iL-CURRENT
February 25, 2025
LIFE SCIENCE TECH DAY: Human organs on a chip
Organ-on-chip (OoC) technology simulates human organs on a microscopic level - and is revolutionizing drug testing, reducing costs and animal testing and saving lives. InnovationLab will discuss the topic "Advancing personalized medicine: A spotlight on organ-on-chip" in detail in a workshop on Tuesday, 29 April (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.). We are expecting experts from science, industry and innovative institutions to attend LIFE SCIENCE TECH DAY.
OoC systems are now sophisticated
Personalized medicine and organ-on-chip (OoC) technologies in particular are changing our approach to life sciences. Specialists offer more precise, scalable and ethical ways of developing new drugs and modeling diseases on chips the size of a thumb or, at most, the size of a smartphone. OoC systems are now extremely sophisticated and include microfluidics, 3D cell cultures and, in some cases, sensors for real-time measurements. Interactions are simulated and the immense advances in 3D printing and personalized cell sources mean that precision methods can be continuously improved and OoC models for preclinical testing can be tested more efficiently.
Indeed, all of these innovations have the potential to change lives - they can tailor therapies to individual patients, accelerate drug discovery and - in the medium to long term - reduce our reliance on animal testing.
Ideal place for networking: The workshop will take place in the tower at Speyerer Straße 4. On 29 April 2025, it will be the third in the field of life science technologies that InnovationLab has organized since 2023. Image: InnovationLab
Dr. Reza Taale: "Incredible potential"
"This workshop is about demonstrating the incredible potential of personalized medicine, highlighting how organ-on-chip technologies - such as microfluidics, 3D bioprinting, biosensors and automation, etc. - make this possible," says Dr. Reza Taale, Cluster Manager at iL. - Our goal is to establish InnovationLab as a fresh and dynamic player in this field and bring together experts from academia, industry and innovation centers to stimulate new ideas and collaborations."
The target group for this interdisciplinary event at the end of April are researchers from the fields of OoC systems, microfluidics, 3D bioprinting, spatial biology and personalized medicine, as well as representatives of pharmaceutical companies, industrial sectors specializing in biotech and application technologies, start-ups and entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, start-up advisors and public institutions that want to provide targeted support for innovations and funding in the life sciences.
Dr. Reza Taale in front of the cleanroom and Nanosribe's Quantum X bio: "Our goal is to bring together experts from science, industry and innovation centers to stimulate new ideas and collaborations." Picture: InnovationLab
Keynote speech by Dr. Elena Kromidas from the 3R Center
The highlights of the workshop will be a keynote speech by Dr. Elena Kromidas (3R-Center Tübingen) and a panel discussion led by moderator Dr. Friedemann Loos, Innovation Manager, molecular biologist and PRECISEU project manager at the BioRN life science cluster in Heidelberg, with four protagonists from the fields of biopharma and medicine. This will be followed by a session with expert presentations and a subsequent table discussion. A pitch organized by the start-up investor club "PALATINA Business Angels Rhein-Neckar e.V." is being planned and is currently being finalized.
In between, there will be plenty of time for an exchange of ideas and intensive networking. Interested parties can also take a guided "Tour de InnovationLab" to familiarize themselves with the special iL infrastructure, including our biolabs and the S1 cleanroom. "We want to create a space where groundbreaking research can shine, innovators can network and strategic partnerships can grow," explains Reza Taale, "this event is an opportunity for partners and InnovationLab itself to deepen partnerships by building consortia together for future funding opportunities, attracting start-ups and researchers with big innovative ideas, and thus strengthening the life sciences ecosystem in our region."
Collaborations are targeted
The Rhine-Neckar life science region is called upon to collaborate in order to advance sustainable organ-on-chip technology. All the more so because the development of a new drug is a complex and costly process that takes an average of 13 years. According to an analysis by management consultants Deloitte, the average cost of developing a new drug is around 2.3 billion US dollars.
Workshop in brief
Title:
"Further development of personalized medicine: A spotlight on organ-on-chip"
When?
Tuesday, April 29 (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
Where?
Speyerer Straße 4 in Heidelberg, premises "iL.Connect.Space " of InnovationLab
Note:
The LIFE SCIENCE TEC DAY will be held in English.
Participation fee:
25 euros (start-ups and academia); 49 euros (industry)
Contact person:
iL Cluster Manager Dr. Reza Taale, phone +49 (0) 157 806 444 92, e-mail reza.taale@innovationlab.de
Joachim Klaehn
Head of Communications
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