Advanced 3D Cellular Models

Thursday, 20 April • 10:15 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.

This track aims to provide an overview of the latest developments in 3D cellular models and explore how they can increase pre-clinical accuracy. The discussions will focus on when and why specific model systems may be used and how they can improve the understanding of diseases and the development of effective drugs. Attendees will gain an understanding of the use and efficiency of new model systems from experts in the field.

Session Chair:

Per Setterberg (Iscaffpharma)
Setterberg is the CEO of Iscaffpharma with a professional background in business development, sales and marketing with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and healthcare industry. He is a member of the board at Direktkonsult and Mevia. Setterberg received a bachelor of economy focused in Economics from the Gothenburg University School of Business and a bachelor of law from Lunds University.

Speakers:

Reiner Wimmer, Ph.D. (Roche)
Engineering Organoids and Organ-On-Chip Models of the Human Vasculature
Wimmer holds a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna and currently works as a principal scientist at Roche (pRED) in Basel, Switzerland. In his postdoc Reiner developed a novel human stem cell derived blood vessel organoid system (vascular organoids) which he used to gain novel insights into diabetic vascular complications. His work has been awarded by the Elizabeth-Lutz award of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, has led to the foundation of a biotech company (Angios Biotech) and to the commercialisation of a vascular organoid media kit by STEMCELL Technologies. Reiner joined Roche in 2020 to lead an innovation project on functional vascularization. During this time, Reiner and the team developed a robust immune-competent vascular model that is now used for preclinical drug testing.

Etienne De Braekeleer, M.S., Ph.D. (AstraZeneca)
Organoids the Missing Link Between Cell Lines and Patients?
De Braekeleer received his Ph.D. from the Medical Faculty in Brest, France, and was awarded a postdoc fellowship from the German Cancer Center in Heidelberg where he joined Andreas Trumpp’s lab. During his second postdoc at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, with George S. Vassiliou and Kosuke Yusa, he performed several genome-wide CRISPR screens and validated several potential therapeutic targets. Now working as a senior research scientist at AstraZeneca, De Braekeleer is the scientific lead of the lung organoid program, where he's developed several organoid capabilities to support various oncology and biopharma programs.

Catarina Brito, Ph.D. (Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica)
3D Innate Immune Microenvironment Models for Translational Research in Disease Progression and Therapeutic Response
Brito earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry & cell biology and is a principal investigator of ITQB NOVA University of Lisbon (PT), heading the Advanced Cell Models Lab of the Animal Cell Technology Unit of iBET (PT) since 2014. Her research focuses on developing human cell models, employing induced pluripotent stem cells, other patient-derived cells and cell lines, and on applying those novel models to study the deregulation of the cell microenvironment in disease and evaluate its role in therapeutic response. Brito has published 81 papers, 21 as the corresponding author and eight book chapters, receiving a total of over 3,100 citations (h-index 28); she is co-inventor of one patent and was awarded the Scientific Merit Prize of NOVA University of Lisbon in 2015.

Tudor Petreus M.D., Ph.D. (CN Bio Innovations Ltd)
A Microphysiological Platform to Translate PK/PD Profiles and to Explore Anti-Cancer Therapies Efficacy on 3D Tumour Spheroids and Patient Derived Organoids

Maryna Panamarova, Ph.D. (Wellcome Sanger Institute)
The Use of Automated Liquid Dispensing to Implement a Quantitative Live-cell Imaging Assay for Organoid Disease Model