Organs-on-chip is an emerging technology allowing the modelling of parts of organs in micro-format, starting from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. These platforms provide new ways to study human physiology & metabolism, perform drug discovery experiments, and model human disease. Excitingly, the field is moving into integrating multiple tissue chips in one closed microfluidic circuit, working towards a 'human-on-a-chip'.

Recently, the UMCG has become a member of the hDMT (human organ and disease model technologies) consortium, which includes most academic centres and multiple industrial partners in the Netherlands. Membership in hDMT allows UMCG scientists to sign up for and participate in general hDMT meetings on organ-on-chip technology and specialist group meetings focusing on specific organs-on-chip. Currently, researchers associated with the hDMT consortium have organized themselves into focus groups around several themes: cancer-, vessels-, heart-, skin-, brain-, and intestine-on-chip. It is expected that other focus areas will be established in the near future given
the rapid pace of the field.

Program

12:30 hDMT: Organs-on-chip consortium in the Netherlands, Janny van Eijnden - van Raaij (hDMT)
13:00 Organs-on-a-Chip @ the RUG: A multi-interdisciplinary scene, Sabeth Verpoorte (RUG)
13:30 Neurons-on-a-chip, an integrative platform in neurodegeneration, Amalia Dolga (RUG)
13:50 NWO Zwaartekracht program NOCI: Towards Celiac disease-ona-chip, Renée Moerkens (UMCG)
14:10 A 3D microfluidic chip model derived from patient iPS cells to study Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, Valeria Orlova (LUMC)
14:35 Tea Break; Pantry ERIBA 3rd floor
15:00 Genome engineering and stem cell services at the UMCG: what can we offer? Floris Foijer (UMCG)
15:20 Blood perfusion of Organs-on-chip, Andries van der Meer (UTwente)
15:45 Short Break
16:00 Keynote lecture and UMCG Molecular Medicine Seminar Emulating human biology: Organs-on-Chips for disease modelling, drug discovery, and personalized medicine, Katia Karalis (Emulate, vice-president)
17:00 Closing