OpenTox Virtual Conference 2022
Biology-inspired Microphysiological Systems to Advance Patient Benefit and Animal Welfare in Drug Development
Microphysiological systems (MPS) that aspire to emulate human biology in vitro – have proven to be a powerful tool in basic research and the drug development process. Their ability to host three-dimensional organ models in a controlled microenvironment under constant media perfusion enables them to create and maintain homeostasis. Their increased physiological relevance enhances the translatability of assay readouts and results to the human situation. By providing preclinical and toxicological assays with great predictive power a global paradigm shift in drug development is envisaged. Various dedicated research programs in Europe, Asia and US governmental initiative have led recently to the first industrially relevant achievements of human single- and multi-organ MPS. The new opportunities for the application of these systems, as well as important challenges in realizing the full potential of this technology will be addressed. The level of qualification of MPS-based assays for a given context of use and a communication gap between stakeholders are the major challenges for industrial adoption by end users while the potential of MPS based human disease models to feed back into laboratory animal replacement in basic life science research stands. A roadmap into the future will be outlined, to allow for more predictive and regulatory-accepted drug testing on a global scale.
CV: Dr. Beren Atac Wagegg is a Senior Scientist and Project Manager at TissUse GmbH. She holds a Ph.D. in Medical Biotechnology from the TU Berlin, Germany. She is an expert in tissue engineering and the development of new multi-organ-chips-based prototypes for numerous applications and worked on establishing various chip-based assays. She coordinates various projects, aiming for standardized chip-based assays. Beren Atac Wagegg joined TissUse in 2010, a company that has developed the Multi-Organ-Chip platforms. It is dedicated to advance the preclinical insight on the systemic level using human tissue to predict toxicity, ADME profiles, and efficacy in vitro, to reduce and replace laboratory animal testing.