Written by Anas Munir & Mara Lucchetti
The 2024 edition of EUROoCS Conference concluded in Milan after three days of bustling activity in the field of Organ-on-Chip (OoC) and microphysiological systems. The packed programme which continued from 3rd July to 5th July, included keynotes from the industry and academia, national Organ-on-Chip initiatives and discussions on policy roadmaps. This year’s EUROoCS conference was the first to be held in Milan, a city no stranger to trendsetters, hosted by the society’s very own, co-chairs Marco Rasponi and Paola Occhetta.
EUROoCS2024 garnered immense interest from the industry evident by over forty sponsors! This year’s conference was attended by a record 670 participants, representing nations worldwide, with 6 keynotes, 61 selected talks and 276 posters.
The programme was divided into four parallel sessions, with a plenary meeting each day and up to three keynotes. Keeping up with the EUROoCS tradition of placing young investigators in the spotlight, the parallel sessions were co-chaired by early-career researchers and members of EUROoCS. The first keynote by Prof Dan Huh of University of Pennsylvania, a pioneer in the field, on Microengineered Biomimicry of Human Physiological Systems.In the plenary session, EUROoCS Chair Prof Andries van der Meer presented the landmark International Roadmap for Organ-on-Chip Standardization, which represents perhaps the most comprehensive policy document entailing the steps to standardize organ-on-chip design and fabrication (for full news article, click here).
The parallel sessions were organized by subject matter, including tumour models, barrier-based models, musculoskeletal systems, biosensors, immune systems with exciting talks on novel OoC models, sensing applications and diverse biomaterials. As in the years before, this year’s edition also hosted the EUROoCS Academy, organized by the EUROoCS training working group, which introduced selected participants to topics such as the use of stem cells to general organ-specific models, in-line sensing and regulatory requirements to translate novel models to industry. A similar theme was present in the keynote address of Prof. Ivan Martin who lectured on how his research revolves around developing human 3D organotypic culture systems for tissue regeneration and disease modelling. Prof. Liesbet Geris’ keynote address took this another step further by discussing how in vitro and in silico tools could be merged to develop a virtual human twin, based on results from OoC models.
EUROoCS2024 introduced seven different national OoC initiatives, which included the hDMT Organ on Chip Consortium from Netherlands, SiOC from Italy, Center of Excellence in Body on Chip Research from Finland, the Portugal Organ on Chip Initiative, Organ on Chip Technologies Network from the UK, Project OrChESTRA from Turkey and F3OCI from France, with many state-of-the-art innovative projects under development.
EUROoCS2024 was unique in the aspect that it involved all the various stakeholders of OoC research, not just academia. In line with that, Sonja Beken of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) 3R Working Group, gave a keynote address about the roadmap towards Regulatory Acceptance of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in the Development and Approval of Pharmaceuticals. Such was also the focus of the Round Table discussions as well, which explored not just the use of OoCs for testing of medicinal products but also on the use of microphysiological systems in space research. This was also the topic of the keynote address by Kimberly Homan, who represented the industry giant Genentech and talked about the need of developing drugs using novel OoC platforms. Indeed, Prof Yaakov Nahmias’ keynote address gave the participants a snapshot of how drug testing is being done using bionic human microtissues with electronic sensors.
No conference is complete without an opportunity to bring the smartest minds together in a rather jovial and relaxed environment, and Milan is not short of incredible venues for such an ambience. Keeping that in mind, the social dinner was organized at the historic National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci. Participants were given the opportunity for not just networking but also to explore the largest collection of the works of Leonardo da Vinci, under a guided tour.
This year was also the time of making connections for the members of the four Working Groups of EUROoCS who met in person, as a break from online meetings, to plan and strategize the routine working of the society and to prepare for the next year’s conference, which will be held in collaboration with the Microphysiological Systems World Summit (MPS) in Brussels, Belgium.
All good things must come to an end, and like that EUROoCS2024 was concluded on the 5th of July with closing remarks from the conference chairs Marco Rasponi and Paola Occhetta. Important contributions were acknowledged and praised by awards, this time divided into junior and senior categories. The best poster award in the junior category was shared by Shima Salehi and Mattia Ballerini, with Valentin Wegner as a close runners-up. The best poster award in the senior category went to Julia Roosz, with Nuria Roldan coming in second and Niels Van Ingen in third. The best oral presentation award in the junior category went to Manuel Carrasco Yagüe, with Henrique Nogueira Pinto and Andrew I Morrison in second and third respectively. The same award in the senior category was awarded to Andrea Mainardi, with Mara Lucchetti in second and the third place shared by Yael Bardoogo and Mar Cóndor.
As we wrap up this year’s event, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the local organizers for their incredible effort and dedication in making it a great success. Your hard work and enthusiasm have truly shone through. We look forward to seeing you all next year at the iMPSS in Brussels. Until then, thank you and see you soon!
