Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EUROoC (Interdisciplinary training network for advancing Organ-on-a-chip technology in Europe)
Période du rapport: 2018-12-01 au 2020-11-30
EUROoC has created a trans-European network of industrially oriented specialists fully trained in development and application of the emerging Organ-on-a-chip (OoC) technology. OoC technology is advancing at breath taking pace due to its potential impact in drug development and personalised treatments of disease. New researchers entering this field must be equipped with a multidisciplinary background ranging from cell biology and toxicology to biomaterial and microsystem engineering. EUROoC offers the first complete and coherent European training program on OoC by gathering multidisciplinary participants (biologists, physicists, chemists, engineers) in a multi-sectoral network composed of 8 companies (7 SMEs), 2 regulation entities, and 14 academic institutions. EUROoC will qualify the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists for all aspects of OoC development and utilisation, including understanding of commercialisation pathways and regulatory aspects. EUROoC furthermore comprises a collection of innovative research projects addressing the development of advanced OoC systems with higher physiological significance going beyond current state of the art. The EUROoC project will create advanced OoCs, which closely recapitulate properties of the respective organ tissues in vivo regarding cell types, microenvironment, organ-specific tissue structure and function as well as concepts for the interconnection of individual OoCs. The OoC systems will enable monitoring and analysing tissue functionality and response in situ by integrating various novel sensing elements. The OoCs developed will be pre-validated with the regulatory partners through in vitro-in vivo correlations. The research and training program will increase European competitiveness sustainably in this emerging key technology.
In summary, the EUROoC project focuses on three objectives:
- To support of innovative research projects, which together target the development of advanced Organ-on-a-chip systems with higher physiological significance that go beyond the culture of monolayers on inert membranes and that directly integrate endpoint analysis.
- To train the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists to be adept in all aspects of OoC development and utilisation. The initiative provides comprehensively trained scientists that increase the competitiveness of the European industry in this key technology.
- To create a trans-European network of interdisciplinary specialists working on different aspects of Organ-on-a-chip development from academic institutions, industrial infrastructure providers, and regulatory agencies.
In summary, the EUROoC project focuses on three objectives:
- To support of innovative research projects, which together target the development of advanced Organ-on-a-chip systems with higher physiological significance that go beyond the culture of monolayers on inert membranes and that directly integrate endpoint analysis.
- To train the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists to be adept in all aspects of OoC development and utilisation. The initiative provides comprehensively trained scientists that increase the competitiveness of the European industry in this key technology.
- To create a trans-European network of interdisciplinary specialists working on different aspects of Organ-on-a-chip development from academic institutions, industrial infrastructure providers, and regulatory agencies.
Since the beginning of the EUROoC project, the consortium has achieved considerable progress in the establishment of a sustainable network, initiated a number of research projects, and produced already a wide range of results:
As there has been a lack of a coordinated effort on OoC research in Europe, this consortium was a first step in bringing together key academic groups with researchers and entrepreneurs from industry and experts from governmental agencies. During the initial project months, the project management framework was established, which includes the set-up of Boards & Committees, meeting formats as well as reporting guidelines and templates. The Consortium Agreement was negotiated and agreed on and a NDA with all partner organisations was signed before project commencement. During this first period, communication procedures and tools were developed to ensure a smooth exchange of information and research related topics. Dissemination paths were established, e.g. the project website, a Twitter account and LinkedIn page, press releases, as well as the biannual project newsletter, which currently has 152 subscribers. Furthermore, the IPR Action plan was developed and is updated annually.
The recruitment process for the 15 ESR positions was successfully completed. 14 position were filled by month 8. With beginning of month 12 all positions were filled with a gender balance of women/men of 64% to 36%. Each ESR has compiled a personal development plan and wrote project reports on the scientific work. Four project meetings were organised and conducted: The EUROoC kick-off meeting (M1), as well as the EUROoC ESR kick-off meeting (M8), a M14 meeting including successful mid-term and a M20 Meeting, conducted online due to the pandemic. Three consortium meetings included progress presentations of the ESRs and training in scientific and complementary skills. During the lock-down in most European countries, the ESRs also worked on videos about their respective projects published on the website.
The research work of the ESRs has progressed as planned with minor adjustments due to the pandemic. OoC systems with controlled mechanical properties for heart and bone have been developed. 3D bone models include controlled matrices. 3D heart tissues are based on human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and cardiac fibroblasts. Furthermore, barrier-on-chip models of retina, lung, gut, and microvasculature have been developed and sensors integrated (optical sensors for pO2, pH, and glucose as well as bead-based assays for cytokine detection) to monitor changes in cell morphology and in cell culture conditions in real-time and in minute sample volumes. Lastly, advanced metabolising OoC models of the human gut, liver, and white adipose tissue (WAT) were established. The focus, thereby, was on the following three main tasks: 1) integration of on-chip sensor capability for on-line analysis, 2) assembling of organ-models based on iPSC technology, and 3) the inclusion of immune cells into the OoC models.
As there has been a lack of a coordinated effort on OoC research in Europe, this consortium was a first step in bringing together key academic groups with researchers and entrepreneurs from industry and experts from governmental agencies. During the initial project months, the project management framework was established, which includes the set-up of Boards & Committees, meeting formats as well as reporting guidelines and templates. The Consortium Agreement was negotiated and agreed on and a NDA with all partner organisations was signed before project commencement. During this first period, communication procedures and tools were developed to ensure a smooth exchange of information and research related topics. Dissemination paths were established, e.g. the project website, a Twitter account and LinkedIn page, press releases, as well as the biannual project newsletter, which currently has 152 subscribers. Furthermore, the IPR Action plan was developed and is updated annually.
The recruitment process for the 15 ESR positions was successfully completed. 14 position were filled by month 8. With beginning of month 12 all positions were filled with a gender balance of women/men of 64% to 36%. Each ESR has compiled a personal development plan and wrote project reports on the scientific work. Four project meetings were organised and conducted: The EUROoC kick-off meeting (M1), as well as the EUROoC ESR kick-off meeting (M8), a M14 meeting including successful mid-term and a M20 Meeting, conducted online due to the pandemic. Three consortium meetings included progress presentations of the ESRs and training in scientific and complementary skills. During the lock-down in most European countries, the ESRs also worked on videos about their respective projects published on the website.
The research work of the ESRs has progressed as planned with minor adjustments due to the pandemic. OoC systems with controlled mechanical properties for heart and bone have been developed. 3D bone models include controlled matrices. 3D heart tissues are based on human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and cardiac fibroblasts. Furthermore, barrier-on-chip models of retina, lung, gut, and microvasculature have been developed and sensors integrated (optical sensors for pO2, pH, and glucose as well as bead-based assays for cytokine detection) to monitor changes in cell morphology and in cell culture conditions in real-time and in minute sample volumes. Lastly, advanced metabolising OoC models of the human gut, liver, and white adipose tissue (WAT) were established. The focus, thereby, was on the following three main tasks: 1) integration of on-chip sensor capability for on-line analysis, 2) assembling of organ-models based on iPSC technology, and 3) the inclusion of immune cells into the OoC models.
It has been widely recognised that OoC technology has the potential to be the next decade’s game changer that the pharmaceutical industry has been looking for. However, the actual socio-economic impact will reach far beyond this industry sector, as the technology might replace a substantial portion of animal experimentation. Currently, most OoC systems are primarily used in the developing researcher’s labs, due to the lack of interaction and knowledge exchange among academic research actors and non-academic stakeholders.
One expected result of EUROoC is the development of the involved ESRs to future leaders highly trained in interdisciplinary and intersectoral aspects. The project will train mobile researchers with key skills ready for future leadership roles in OoC research & innovation. Thereto, the project will establish sustainable training programmes across Europe by organising workshops and promoting training opportunities, even after EUROoC has ended.
A further expected result of EUROoC is a trans-European collaboration platform for OoC research and implementation of joint doctoral programmes based on cooperation between academia and industry. This will help to promote the innovation capacity of EU Member States by training young researchers the entrepreneurial mind-set and by providing them with ideas, tools, and skills to create the next meaningful innovations as well as to contribute to sustaining European growth and competitiveness.
A third expected result is the establishment and pre-validation of novel OoC platforms that can be easily transferred to end-users. The OoC models will thereby range from heart-on-a-chip, bone-on-a-chip, retina-on-a-chip, lung-on-a-chip, adipose-on-a-chip, gut-on-a-chip to liver-on-a-chip systems.
One expected result of EUROoC is the development of the involved ESRs to future leaders highly trained in interdisciplinary and intersectoral aspects. The project will train mobile researchers with key skills ready for future leadership roles in OoC research & innovation. Thereto, the project will establish sustainable training programmes across Europe by organising workshops and promoting training opportunities, even after EUROoC has ended.
A further expected result of EUROoC is a trans-European collaboration platform for OoC research and implementation of joint doctoral programmes based on cooperation between academia and industry. This will help to promote the innovation capacity of EU Member States by training young researchers the entrepreneurial mind-set and by providing them with ideas, tools, and skills to create the next meaningful innovations as well as to contribute to sustaining European growth and competitiveness.
A third expected result is the establishment and pre-validation of novel OoC platforms that can be easily transferred to end-users. The OoC models will thereby range from heart-on-a-chip, bone-on-a-chip, retina-on-a-chip, lung-on-a-chip, adipose-on-a-chip, gut-on-a-chip to liver-on-a-chip systems.