iL‒CURRENT
January 29, 2026
How intelligent biological models are changing drug screening
rethink
Development of platforms for next generation for disease modeling and drug screening: "GENESIS 26 – The LIFE SCIENCE TECH DAY
For decades, drug discovery has been hampered by Eroom's Law: research and development costs are rising exponentially, while so-called "translational gaps" between animal models and humans lead to a failure rate of around 90 percent. With the advent of intelligent biological models, this vicious cycle can finally be broken. Driven by the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 and the human-centered roadmaps of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the industry is moving away from animal testing toward patient-derived organoids and organ-on-chip technologies. However, the real revolution lies in the convergence of biology, engineering, and artificial intelligence. The challenge today is no longer just to cultivate cells, but to bridge the gap between wet lab biology and highly scalable data science.
How can increasingly complex biological models be translated into better, faster, and more robust decisions in drug discovery? And what happens when 3D cell models, organ-on-chip technologies, automation, sensor technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) are no longer viewed in isolation, but as a coherent, integrated system?
This is precisely where" GENESIS 26 – The LIFE SCIENCE TECH DAY" comes in with its interdisciplinary approach. Organized by InnovationLab, the workshop will take place onMarch 12 ( 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) atthe FRAUENBAD in Heidelberg's historic old indoor swimming pool. Experts from the fields of biology, engineering, automation, and data science will come together to explore what the future of preclinical research might look like – integrated, data-driven, and decision-oriented.
What might the future hold for preclinical research? Experts from Germany and abroad will discuss this topic at length on March 12 at the "GENESIS 26 – The LIFE SCIENCE TECH DAY" conference. Here is a symbolic scene from the last life science workshop at the InnovationLab in April 2025. Image: Lukas Adler
Integratedscreening platform and shared think tank for sustainable decisions
The strategic guiding principle is clear: the transition from isolated innovations to an integrated screening platform—a platform that realistically models biological systems, understands their status in real time, intelligently analyzes data, and derives robust, actionable decisions. "GENESIS 26 – The LIFE SCIENCE TECH DAY" is therefore less of a traditional conference and more of a shared space for ideas. A space where future technologies are brought together to redefine drug screening.
This approach is in line with InnovationLab's vision: to gradually establish itself as a technology transfer platform in the innovative fields of life sciences and clean tech, to drive innovation forward, and to find partners for this endeavor. "GENESIS 26 – The LIFE SCIENCE TECH DAY" will take place on March 12. Shared knowledge creates progress.
"Our goal is to develop new tools in the fight against cancer. In my view, this is an important goal that motivates us to do our best every day," says Dr. Michael Kröger, Managing Director of InnovationLab.
How do Lightning talks and discussions about an integrated screeningplatform?
GENESIS 26 deliberately focuses on lightning talks—short, focused impulses instead of ready-made answers. They shed light on key questions, open up new perspectives, and generate productive friction. This is precisely where their catalytic effect on discussion and collaboration lies.
In the subsequent breakout session, these ideas will be taken up, explored in greater depth, and critically discussed. At the end, answers to the workshop's overarching question will emerge: How can all these technologies be meaningfully linked together?
Impulses shed light on key questions and generate productive friction: Participants in Heidelberg are definitely offered new perspectives on exciting topics in the life sciences. Image: Lukas Adler
Background: State of research
Why are classical cell cultures for modern drug screening not any ?
Conventional, two-dimensional cell cultures are simple and well established—but increasingly inadequate. Although they are scalable, they lack the spatial architecture and interactions with the extracellular matrix that significantly determine actual cell behavior. In 2D cultures, cells often undergo "dedifferentiation" and lose their specialized functions and gene expression profiles typical of the human body. The result is the well-known "translational gap": promising results in the Petri dish that are not confirmed in vivo.
3D cell models and microphysiological systems go much further in this regard. Spheroids, organoids, or cells embedded in hydrogels grow three-dimensionally, enable genuine cell-cell interactions, and generate realistic oxygen and nutrient gradients. Organ-on-chip technologies extend these models to include microfluidic flows, mechanical forces such as respiration or pulsation, and often multiple cell types simultaneously.
The result is miniaturized, functional tissue and organ models that represent human physiology much more realistically—enabling more precise and reliable decisions in drug screening. This is precisely where their greatest strength lies.
How can complex biological models scalable and suitable for industrial use ?
As powerful as 3D models and organ-on-chip systems are, their production is challenging. To make the leap from a "boutique laboratory innovation" to an industrial tool, complex biological models must overcome the reproducibility-scalability paradox. The transition is based on three pillars: standardization, automation, and digitization.
Biological variability is the enemy of industrial processes. Scalability requires replacing manual and variable steps with standardized components—defined matrices and precise engineering. For a model to be "screenable," it must be integrable into existing high-throughput screening (HTS) workflows—for example, through robot-assisted culture systems and microfluidic integration. However, industrial scaling is not just about quantity, but above all about the speed of data for decision-making. In-situ sensor technology and AI-supported analysis are crucial for this.
This is precisely where the three sessions of "GENESIS 26" come in: automated biofabrication, integrated microphysiological systems, and end-to-end automation. The presentations will show how manual laboratory work can be converted into standardized, reproducible processes. Topics discussed include 3D bioprinting of cells, bioinks, and tissues, robotics-assisted cell culture, automated chip loading and assembly, and inline quality control using sensors and imaging.
The goal is clear: to make biological complexity manageable through automation, standardization, and scalability. At the same time, integrated microphysiological systems (MPS) are coming into focus—systems that combine multiple organs, sensors, actuators, and data analysis in a single platform.
"We understand how cells work. In real time."
How can we living tissue in real time understand instead of just only cultivating cultivate them?
Living tissues are not static systems. Without continuous measurement, they remain largely black boxes. To move from merely observing a culture to truly understanding it, we must move away from endpoint assays—experiments that are destroyed for data collection—and toward non-invasive, continuous monitoring. This transforms a static model into an interactive data stream.
The second session, Bioelectronics & Sensing for Live Tissues, therefore shifts the focus from manufacturing to measurability and control. Bioelectronics connects electronic systems directly to cells and tissues. Integrated sensors also enable non-destructive real-time monitoring of pH values, oxygen, glucose, lactate, metabolites, mechanical forces, or electrical signals.
The paradigm shift is clear and far-reaching: away from "We cultivate something" to "We understand how cells work. In real time."
What role does artificial intelligence in experiments which themselves learn ?
In the context of intelligent biological models, artificial intelligence acts as a central nervous system that transforms passive experiments into autonomous discovery loops. It goes beyond pure data analysis and enables "active learning," in which the system determines its next steps itself. The third session, AI for Imaging & Automation, forms the intelligent, future-oriented decision-making framework of "GENESIS 26."
AI-based image analysis translates complex image data from living systems into quantitative, reproducible biological insights—from automated segmentation and the detection of phenotypes, stress responses, or toxicity to time series analysis in live imaging.
Building on this, the session focuses on automated experiments: systems that adapt themselves based on the data generated. Dosages, stimulation parameters, flow rates, and culture durations are adjusted dynamically. The AI learns from the data—while humans define the goals.
The central question is: What happens when experiments are not only automated, but actively learn from themselves?
Author Joachim Klaehn
Workshop at a Glance
"GENESIS 26 – The LIFE SCIENCE TECH DAY:
Title:
Engineering Next-Generation Platforms for Disease Modeling and Drug Screening
When?
Thursday, March 12, 2026 (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
Where?
WOMEN'S POOL in the Old Indoor Swimming Pool in Heidelberg, Bergheimer Straße 45, 69115 Heidelberg
Note:
GENESIS 26 – The LIFE SCIENCE TECH DAY will be held in English.
Participation Fee:
70.00 euros / 30.00 euros (students)
Contact:
iL‒Cluster‒Manager Dr. Reza Taale, Tel. +49 (0) 157 806 444 92, E‒Mail reza.taale@innovationlab.de
Catering:
Sufficient catering will be provided at the FRAUENBAD premises on March 12.
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