Scientists are now able to reprogram any cell of the human body into pluripotent stem cells. This creates many possibilities for biomedical research because these stem cells can be turned into many other cell types sensitive to disease or drugs that are not normally accessible through tissue donation. Christine Mummery succeeded in growing these stem cells into heart- and vessels 'on-a-chip'. In this way she has shown medicines can be safely tested outside the human body, opening up a world of personalized medicine.

Prof. dr. Christine Mummery is professor of Developmental Biology and chair of the Department of Anatomy and Embryology at Leiden UMC and Professor Microfluidic Vascular Technology at the UT.