Last Thursday, we were proud to host the 2024 Annual ORCAU Symposium! This year’s event brought  together a diverse group of experts from different teams within the Amsterdam UMC and beyond to explore the exciting and evolving applications of organoid models in scientific research.

Keynote Highlights

The symposium began with an inspiring keynote presentation by Jessica Nelson, a renowned molecular biologist from the Institute of Cancer Research in London. She specializes in cancer biology, post-translation modifications, metabolism, and 3D organoid models. During her talk, she captivated the audience with her research on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the deadliest cancers with a 5-year survival rate under 9%. Using 3D organoid models, she has advanced PDAC research by retaining tumor heterogeneity, paving the way for more accurate disease modeling.

Session Spotlight: Insight from Amsterdam UMC researchers

The keynote was followed by a simulating session featuring postdoctoral researchers and a PhD student from Amsterdam UMC.

• Inés García Rodríguez, a postdoc researcher from OrganoVIR Labs began this session with a talk about using motor neurons and neuromuscular organoids to study emerging enteroviruses.
• Jonas Jäger, a PhD student at Skinlab, and his presentation on the cutting-edge advancements in creating vascularized in-vitro models – a crucial step in overcoming the limitations of nutrient diffusion and enhancing the functionality of tissue models for disease research and drug development.
• The session concluded with Jan Piet van Hamburg, Senior Scientist at Tas Group, who showcased the application of 3D organoid models in mimicking the synovial tissue microenvironment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Exploring Multidisciplinary Applications

The day continued with senior researchers and a series of talks that highlighted the vast potential of organoid models.

• Prof. Dr. Clara van Karnebeek from the Emma Center of Personalized Medicine on human disease modelling as an essential stepping stone to develop therapies
• Alessandra Tammaro from RIRE (renal injury and repair) group introduced the Amsterdam Excellence Center for Translational Kidney Research
• And a talk about the innovative use of human trophoblast and human placenta organoids to study pregnancy-related disorders by Gijs Afink, research associate at the Amsterdam UMC’s Laboratory of Reproductive Biology.

Building a collaborative future

At ORCAU, we believe that the key in advancing research on human diseases and biology is to enable the use of human organoids by connecting experts, training researchers, and disseminating organoid research. The symposium showcased the incredible versatility of organoid models in research about human disease. We were thrilled to see that many researchers are aligning with this mission and are so excited about future collaborations that will continue to push the boundaries of organoid research.

We are pleased to announce that on the 21^st of November 2024, ORCAU will host its annual symposium. This event will take place at the O2 building at the Amsterdam UMC location VUMC.

This year we have put together an exciting programme to showcase some of the remarkable work that is being done using organoids within the Amsterdam UMC. Our lineup includes senior researchers, PhDs, and postdocs within the Amsterdam UMC as well as an external keynote speaker, Dr. Jessica Nelson from The Institute of Cancer Research.

To see the full programme, click here.

Interested?

If you would like to be a part of the programme, you can submit an abstract for a poster before the 31^st of October 2024. Please email abstracts to organoidcenter [@] amsterdamumc.nl. For questions, please contact the organization committee using the same email address.

Are you interested in learning more about human organoid technology and how they can be applied in research? Register for the symposium before the 10^th of November 2024!

Last month, on the 28th of June 2024, Amsterdam UMC announced that Tas Group received a grant from ReumaNederland, a foundation supporting research on rheumatoid arthritis.

Grant to study Rheumatoid Arthritis

Tas Group has received a grant of €425,000 from ReumaNederland. With this grant, the group will developorganoids that imitates the inflamed tissue from the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (the most common inflammatory disease of the joints). Ultimately, they aim to test the effects of different treatments in the laboratory thus predicting the therapy response of individual patients. This research is paving the way to a future with more human-centered research and personalized treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

About Tas Group

Tas Group, led by Prof. Dr. Sander Tas and Dr. Jan Piet van Hamburg, mimics the rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissue by using multicellular 3D systems that recapitulate the cell-cell/cell-matrix interactions and key pro-inflammatory mediators present in the inflamed synovium. Their organoid approach can be used to test the effects of novel diagnostic (molecular imaging) and therapeutic compounds, including small molecule inhibitors and biologics. At the same time, by using human-based models, Tas Group paves the way for animal-free research.

On Thursday, 23^rd of November 2023, ORCAU hosted an annual symposium at the Amsterdam UMC. The programme of the symposium included keynote presentations from experts, a round-table discussion, and poster presentations that highlighted some of the extraordinary work that is being done at the Amsterdam UMC. 

The ORCAU Annual Symposium is intended for researchers who are working with human organoids and organotypic models within the Amsterdam UMC. The symposium serves as an opportunity for researchers to showcase the work that they are doing with human organoids and to network with other scientists working within the field. 

The symposium was opened by Prof. Dr. Hans van Goudoever. The line-up of keynote speakers included Dr. Wendy Dankers, Prof. Eric Reits, Dr. Vivi Heine, and Dr. Harsha Devalla, and panelists of the round-table discussion included Dr. Juan Garcia Vallejo, Dr. Michel van Weeghel, Dr. Peter Henneman, and Prof. Eric Reits. 

During the event, Debby Weijers, director of Stichting Proefdiervrij (the Dutch Society for the Replacement of Animal Testing ) gave a brief introduction of the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge; a program that helps scientists set up a venture plan that will push forward animal-free scientific research. She also introduced the winner of the 2023 Venture Challenge, VEO, which consisted of researchers from the Amsterdam UMC.

At the symposium, seven posters were presented by PhD students and technicians working within the Amsterdam UMC. Attendees of the event were encouraged to engage by the posters.  

We would like to thank Stichting Proefdiervrij, ISOGEN, and STEMCELL Technologies for sponsoring our event. We look forward to hosting the next annual symposium. 

Are you interested in joining ORCAU? Contact organoidcenter@amsterdamumc.nl.