2025 Educational Workshop – Track 1

©MIMETAS

Tuesday, June 10, 2025 | 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Our field of Microphysiological Systems (MPS) is characterized by rapid evolution, with ongoing technological advancements driving our understanding of human biology and the development of predictive drug testing models, as well as applications in regenerative and personalized medicine. This rapid progress is made possible by the close collaboration between the academic and private sectors.

The Educational Session of the MPS meeting is designed to facilitate the interaction between young scientists and established leaders in both the academic and company environment in our field through a combination of hands-on experience and discussions. Moreover, young investigators in our field frequently face the decision of pursuing a career path in academia or industry.

HOW SIGN-UP WORKS:

Participants may only sign up for four (4) sessions.

Please sign up for one session per time slot.

  • Session 1 will run from 10:00 AM–10:40 AM
  • Session 2 will run from 10:45 AM–11:25 AM
  • Session 3 will run from 11:30 AM–12:10 PM
  • Session 4 will run from 12:15 PM–1:00 PM

Tickets can be secured during Summit registration.
Already registered? Add this ticket to your Summit registration in your Attendee Portal under the Purchases tab→ 2025 MPS World Summit→ Purchase additional tickets.

Presenters

TissUse GmbH

Bridging the Gap: Hands-On Training on Connecting Barrier and Parenchymal Organ Models for Permeation and Drug Metabolism Research

Brief description:
HUMIMIC is a next-generation Multi-Organ-Chip platform designed to revolutionize research. Unlike traditional Organ-on-Chip systems, our technology enables complex multi-organ interactions, dynamically replicating human physiology at scale. This allows researchers in pharmaceutical development, academia, and beyond to generate highly predictive and translatable data.

With its flexible, user-friendly design, the HUMIMIC platform simplifies experimental workflows while delivering data-rich insights that help reduce drug development costs and accelerate progress in personalized medicine. Combined with our automation and digitalization approach, HUMIMIC empowers scientists to make more efficient, reliable, and impactful therapeutic discoveries—paving the way for the future of biomedical research.

The trainees will learn:
In this hands-on course, participants will learn how to work with different chip designs to co-culture up to four distinct organ models within a single microfluidic circulation system. The expert instructor will clearly explain how the dynamic flow of medium within the chip enables the smooth transport of metabolites and organ-specific substances between models.

Participants will have the opportunity to seamlessly integrate various organ models—including barrier models, 3D models, and 2D models—into the versatile chip system. They can then easily connect the chips to the Starter (control unit) to initiate the culture, gaining a practical, real-world understanding of the process. This course combines theory with hands-on experience, demonstrating just how intuitive and accessible the HUMIMIC Chip is for researchers.

Organ-on-Chip Centre Twente (OoCCT), University of Twente

The Translational Organ-on-Chip Platform (TOP): An introduction to ISO-driven modular microfluidics  for organs-on-chip research

Brief description:
In this hands-on, educational training session, participants will gain experience with the design and operation of ISO-driven, modular organ-on-chip platforms. We will give instructions on user-friendly application of ISO 22916:2022 and allow attendees to directly work with examples of TOP, our ISO compliant platform, and exemplary modules relevant to experimental end-goals. Participants will come away with a better understanding of the need for standardization within the field of organ-on-chip and of how to apply existing standards using the TOP Design Rules (TDRs), a strict subset of ISO-defined standards.

The trainees will learn:

  • How to apply open design standards to organ-on-chip designs
  • Design requirements and interfacing methods for modular microfluidics
  • Benefits of modular microfluidics for experiments and experimental end-points
  • Stakeholder roles in the development of TOP and organ-on-chip standards

InSphero AG

Adding Immune Competence to 3D In Vitro Disease Models: Finding the Sweet Spot Between Biological Complexity and Scalability Using Akura™ Technology

Brief description:
Many drugs in development address the complex interaction between immune cells and organs. As such, InSphero has established Akura™ Technologies and 3D InSight™ microtissues, which allow the addition of immune competence to 3D models. While immunology is complex, InSphero does not compromise on reproducibility and scalability. We would like to share our concepts and experiences on how to address these questions:

  • How immune responses can be modeled using the Akura™ 96 Spheroid Microplates:
    Examples include human Islet Microtissues and CTL cells that specifically attack beta cells, mimicking the anti-immune aspects of Type 1 Diabetes. We also discuss tumor and oncology assays, adding macrophages or CAR-T cells in suspension to tumor microtissues and imaging tumor infiltration. Additionally, we have a complex liver model that already includes Kupffer cells as innate immune cells, plus PBMCs for the adaptive immune response.
  • How immune-mediated drug-induced liver toxicity (e.g., bispecific antibodies) can be modeled using the Akura™ Twin Microplate by co-culturing tumor and liver microtissues with immune cells under gravity-driven flow.
  • How immune cell attachment to 3D tissues can be modeled using the Akura™ Immune Flow Platform, a long-term immune cell perfusion platform. Cells in suspension are constantly kept under gravity-driven flow, circulating around 3D microtissues.

The trainees will learn:
Trainees will gain practical insights into the following:

  • How to design experiments for studying immune competence in vitro.
  • Concepts for utilizing engineering solutions to overcome biological challenges in disease modeling.
  • Practical hands-on experience with medium exchanges on all three platforms.
  • The scalability and automation potential of these systems in industrial applications

SynVivo Inc.

Advancing Drug Testing and Disease Modeling with Vascularized Organ-on-Chip Systems

Brief description:
Vascularized Organ-on-Chip (OOC) models provide dynamic platforms for studying drug delivery, cell interactions, and mechanisms of toxicity and efficacy in preclinical research. This workshop will focus on functionalizing vascularized OOC models to mimic in vivo microenvironments, with an emphasis on multiplexed systems that accommodate replicates of single tissues or different organ types for more physiologically relevant assessments. This session is ideal for researchers seeking to integrate vascularized Single and multi-organ OOC models into drug development, disease modeling, and mechanistic studies.
Participants will engage in hands-on training, which will cover these topic areas:

  • Techniques to functionalize OOC models to replicate physiological microenvironments across multiple organ types.
  • Gaining hands-on experience with chip platforms, syringe pumps for controlled flow, and TEER-on-Chip systems for barrier integrity assessment.
  • Exploring strategies for integrating assay readouts that assess drug screening and delivery across tissue barriers.

The trainees will learn:
Participants will engage in hands-on training, which will cover these topic areas:

  • Techniques to functionalize OOC models to replicate physiological microenvironments across multiple organ types.
  • Gaining hands-on experience with chip platforms, syringe pumps for controlled flow, and TEER-on-Chip systems for barrier integrity assessment.
  • Exploring strategies for integrating assay readouts that assess drug screening and delivery across tissue barriers.

innoVitro GmbH

Using High-Throughput Mechanobiology to Emulate In Vitro Disease Models

Brief description:
This hands-on course will focus on the importance of the mechanical environment of in vitro systems for the assessment of physiological and pathophysiological drug responses using healthy and diseased models. Participants will learn about the importance of biomechanical cues for healthy and diseased tissues, providing a more predictive approach to preclinical research.
The trainees will get an introduction to basic principles in mechanobiology, exemplified with e.g., the Frank-Starling mechanism. In a hands-on demonstration, they will handle multiwell systems (various well formats) to control and measure the mechanical conditions of cell cultures, simulating both healthy and disease-like states.

In parallel, representative results will be displayed and discussed, highlighting the impact of altered mechanical environments in conditions such as cardiomyopathies and atrial fibrillation. Participants will explore different levels of physiological and super-physiological stretching of tissue-like structures with the mechanical properties of human tissue and observe the effects of such stretch applications both macroscopically and at the cellular level.

This course will equip participants with the knowledge on how to apply mechanobiology-based in vitro models in drug testing, enhancing the translatability to in vivo conditions.

The trainees will learn:

  • Basic principles and considerations of in vitro mechanobiology (e.g., elasticity, plasticity, physiological stress and stretch levels).
  • The importance of the cellular mechanical environment for both healthy and disease model-based drug responses.
  • Hands-on experience with 24–96 well cell culture systems for physiological mechanical stimulation and the measurement of contractile responses.

HUN-REN Biological Research Centre

Engineering the brain barriers—lab-on-a-chip systems for drug testing and disease modeling

Brief description:
Our laboratory, the Biological Barriers Research Group at the HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary, focuses on in vitro blood-brain barrier modeling. I am a senior postdoctoral researcher who has 15+ years of experience in the in vitro barrier field, during which I gained wide experience in disease modeling, testing of passage of cells and molecules across the barriers, and barrier protection in health and disease. Lab-on-a-chip modeling involving induced pluripotent stem cell-derived blood-brain barrier cell types and brain organoids are the focus of our research. Primary cells, cell lines, and stem cell-derived models of the blood-brain barrier will be presented, along with the latest developments in the blood-brain barrier chip field. The usability, advantages, and limitations of the models will be presented. I can bring along basic cell culture equipment and basic materials needed for chip fabrication. I am dedicated to science dissemination and communication to colleagues and also to the general public in the frame of the Brain Awareness Week and European Researcher’s Night.

The trainees will learn:
During the presentation, participants will be able to learn about

  • basic cell culture modeling of the blood-brain barrier: static cell cultures, cell lines, primary cells, iPSC cell lines,
  • the latest technological developments in the blood-brain barrier chip modeling field,
  • methods on how to use the blood-brain barrier chips: disease modeling, protection, and permeability studies
  • advantages and challenges of the field.

University of Helsinki

Developing geometrically and functionally accurate organoid culture platforms for drug testing and disease modelling

Brief description:
3D curvature is an important aspect of the cell microenvironment especially if we are talking about stem cells and their differentiation into functional organ-on-chip system. Currently. most of the MPS, and cell culture platforms overlook this important aspect where cells are grown on 2D or 2.5D surfaces or asymmetric organoids. I am developing a morphologically and functionally accurate Gut-on-chip system having highly organized 3D crypt-villi axis. Compared with asymmetric organoid systems such system provides a geometrically accurate and organized system for intestinal stem cell behaviour, colon cancer and drug screening studies. These systems can also provide physical and biochemical cues in defined spatiotemporal manner to the cells affecting cell differentiation, organization, expression of transporters etc. Such systems also enable to more accurately study drug absorption from intestine under conditions where its integrity is compromised such as infection and chemotherapy.

The trainees will learn:

  • Advanced microfabrication.
  • Advanced additive manufacturing.
  • Novel advanced geometrically accurate organoid culture platforms
  • Advanced materials for developing such platforms

CN Bio

Use of Microphysiological Systems (MPS) to de-risk absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) application

Brief description:
Predictive ADMET is a pivotal area in drug discovery. Without thorough ADMET studies, many drug candidates will fail due to poor pharmacokinetic properties, which can affect efficacy or cause toxicity. Opportunities to enhance the predictive power of ADMET studies are on the rise. These include the use of Microphysiological systems (MPS) to overcome the human relevance limitations of traditional in vitro and in vivo approaches.
CN Bio is a leading organ-on-a-chip (OOC) company that offers a portfolio of products and services to optimise the accuracy and efficiency of bringing new medicines to market. The Company’s range of lab-benchtop PhysioMimix® microphysiological systems (MPS) enable researchers to model human biology in the lab through rapid and predictive 3D human tissue-based studies that harness microfluidic technology to provide nutrients and mimic blood flow. The technology bridges the gap between traditional cell culture and human studies, advancing towards the simulation of human biological conditions to support the accelerated and more efficient development of new therapeutics.
During this workshop, CN Bio will discuss how their single and dual-organ MPS models are valuable for more accurately predicting human outcomes. Specifically, we will be focusing on the limitations in the current preclinical ADMET toolbox to characterise drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and a drug’s oral bioavailability. We explain how primary human Liver and Gut/Liver MPSs provide deeper insights into a drugs ADMET behaviour.

The trainees will learn:

  • The limitations of predictive ADMET studies
  • How MPS addresses unmet ADMET needs
  • How to simulate the process of oral absorption and hepatic metabolism
  • How MPS DILI assay enhances preclinical safety studies

AstraZeneca

Human bone marrow on-a-chip for assessing drug safety

Brief description:
In this workshop, we will explore the innovative use of human microphysiological systems (MPS) to enhance the early detection of safety liabilities in oncology drug development. We will focus the discussion on our in vitro bone marrow (BM) MPS, which we have developed to mimic the complex architecture and cellular interactions of living bone marrow. By supporting the simultaneous differentiation of stem/progenitor cells into various blood lineages, all the while maintaining stem/progenitor cells over several weeks, this model allows for comprehensive preclinical assessment of lineage-specific haematotoxicity tied to both monotherapy and combination treatments. In addition to how the model was developed, characterized, and validated with our collaborators at TissUse, workshop participants will also get a glimpse into how we integrate MPS cell toxicity and drug exposure data (by LC/MS) with a quantitative systems toxicology (QST) framework at AstraZeneca to predict patient-specific haematological profiles at a given pharmacokinetic drug exposure, enabling translation of preclinical findings to clinical outcomes. We will also explore other pre-clinical applications of this BM MPS, and discuss the advantages and limitations of this model, and compare it to other available advanced human bone marrow models across industry and academia.

The trainees will learn:
Trainees will gain experience with the following:

  • Advantages of microphysiological systems: How they can better replicate in vivo conditions compared to traditional 2D cell cultures, and may even outperform rat toxicology studies in terms of predicting patient haematological responses to small molecules—contributing to the 3Rs initiative
  • Human bone marrow MPS models: How we developed, characterized and validated our model to study haematological responses to drug treatment, limitations of this model, and how it compares to others out there
  • Lineage-specific toxicity assessment: Strategies for capturing the effects of oncology therapies on different blood cell lineages, enabling nuanced safety evaluations.
  • Integration with quantitative systems toxicology: How to leverage MPS cell toxicity and drug exposure data with a QST framework to analyze and predict the impact of drug exposure on cell dynamics within the human haematopoietic system.
  • Case studies and applications: Review of real-world applications and proof-of-concept studies that showcase the potential for translating MPS and QST findings to improve clinical outcomes for patients undergoing oncology treatments.

This workshop presentation and ensuing discussion will aim to provide insights and practical knowledge applicable across various therapeutic areas with haematological risk.

The Institute for Human Biology (IHB), F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG

Predicting of Oral Bioavailability with the Complementary Approach of MPS Technology and Mechanistic Modelling

Brief description:
Students will learn from a case study about validation of a new MPS to model ADME behaviours of the small intestine, in collaboration with in silico modelers to design experiments efficiently and translate of MPS readouts with mathematical modelling to predict of Fg (the fraction of a drug escaping gut metabolism). Discussions could revolve around future challenges for industry in assay automation and scaling, or balancing between modelling patient diversity and assay uniformity.

The trainees will learn:

  • Bioavailability of compounds and DMPK assessment
  • Compartmental modelling and PK modelling
  • MPS experimental factors for DMPK modelling
  • Existing in vitro systems used to predict the fraction escaping gut metabolism Fg and its contribution to predicting oral bioavailability
  • The opportunities to innovate with MPS and organoid technologies

AIM Biotech

Scalable, Human-Relevant Vascular Microphysiological Systems (MPS) for Drug Screening & Development

Brief description:
Developing physiologically relevant vascular models remains a key challenge in advancing preclinical research. Achieving reproducibility, scalability, and in vivo relevance requires careful consideration of source materials and platform design. In this session, participants will explore how AIM Biotech approaches the development of human-relevant and standardized vascular MPS models for drug screening, disease modeling, and discovery of druggable targets for a range of applications. Participants will examine how vascularized models support barrier integrity, cellular crosstalk, and drug transport studies. Through guided, hands-on activities, attendees will gain experience in setting up and analyzing vascularized MPS models. We will also discuss best practices for achieving reproducibility and highlight how standardized biology and simplified workflows can accelerate experimental design in research and drug development.

The trainees will learn:

  • Best practices for replicating angiogenesis and vasculogenesis on-chip, including hands-on experience to demonstrate media exchange.
  • Applications of vascularized 3D microenvironments for cancer biology and neurobiology models, such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and inner blood-retinal barrier (iBRB).
  • Methodology and advantages of vascularized tumoroids on-chip for immune cell perfusion, drug testing, and disease modeling of solid tumors.
  • Challenges and limitations of AIM Biotech’s technologies.