the project will follow in the course of 2021.
Innovation examples
ToxicologyInnovationIn vitro
Human neuronal cell models for in vitro neurotoxicity screening and seizure liability assessment
Anke Tukker was a PhD candidate in the Neurotoxicology Research group of Dr. Remco Westerink at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences at Utrecht University. Dr Westerink’s research group investigates the mechanisms of action of toxic substances on a cellular and molecular level using in vitro systems. Anke's project aimed to develop a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neuronal model for in vitro neurotoxicity screening and seizure liability assessment. Using micro-electrode arrays (MEAs), she showed that these models mimic in vivo neuronal network activity. When these hiPSC-derived neurons are mixed with hiPSC-derived astrocytes, they can be used for in vitro seizure liability assessment. Comparing these data with data obtained from the current used model of ex vivo rodent cortical cultures, she found that these human cells outperform the rodent model. Here research thus contributes towards animal-free neurotoxicity testing.
Anke Tukker has won the public vote of the Hugo van Poelgeest prize 2020 for her research on human neuronal cell models for in vitro neurotoxicity screening and seizure liability assessment.
Neurotoxicology Research Group, IRAS, Utrecht University: https://ntx.iras.uu.nl/NTX_at_Iras
Innovation examples
ToxicologyInnovationIn vitro
Human pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes for disease modelling and drug discovery
Berend van Meer did his PhD research in the research group of prof. Christine Mummery at the department of Anatomy and Embryology of the Leiden University Medical Center. In this group, human pluripotent stem cell derived (Organ-on-Chip) models are being developed, mostly cardiovascular models. The work of Berend aimed to understand how well these stem cell based cardiac models can predict the effect of (well-known) drug therapies in patients. Importantly, the outcomes of the experiments were compared to very similar measurements in rabbit heart muscle cells. And while animal models predicted less than 70% correctly, the human stem cell based models predicted almost 80% of the expected effects correctly. The research contributes to understanding the relevance of stem cell based models and strengthens the confidence regulators and pharmaceutical companies have in such models as animal alternatives in the drug development pipeline.
Berend van Meer has won the Hugo van Poelgeest prize 2020 for his research on human pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes for disease modelling and drug discovery.
Christine Mummery's lab on Heart on Chip, Disease modeling and toxicity: https://www.lumc.nl/org/anatomie-embryologie/research/902040935402533/
Innovation examples
ToxicologyInnovationIn vitro
Cartilage-on-a-chip for studying joint degenerative diseases
Carlo Alberto Paggi is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Twente in the research group of Prof. Marcel Karperien and Prof. Séverine Le Gac. Karperien’s lab focus on the biological aspects of osteoarthritic research while Le Gac’s specialize in organ-on-chip development. The project of Carlo Alberto is developing a joint-on-chip platform to create a reliable in vitro model to study disease progression in osteo- or rheumatoid arthritis. The model combines different organ-on-chips aimed at replicating each a tissue around the joint such as cartilage, bone and ligaments. This new technology focuses on better reproducing human models and at substituting the use of animal models for drug research. If you want to know something more about the project and the groups, you can follow the link in the video.
Carlo Paggi was nominated for the Hugo van Poelgeest prize for his research on a cartilage-on-a-chip model to study joint degenerative diseases
Karperien’s lab of Developmental Bioengineering: https://www.utwente.nl/en/tnw/dbe/
Le Gac’s lab of Applied Microfluidics for BioEngineering Research: http://www.severinelegac.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlo-alberto-paggi-76500b135/