Pizza, posters, innovations: Biomedical researchers network

In the strategic profile area “Biomedical Systems and Robotics for Health” at the University of Stuttgart, researchers from the biosciences, engineering and data sciences are working together on intelligent biomedical solutions for healthcare. At the end of November, over 100 of them got together in a relaxed atmosphere to network and discuss the latest developments.

The traditional autumn biomedicine workshop was organized this year by 3R-BioMedicUS, an initiative that develops innovative patient models for biomedical research. The term “3R” stands for Replace, Reduce, Refine and represents the initiative’s commitment to replacing, reducing, and refining the use of animal testing.

The “Workshop on Novel Biotherapeutics and Drug Testing Platforms” focused on new platforms for the development of biotherapeutics and drug testing. German and international experts provided information on exciting innovations - from intelligent microrobots for drug delivery to advances in the field of immune cell engineering, revolutionary techniques for modeling scar tissue and more. Pizza and drinks were served during an interactive poster session and there was a lively exchange of ideas.

The workshop also gave four up-and-coming talents from the 3R-BioMedicUS network the opportunity to present their innovative research: Julia Thiel, Stella Asmanidou, Kai Hirzel and Ali Salehi.  All four deal with animal-free patient models. Their work is funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts.

Until now, cancer drugs have mainly been tested using 2D cell cultures and preclinical tumor models in mice. However, these methods fall short of accurately capturing the complexity and diversity of human tumors. Julia Thiel, Stella Asmanidou and Kai Hirzel are working on a joint project to develop new test methods for cancer drugs. The three young researchers are testing different approaches: Julia Thiel conducts research at the Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute for Clinical Pharmacology, a partner of the 3R-BioMedicUS initiative. Thiel is working on the long-term cultivation of patients' own tumor tissue for the evaluation of immunotherapies. Stella Asmanidou, doctoral researcher at the Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology, uses 3D tumor tissue culture platforms to test new cancer drugs and develop optimized treatment strategies. Doctoral researcher student Kai Hirzel from the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems replicates human tissue and tumors from biomaterials and cells. He leverages cutting-edge 3D printing techniques to support his work.

Doctoral researcher Ali Salehi from the Institute of Biomedical Engineering also presented his project. Salehi is researching “green” blood vessels: his replicas of human blood vessels are based on natural tissue isolated from plants. Such models could be used in cardiovascular research, for example.

“Our early career researchers are truly breaking new ground,” commends Prof. Monilola Olayioye, spokesperson for the 3R-BioMedicUS initiative. “Their research plays a pivotal role in driving significant advancements in the development of sustainable patient models. Such models are not only free of animal use but also provide a far more accurate representation of complex human biology than ever before."