Organoids, Organ-on-Chip, and In Silico Models have transformed biomedical and pharmaceutical research, marking a new era of experimentation. Organoids mimic the structure and function of organs, providing a physiologically human-relevant platform for disease study and drug testing. Organ-on-Chip systems replicate human organ microenvironments, offering dynamic conditions for drug assessment. In Silico Models, driven by computational simulations, expedite drug discovery by analyzing complex biological processes. These models contribute to accurate, efficient, and human-centered research, reducing reliance on animal testing and advancing biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.

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 was thrilled to host the first edition of the THE 3R LÄND Conference in the heart of the Länd, Tübingen, Germany, from May 21-23, 2024.

The conference united academia, clinicians, industry representatives, regulatory agencies, and policymakers in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. Together with our international and interdisciplinary participants, we delved deep into the forefront of biomedical and pharmaceutical research. With exciting keynote lectures, scientific presentations, poster sessions, and networking opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange, the first THE 3R LÄND Conference was an incredible success, marked by a great spirit of collaboration, trust, and innovation.

We thank everybody who made these three days such an incredible experience! Based on the numerous requests we received, we are excited to announce that this event will continue as a bi-annual conference series.

We look forward to welcoming you to the second edition of this exciting conference – stay tuned!

Stay up to date and find all relevant information on demand via the 3R-Centers Tübingen’s LinkedIn or the Twitter account!

Click here to download the 2024 program

• Prof. Dr. Josef Penninger (Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, DE): Human organoids for infection research
• Prof. Dr. Daniela Salvatori (Utrecht University, NL): The power of education for the transition to animal-free innovation: from theory to practice
• Prof. Dr. Marcel Leist (Konstanz University, DE): Development of non-animal methods for neurodegeneration research and neurotoxicity assessment
• Prof. Dr. Simone Mayer (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology & Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, DE): Human brain organoids as models of rare neurological disorders as a stepping stone towards personalized medicine
• Prof. Dr. Peter Loskill (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE): Recapitulating Complex Tissues using Organ-on-chip and Organoid Technologies

1) Innovation in Organoid Models

• Chair: Deborah Kronenberg-Versteeg (DZNE Tübingen, DE)
• Opening Speaker: Stefan Liebau (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE): Getting closer to a glance back from the dish – next generation retinal organoids

2) Innovation in In Silico Models

• Chair: Julia Marzi (NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute, Reutlingen, DE)
• Opening Speaker: Oliver Röhrle (University of Stuttgart, DE): In silico modelling: chances and challenges

3) Use of NAMs in Industrial Research

• Chairs: Mario Beilmann (Boehringer-Ingelheim, DE) & Stefan Kustermann (Roche, CH)
• Speakers: 
  • Mario Beilmann (Boehringer-Ingelheim, DE): MPS for mechanistic toxicity investigations: example drug-induced liver injury (DILI)
  • Gautier Roussignol (Sanofi, FR): Human microbrain 3D model for non-clinical neuronal safety evaluation at early phase of drug development
  • Diana Karwelat (Bayer, DE): Advanced cellular models at Bayer (Pharmaceuticals) – Use cases and current challenges
  • Terry van Vleet (Abbvie, USA): Current opportunities and remaining challenges for NAMs impact in pharmaceutical safety assessment
  • Adrian Roth (Roche, CH): Patient-derived human tissue models supporting precision medicine in clinical drug development
  • Rhiannon N. Hardwick (Bristol Myers Squibb, USA): Onboarding and Context of Use Qualification Considerations for GI and Liver CIVM/MPS Applications in Discovery Toxicology

4) Application of NAMs for Environmental, Food and Chemical Toxicology

• Chair: Madalena Cipriano (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE)
• Opening Speaker: Karilyn E. Sant (San Diego State University, CA, USA): Embryonic and aquatic toxicity of common environmental pollutants: the case for tire tread particles and emerging coastal mixtures

5) Application of NAMs for Rare Diseases and Personalized Medicine

• Chair: Florian Wimmers (Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, DE)
• Opening Speaker: Marianne Carlon (KU Leuven, BE): Implementing patient-derived in vitro models for translational testing of gene editing therapies for cystic fibrosis

6) Round Table: Training and Education for NAMs

• Chair: Silke Riegger (3R-Center Tübingen, DE)
• Panelists:
  • Daniela Salvatori (Utrecht Transition Program to Animal-free Innovations, Utrecht University, NL)
  • Lucia Selfa Aspiroz (JRC EURL ECVAM, Ispra, IT)
  • Sandra Paschkowsky (Bundesnetzwerk 3R, VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH)

7) NAM-based Basic Biomedical Research

• Chair: Monilola Olayioye (University of Stuttgart, DE)
• Opening Speaker: Robert Zweigerdt (Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, DE): Human Multi-Tissue Organoids as an Advanced Teratogenicity Model

8) Innovation in Organ-on-Chip Models

• Chair: Julia Rogal (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SE)
• Opening Speaker: Stefan Krauss (Oslo University, NO): Promises and challenges of microphysiological liver models

She has recently worked on the vision document focused on the use of fewer laboratory animals in higher education published by the Universities of the Netherlands and the Dutch Medical Hospital.

Marcel Leist obtained an MSc in toxicology (Guildford 1989), and a PhD in pharmacology (Konstanz 1993). Since 2006, he has been head of the Department of In vitro Toxicology and Biomedicine at the University of Konstanz (inaugurated by the Doerenkamp-Zbinden Foundation), and director of the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing in Europe (CAAT-Europe), a joint venture with Johns-Hopkins University. From 2000-2006, he worked as ‘Head of Department of Disease Biology’ on the discovery of neurology and psychiatry drugs in the Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck A/S. His research resulted in > 400 publications (cited over 35,000 times), and was awarded with many national and international research prizes. The current research addresses the question on how model data can be used for the prediction of the adverse effects of chemicals on the human population. While the current safety system world-wide is based on the use of experimental animals as model system, the research of Marcel has focused on new approaches to use alternative data sources. Steps towards this include (i) the development of non-animal new approach methods (NAM), (ii) the integration of multiple information layers from NAM in next generation risk assessment (NGRA), (iii) extrapolation of model data to complex real-life scenarios, and (iv) uncertainty analyses for the predictions. An example is the contribution to the GIVIMP guideline issued by the OECD or the developmental neurotoxicity in vitro test battery promoted by EFSA and the EPA.

Peter Loskill is Full Professor for Organ-on-Chip (OoC) Research at the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen (EKUT) and the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen in Reutlingen, and head of the 3R-Center Tübingen for In vitro Models and Alternatives to Animal Testing. Dr. Loskill graduated in 2012 from Saarland University with a PhD in Physics focusing on Biointerface Science. He then spent three years as postdoctoral fellow in the Healy lab at University of California at Berkeley developing human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-based OoC models, funded by the NIH/NCATS TissueChip program and the German Science Foundation (DFG). In 2015, he was named as one of Technology Review’s “Innovators under 35 Germany” and awarded a Fraunhofer ATTRACT Grant, the highest funded German starting grant program, which enabled him to start an independent research group at Fraunhofer IGB Stuttgart. In 2021, he accepted a W3-professor position, heading the Department for Microphysiological Systems in the Faculty of Medicine at EKUT and NMI. From 2021 to 2023, he served as the Chair of the European Organ-on-Chip Society (EUROoCS) and, in 2023, he became part of the governing board of the International MPS Society (iMPSS). Dr. Loskill and his interdisciplinary µOrganoLab merge engineering, biology, physics, and medicine to generate next generation tissue models recapitulating complex human biology in vitro. His research focuses on i) development of tailored OoC platforms, ii) application of OoCs for pharmaceutical research, toxicological screening, and biomedical studies, as well as on iii) enabling technologies that support parallelization, automation, and ease of use.

Stay up to date! Check out Social Media (LinkedIn & Twitter/X) channels to not miss any news on the Annual 3R-Conference!