Author Archives: hDMT

Qais Akolawala started on 3D engineered brain cancer microenvironments for proton radiobiology

Qais Akolawala came from India to the Netherlands to pursue his MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft in 2019. He always had a latent interest in biology and cellular studies. His MSc thesis on ‘3D Engineered Glioblastoma Microenvironments’ has been a way to work on this interest, and this amazing collaborative subject. He will now continue ahead as a junior researcher within the group of Dr. Angelo Accardo at TU Delft in the context of an NWO-XS project to assess the efficiency of proton therapy on glioblastoma cells grown within biomimetic architectures. Qais is an avid reader and...

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Contribution of Mohammad Jouybar to new book on Organ-on-a-Chip

Mohammad Jouybar, researcher in Microsystems section at Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e), has contributed to the 2nd chapter of a new book on Organ-on-Chip. This chapter introduces standard techniques and a novel method for including porous membranes within microfluidic devices. These porous membranes can be used to study tissue barriers within OoC applications. The book Organ-on-a-Chip was recently published in Springer Nature Protocols, part of the Methods in Molecular Biology book series (MIMB, volume 2373). This book, which was edited by Marco Rasponi, is written in the format of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series. Each chapter includes...

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Two exciting events on NXTGEN HIGHTECH and Biomedical Production Technologies. Register now!

The ‘Groeifonds’ proposal NXTGEN HIGHTECH will be submitted this month. One of the six domains of NXTGEN HIGHTECH is ‘Biomedical Production Technologies’ and is being coordinated by Berend van Meer on behalf of hDMT. This domain aims at large scale production of Labs-on-Chips, Organs-on-Chips, Artificial Organs and Cell Production Equipment, in which industrial standardisation and qualification are indispensable. The consortium of partners from science, industry and regulators, responsible for this domain will celebrate the submission of this application in two different events. Webinar ‘Opportunities in Lifescience Technologies for the hightech ecosystem’ (in Dutch) Organizer: High Tech NL Date: 9 November 2021,...

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EMA implements new measures to minimise animal testing during medicines development

EMA is putting in place special support to developers to replace, reduce and refine animal use for the development, manufacturing and testing of human and veterinary medicines. The Agency is promoting these three principles – replace, reduce and refine; commonly referred to as 3Rs – through EMA’s Innovation Task Force (ITF). This action will facilitate the development and implementation of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) that are in line with the European Union legislation on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. For more information see the EMA Website. source: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/ema-implements-new-measures-minimise-animal-testing-during-medicines-development

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Launch KNAW advice about drug development: Better efficiency by innovation

The trajectory to a safe and effective new medicine is long, expensive and full of obstacles. It takes many steps to determine the quality, efficacy and safety of a medicine, understand its pharmacology and bring it. Traditionally, the process starts with target identification, followed by screening and selection of new molecules affecting the identified target, preclinical testing of selected candidates, clinical testing during phase I-II-III trials, (inter-)national market approval by regulatory authorities, health technology assessment, and use in patients during which phase IV research with pharmacovigilance continues. This process may take 3-15 years. The KNAW was asked to identify how...

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The Intersection of Stem Cells and Engineering

Podcast with Christine Mummery and Peter Loskill Following the publication of the Special issue on Organs-on-Chip in Stem Cell Reports, the guest editors Christine Mummery and Peter Loskill were invited by Martin Pera (Editor-in-Chief of Stem Cell Reports) to join the podcast to talk about the intersection of stem cells, microphysiological systems and Organs-on-Chip technology in understanding disease, screening drugs and personalized medicine. Guests Christine Mummery, PhD, Professor of Developmental Biology at Leiden University Medical Center heading the iPSC & Organ-on-Chip Hotel at the LUMC. She is also chair of hDMT, the Dutch Organ-on-Chip Consortium), the recent past chair of EUROoCS and the recent past...

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Video about hDMT: past, present and future

In the context of the hDMT lustrum a corporate video has been made, giving insight in the start and development of the hDMT consortium during the past five years. Christine Mummery (chair hDMT Executive board), Janny van den Eijnden-van Raaij (Secretary/ treasurer hDMT Executive board, and managing director) and Berend van Meer (member hDMT Executive board) illustrate the past, present and future of a consortium that evolved into a growing national community on Organ-on-Chip, with a large international network and far-reaching ambitions regarding the application of this promising and innovative technology. Watch the video here

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The end of animal testing by Organs-on-Chips?

Almost everyone would like to ban animal testing.

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PROPER THERAPY: PROof-of-concePt for a human hEaRt model to test patient-specific THERAPY-responsiveness

Jolanda van der Velden (Amsterdam UMC) and colleagues have received a €859.014 grant from NWO Human Measurement Models 2.0 to perform disease modelling and treatment testing on 2D/3D models of iPSC-cardiomyocytes for carriers of MYBPC3 and VLCAD mutations causing cardiomyopathies. The PROPER-THERAPY team involves a collaboration between 4 academic (Amsterdam UMC, Erasmus MC, UMC Maastricht, UMC Utrecht) and 3 industrial (CytoCypher, Ionoptix, InVitroSys GmbH) partners, and aims to build proof that the metabolic state of the heart underlies drug responsiveness in inherited cardiomyopathies. Experts in metabolism team up with experts in physiology to better define the link between contractile function...

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Report of EUROoCS 2021 conference online

Ever-growing interest. The 3rd edition of the Annual EUROoCS (European Organ-on-Chip Society) Conference was again an online experience because of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. This time the organizing committee could select a different platform for the conference with many more options for interaction. There were even more attendees in the EUROoCS 2021 conference, held on the 1st and 2nd of July 2021, than in the previous year: in total 442 participants from 26 different countries. This year the latest results on Organ-on-Chip research were presented in 6 keynote lectures, 40 abstract selected talks and 130 posters. The posters were presented...

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