Stimulation of Multiple Organoids Simultaneously

Project Information

STIMOS

Grant agreement ID: 842804

DOI

10.3030/842804

Project closed

EC signature date 12 April 2019

Start date 2 September 2019

End date 1 September 2021

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 203 149,44

EU contribution

€ 203 149,44

Coordinated by

MAXWELL BIOSYSTEMS AG
Switzerland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - STIMOS (Stimulation of Multiple Organoids Simultaneously)

Reporting period: 2019-09-02 to 2021-09-01

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Visual impairment affects approximately 26 million Europeans (WHO 2010): 2.5 million of these people are blind and 23.8 million have reduced vision. In France, Germany, Italy, and the UK the estimated cost for treatment is €47 billion per year. To date the majority of efficacy and safety testing in ophthalmological drug development is performed on animal models (rodents and rabbits), while these provide significant insight, they fall short of accurately modelling the complex structure of the human retina. With significant scientific advances in generation of in vitro human retinas by stem cell technology and industrial interest for vision restoration, STIMOS project aims to develop a system for simultaneous light stimulation of multiple retinal samples. STIMOS will be used in combination with MaxTwo, a multi-well high-resolution MEA platform for drug testing and sample functional studies, in order to test preclinical visual restoration techniques. STIMOS project enabled the grantee to transition from academic environment to industry. Within the STIMOS project, the grantee used his scientific and technical skills to develop a product prototype, which can be commercially exploited by MaxWell Biosystems.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The main worked performed during STIMOS project includes:
- A market study on light stimulation modules for use with microelectrode arrays.
- Development and testing of fully customizable stimulation hardware and software capable of inducing light mediated electrical activity in retina and 3D human retinal organoids.
- A tissue holder suitable for multi-well microelectrode array application.
- A multi-well LED based stimulation device, packaged in a multi-well platform compatible format.
MaxWell Biosystems is currently integrating the STIMOS prototype into a perfusion system.
MaxWell Biosystems is currently performing a customer survey, in order to learn how many laboratories plan to adopt STIMOS platform in the next 2 years.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

In the past two decades, mice have been extensively used to study the mammalian visual system and as models of human retinal diseases, due to the availability of transgenic mouse lines that enabled labeling and manipulation of genetically-defined neuronal populations. The availability of functional human retinal organoids for studying cell types, neural circuits and mechanisms of vision opened new frontiers to model and find cures for human eye diseases.
STIMOS platform can record and identify retinal ganglion cell mosaics in a high throughput per well (>1000 RGCs per well). HD-MEA technology featured in STIMOS platform is particularly suited for recording retinal output due to (1) full accessibility of all neurons, (2) electrodes with the largest spike amplitude can be chosen for spike extraction (3) each neuron will have unique action potential spatial profile or distribution. STIMOS allows to classify retinal ganglion cell electrophysiological activity in human retinal organoids. Importantly, STIMOS enables scientists to test effectiveness of therapies for blindness and assess their of functionality in distinct classes of retinal ganglion cells types. Furthermore, STIMOS delivers accurate and multiparametric new datasets for machine learning and advanced algorithms. Long-term, this approach will allow to test and assess personalized eye therapies for vision diseases.

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