Organoids, Organ-on-Chip, and In Silico Models are revolutionizing biomedical and pharmaceutical research, ushering in a new era of experimentation. Organoids replicate the structure and function of human organs, providing a physiologically relevant platform for disease modeling and drug testing. Organ-on-Chip systems recreate human organ microenvironments, offering dynamic conditions for drug assessment. Meanwhile, In Silico Models, powered by computational simulations, accelerate drug discovery by analyzing complex biological processes. These advanced models enhance research accuracy, efficiency, and human relevance—reducing reliance on animal testing and driving progress in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.
THE 3R LÄND Conference
Following the overwhelming success of the first edition, the 3R-Center Tübingen for In vitro Models and Alternatives to Animal Testing at the University of Tübingen and the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute in Reutlingen, is excited to host the second THE 3R LÄND Conference in the heart of THE LÄND, Tübingen, Germany.
This conference brings together leading experts from academia, clinical research, industry, regulatory agencies, and policymaking to explore cutting-edge advancements in the field. We invite you to join us from March 24-26, 2026, for an engaging program featuring keynote lectures, scientific presentations, poster sessions, and ample networking opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange!
Meet our generous 2026 Sponsors:
Meet the THE 3R LÄND Team
Organizing Committee
- Prof. Peter Loskill
- Dr. Pauline Jeckel
- Dr. Hanna Vuorenpää
- Lisa Ickert
- Marlene Fritsch
Scientific Committee
- Dr. Julia Rogal
- Dr. André Rosa
- Dr. Madalena Cipriano
- Dr. Hanna Vuorenpää
- Dr. Florian Wimmers
- Dr. Julia Marzi
- Dr. André Koch
- Prof. Peter Loskill
Conference Venue
The Conference will take place at the Morgenstelle Auditorium Center of the University of Tübingen.
Auditorium Center
Auf der Morgenstelle 16
72076 Tübingen
Germany
Program
THE 3R LÄND Conference will take place from March 24 at 1:00 PM to March 26 at 4:30 PM. The detailed program will be published in January.
Accessibility
The building is barrier-free and accessible at all levels.
Arrival via Public Transportation
We strongly recommend utilizing public transportation for your convenience. The nearest bus stop is “BG Unfallklinik, Tübingen”, served by bus lines 5, 13, 14, 17, 18, and 20. These buses provide easy access from the city center to the University Campus “Morgenstelle”. From the bus stop, the auditorium center is just a short 500 m-walk away (5-10 minutes). Both the path and the auditorium center itself are fully accessible for individuals with mobility needs.
Parking
Please note that there are no parking spaces available at the venue itself. However, paid parking is accessible along Schnarrenbergstraße. Be sure to obtain a parking ticket to avoid any inconvenience.
Venue Conference Dinner
The Conference Dinner will take place on Wednesday, March 25th, 2026 at Neckawa Brewery (starting at 07:30 pm).
Neckawa Brewery
Wöhrdstraße 25
72072 Tübingen
Germany
Accessibility
The building is barrier-free and accessible at all levels.
Arrival via Public Transportation
We strongly recommend utilizing public transportation for your convenience. The nearest bus stop is “Tübingen Neckarbrücke”, served by bus lines 5, 13, 17, 18, and 19. These buses provide easy access from the bus stop “BG Unfallklinik, Tübingen” to downtown Tübingen. From the bus stop, the event location is just a short 350 m-walk away (5 minutes).
Parking
Paid parking is accessible at “Neckarparkhaus” (Wöhrdstraße 11, 72072 Tübingen). Be sure to obtain a parking ticket to avoid any inconvenience.
Hotel Recommendations
Below you will find a list of hotels in the immediate vicinity of the venue:
| Hotel & Website | Address | Distance to the venue (by public transportation) |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Krone (room contingent available*) | Uhlandstrasse 1, 72072 Tübingen | ~ 17 min |
| Hotel Alte Krone | Kreuzstraße 21, 72074 Tübingen | ~ 28 min |
| Hotel Ibis Style (room contingent available*) | Friedrichstraße 20, 72072 Tübingen | ~ 21 min |
|
GZT Gästehaus (room contingent available*)
|
Hoppe-Seyler-Straße 6, 72076 Tübingen | ~ 10 min |
| Hotel Metora | Weizsäckerstraße 1, 72074 Tübingen | ~ 24 min |
| Hotel Barbarina | Wilhelmstraße 94, 72074 Tübingen | ~ 21 min |
| Hotel Domizil | Wöhrdstrasse 5-9, 72072 Tübingen | ~ 19 min |
| Hotel Katharina Garni | Lessingweg 2, 72076 Tübingen | ~ 18 min |
| Hotel Restaurant “Kreuzberg” (room contingent available*) | Vor dem Kreuzberg 23, 72070 Tübingen | ~ 24 min |
| Hotel am Schloss | Burgsteige 18, 72070 Tübingen | ~ 24 min |
| Hotel Venezia | Dieselstraße 2, 72074 Tübingen-Lustnau | ~ 26 min |
| Hermann-Kurz-Str. 4, 72074 Tübingen | ~ 25 min |
* To secure a room from the reserved hotel allocation, kindly make your reservations via email or by phone, referencing the retrieval code “3RLänd”. Please note that the number of rooms available in the reserved contingent is limited, and reservations will be confirmed on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
Registration Now Open
Regular Price: € 320
You will be forwarded to our payment provider Stripe. The payment process is carried out via Ventura Labs and takes place in the name and for the account of the Universitätsklinikum Tübingen A. d. oe. R. registered office Tübingen. All prices are VAT included. You will receive a VAT invoice during the process. VAT ID DE146889674
The Conference Ticket includes:
- Access to all keynote lectures
- Access to all scientific sessions
- Access to all poster sessions
- Access to all sponsor and exhibitor booths
- Refreshments (daily) and catered lunches (Wed + Thu)
- Admission to special events – Welcome Reception (Tue); and Conference Dinner (Wed)
Please Note:
Conference registrations are personal and binding. They are non-refundable and non-transferable to another individual, irrespective of non-attendance or any other reason.
Presentation & Discussion Times
- Keynote: 35 min + 15 min Discussion
- Opening Talk: 20 min + 10 min Discussion
- Talk: 15 min + 5 min Discussion
March 24, 2026
1:00 PM Opening Ceremony
1:30 PM Keynote: Milica Radisic (University of Toronto, CA): Self-Driving Laboratory for Vascularized Human Organ-on-a-Chip Cultivation
2:20 PM Innovation in Organ-on-Chip (Chair: Prof. Susanna Miettinen, Tampere University, Finland)
Opening Speaker: Prof. Marco Rasponi (Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy): Mechanical control in organs-on-chip models
2:50 PM Victoria Rabsiun Aramburu (BiomimX, IT): Human 3D cardiac Organ-on-Chip as advanced preclinical models to boost safety and efficacy studies in drug discovery and development
3:10 PM Lisa Lazarevski (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE) Unraveling the Impact of White Adipose Tissue on Breast Cancer Metabolism and Therapy Resistance Using a Breast Cancer-on-Chip Model
3:30 PM Tengku Ibrahim Maulana (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, DE): Orthogonal co-differentiation of cardiovascular cells to study primitive macrophages role in cardiac vascularization on chip
3:50-4:20 PM Coffee Break
4:20 PM Innovation in Organoids (Chair: Dr. Jens Puschhof, Heidelberg University, Germany)
Opening Speaker: Prof. Hugo Vankelecom (KU Leuven, Belgium): Organoid models to decipher women’s reproductive biology in health and disease
4:50 PM Peter Jones (NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute, DE) Recording electrical activity inside neural spheroids using mesh microelectrode arrays
5:10 PM André Koch (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE): Organoid Models Reveal the Biology of Vulvar and Vaginal Tissues in Health and Cancer
5:30 PM Markus Breunig (Ulm University Hospital, DE): Modelling Johanson-Blizzard Syndrome In a Dish – Molecular Insights Into UBR1 Deficiency Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Pancreatic Organoids
5:50 PM Start Poster Session & Welcome Reception
March 25, 2026
8:30 AM Keynote: Annie Moisan (Roche, CH): A patient-centric preclinical workflow for advancing innovative therapeutic development in kidney diseases
9:20 AM Use of NAMs in Industrial Research (Chair: Dr. Mario Beilmann, Boehringer Ingelheim, Germany & Dr. Stefan Kustermann, Roche, Switzerland)
9:30 AM Amer Jamalpoor (Toxys B.V., NL): The Cross-DART CRACK IT challenge: tackling a cross-pharma need with an innovative NAMs approach
9:50 AM Ilona Wehl (Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH, DE): Fit for purpose: Advanced human intestinal in vitro models for absorption studies
10:10 AM Ricardo Vieira (Roche, CH): From spheroids to multicellular vascular sprouts for better understanding of retinal vascular communication and diabetic retinopathy
10:30 – 11:00 am Coffee Break
11:00 AM Francesca Moretti (Novartis Biomedical Research, CH): New Approach Methodologies (NAMs)-Based Evaluation of Human Hepatotoxicity Associated with a Novel Drug Candidate
11:20 AM Florian Meier (Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH &Co.KG, DE): TEAD: Investigative toxicology as game changer
11:50 – 12:50 PM Lunch Break
12:50 PM Application of NAMs to study New Drug Modalities (Chair: Dr. Madalena Cipriano, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany)
Opening Speaker: Prof. Kevin Healy (University of California, Berkeley USA)
1:20 PM Su Liu (EMPA/ETH Zurich, CH): Predicting First-in-Human CAR-T Dose via a Vascularized Glioblastoma-on-a-Chip and Computational Models
1:40 PM Kevin Achberger (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE): Recreating pathophysiology of CLN2 disease and demonstrating reversion by TPP1 gene therapy in hiPSC-derived retinal organoids and retina-on-chip
2:00 PM Application of NAMs for Personalized Medicine/ Chair: Dr. Anna Wolfram (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany)
Opening Speaker: Prof. Heidi Haikala(Tampere / Helsinki University, Finland): Ex vivo modeling of the tumor immune microenvironment in lung cancer
2:30 PM Su Dingwen (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE): A Single-Cell Perturbation Atlas of Oncology Drug Effects on Vaccine Responses in Human Tonsil Organoids
2:50 PM Claudia Teufel (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE): Lymphoid-tissue-on-chip to recapitulate human adaptive immune responses and to predict drug-immune-cell interactions in vitro
3:10 PM Alexander Kleger (Ulm University Hospital, DE): An oncogenic KRAS-driven secretome involving TNFα promotes niche preparation prior to pancreatic cancer onset
3:30 – 4:00 PM Coffee Break
4:00 PM Roundtable Discussion: Training and Education for NAMs ( Chair: Dr. Hanna Vuorenpää, 3R-Center Tübingen, Germany)
- Uma Lanka (Humane World for Animals, UK)
- Lena Smirnova (Johns Hopkins University, USA),
- Milena Minecozzi (European Commission – Joint Research Centre, IT)
- Pauline Jeckel (3R-Center Tübingen, DE)
4:40 – 6:30 PM Poster Session
from 6:30 PM on Conference Dinner
March 26, 2026
8:30 AM Keynote: Roser Vento-Tormo (Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK) Gene regulation of human cell systems
9:20 AM Modeling Organ Crosstalk using NAMs (Chair: Prof. Stefan Krauss, University of Oslo, Norway)
Opening Speaker: Dr. Mathias Busek (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany): The pumpless recirculating Organ-on-Chip (rOoC) system: A versatile and scalable platform for organ-interaction, immune cell perfusion and vascularization
9:50 AM Ana Mora-Boza (Technical University Munich, DE): On-Chip Modeling of Lymphoid–Gut Inflammatory Interactions Using a Hydrogel-Based Microfluidic Platform
10:10 AM Julia Marzi (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE): Multiscale, dynamic monitoring of cellular interactions and metabolism using non- destructive bioimaging
10:30 – 11:00 AM Coffee Break
11:00 AM Innovation in In Silico Models (Chair: Dr. Florian Wimmers, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany)
Opening Speaker: Dr. Christian Maass (MPSlabs at esqLABS, Germany): Predictive toxicology without animal testing: From human cells to federated digital twins
11:30 AM Janez Štrancar (Infinite LLC, SI): From months to days: predicting chronic lung inflammation and mode-of-action after nanomaterial particulate exposure with InFinite digital twin technology
11:50 AM Oscar Silfvergren (Linköping University, SE): Transforming Drug Discovery and Disease Research with Multi-Organ Microphysiological Systems and Mathematical Modeling
12:10 – 1:10 PM Lunch Break
1:10 PM Application of NAMs for Toxicology (Chair: Prof. Shane Browne, RCSI, Irleand)
Opening Speaker: Prof. Ellen Fritsche (Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT))
1:40 PM Madalena Cipriano (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE): Liver-on-Chip: mechanistic profiling of drug-induced hepatotoxicity through time resolved effluent analysis, real-time oxygen sensing and 3D imaging
1:20 PM Giulia Raggi (AlveoliX AG, CH): AXBarrier-on-Chip: A powerful tool for evaluating immunotherapy toxicity on humans
2:20 PM NAM-based Basic Biomedical Research (Chair: Dr. Julia Rogal, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany)
Opening Speaker: Prof. Anna Herland (KTH Royal Institute of Technology / Karolinska Institutet, Sweden): Neurovascular in vitro models – Modelling intraventricular haemorrhage
2:50 PM Carina Gaiser (FHNW, CH): Exosomes: drivers of pathogenic cargo spread in Alzheimer’s disease
3:10 PM Ayse Tugce Sahin (Helmholtz Munich, DE): Structural and Functional Benchmarks for Organotypic Lung Models
3:30 PM Yu-yin Joanne Chang (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, IE): Extracellular matrix-decorated hyaluronic acid hydrogels enhance growth factor retention and vascularisation for 3D model development
3:50 PM Keynote: Lena Smirnova (Johns Hopkins University, USA): MPS – shaping the future of biomedical research from bench to international society
4:40 PM Closing Ceremony
Keynote Speaker
Prof. Dr. Milica Radisic
Milica Radisic is a Professor at the University of Toronto, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Organ-on-a-Chip Engineering and a Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute. She is also Director of the NSERC CREATE Training Program in Organ-on-a-Chip Engineering & Entrepreneurship and a co-lead for the Center for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada-Academy of Science, Canadian Academy of Engineering, the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering, Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine Society as well as Biomedical Engineering Society. She was a recipient of the MIT Technology Review Top 35 Under 35, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, NSERC E.W.R Steacie Fellowship, YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, Killam Fellowship, Acta Biomaterialia Silver Medal, and Humboldt Research Award to name a few. Her research focuses on organ-on-a-chip engineering and development of new biomaterials that promote healing and attenuate scarring. She developed new methods to mature iPSC derived cardiac tissues using electrical stimulation. She is an Executive Editor for ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, Senior Consulting Editor for the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, a reviewing editor for eLife and a member of the editorial board of another 8 journals. She served on the Board of Directors for Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, Canadian Biomaterials Society and McMaster University Alumni Association. She organized Keystone, EMBO and ECI conferences and numerous sessions at TERMIS and BMES meetings. She served as a Scientific Officer for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and member of review panels for CIHR, NIH and Israel Ministry of Education. She is the Chair of Investment Committee for Serbia Innovation Fund. She is a co-founder of two companies TARA Biosystems (acquired by Valo Health), that uses human engineered heart tissues in drug development and safety testing, and Quthero that advances regenerative hydrogels. Her work has been presented in over 260 publications, garnering over 25,000 citations with a h-index of 80. Her publications appeared in Cell, Nature Materials, Nature Methods, Nature Protocols, Nature Communications, PNAS etc.
Dr. Roser Vento-Tormo
Roser Vento-Tormo’s research interest is to understand the influence of cellular microenvironments on individual cellular identities and responses, in the context of development and immunity. Her team employs single-cell and spatial transcriptomics methods to deconstruct the cell signals in human organs and tissues, and utilise this information to inform the reconstruction of novel in vitro models. Essential for this work, is the novel computational tools her team develops to build cell–cell interactions networks from transcriptomics data. Her team has used these computational and genomics tools to generate atlases of the human reproductive tissues, leading to transformative advances in the area of women’s health.
Vento-Tormo work has been funded by many recognised international agencies (ERC, Wellcome-LEAP, CZI), and she has been awarded multiple prizes, including the Early Career Research Award from the Biochemistry Society (2021) and the Michelson & Science Prize Finalist (2023).
Dr. Annie Moisan
Over the past decade, Annie Moisan has led innovation initiatives at the interface of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Bioengineering with global teams from industry, academia and non-profit organizations. She helped develop screening platforms for metabolic disorders, complex human kidney models for preclinical drug profiling (Roche pRED), and bioengineered kidney and lymphoid tissues for transplantation (Wellcome Leap). In her current role as Discovery Area Leader at Roche, Annie leverages her global network and experience with complex human model systems to build and operate a patient-centric Drug Discovery engine.
Annie trained in stem cell research and kidney development and pathologies at Harvard Medical School and earned her Ph.D. in cell biology from University of Sherbrooke, Canada.
Prof. Dr. Lena Smirnova
Dr. Smirnova is an assistant professor at the Environmental Health and Engineering Department at Bloomberg School of Public Health and Center of Alternatives to Animal Testing, Johns Hopkins University, where she is leading the Program on microphysiological systems. She has joint appointments at Johns Hopkins School of Engineering and Georgetown University and serves as an associate director of Johns Hopkins MPS Center. Her research focuses on the development of new approach methodologies for developmental neurotoxicity testing and understanding gene environmental interactions in autism. She promotes the idea of organoid intelligence as a new field to address cognition with an in vitro brain model – a brain microphysiological system. Dr. Smirnova is a co-organizer of a series of conferences on Microphysiological Systems (MPS) and co-founder of the International MPS Society, where she served as a founding president and currently is a past-president.
Submit your Abstract
Please note that late-breaking abstract submissions can only be accepted as posters.
Technical Requirements & Deadline
- File Submission Guidelines:
- Template: Please utilize the provided template for abstract preparation. Download the template, fill in your details, and save the document in PDF format. Upload the completed PDF using the form below.
- Language and Word Limit: Abstracts must be in English and should not exceed 350 words (including references; excluding title and authors).
- File Format and Size: Please upload a single PDF file with a file size not exceeding 5 MB. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.
- Abstract Evaluation and Selection: All abstracts will be evaluated and selected for oral or poster presentation by the Program Committee
- Author Information: Full first and last names of all authors; abbreviate middle names (e.g., Peter R. S. Parker); presenting author should be identified. Provide affiliations including institute/company, town, and country for each author. E-mail address of presenting author should be provided.
- Additional Information in Abstract: Acknowledgements, disclaimers or funding information may be included at the end of the abstract.
- Confidentiality Note:
- Kindly refrain from including any confidential material in your abstracts. Note that all accepted abstracts will be freely accessible to all conference participants.
- Presentation Selection:
- Submitted abstracts will be considered for either oral presentation or inclusion in the interactive poster session.
- Author Limitation:
- Each presenting author is allowed to submit only one abstract.
- Conference Registration Requirement:
- It is mandatory for all presenters to be registered for the conference if their abstract is accepted.
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