Description

A group photo of the great participants of this event:

Let us explain why you may want to participate in this MasterClass:

And hear from your trainers how the MasterClass looks like by watching this webinar (00:00-13:20):

Are Intestine chips new to you? Or do you want to explore your options for intestines and/or intestine-microbiome interaction on a chip model? Or you have even started working with them? This training will help you explore, get started with and learn more about intestine chips. We will have a critical view and show you

• what intestine and intestine-microbiome chip models are available,
• why and where you may want to use the chip models compared to other models, and
• how you can use them.

This Organ on a chip MasterClass is jointly organized by University of Amsterdam and AZAR Innovations.

TARGET GROUP: Biologists and non-technical biomedical scientists from academia or industry who wish to get started or gain more experience with organ on a chip models of the intestine and host microbe interaction.

Date: 15-16 June 2023
Location: Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands

The fee includes lunch, drinks, snacks and refreshments on both days.
Attention: This is an in-person event and COVID measures by University of Amsterdam applies.

This MasterClass consists of:

1. Tutorials

Engaging sessions with presentations, quizzes and group assignments about:

• • Organ-on-a-chip designs and configurations:
    • Which organ on a chip system is closest to my application?
    • What do I need to know before selecting a system?
    • What components are there?
    • What commercial systems are there? How can I evaluate their reliability?
    • What materials are the chips made of? Which one is the best for me?
  • Pre-experiment:
    • How do I prepare an organ on a chip system?
    • What methods do I need to learn? Sterilizing, surface treatment, cell seeding?
    • How do I inject cells into the chips? What tips and tricks do I need to learn?
  • Experiment: 
    • Do I need perfusion? What methods are there? Which one fits my application the best?
    • What flow do my cells need? What important parameters are there?
    • How do I incubate the system with the perfusion system?
    • How do I keep the system sterile?
    • How do I monitor cell viability? How do I sample or refresh the medium?
  • Post experiment: 
    • How do I fix my samples?
    • Can I image the cells on chip or do I have to retrieve them from chips? What methods can I use?
    • How do I stain cells?

   —

2. Hands-on lab sessions

• • Pre-experiment:
    • Work with different types of chips, learn how to:
      • sterilize and work sterile with chips, and
      • seed cells (for simpler logistics, we use no cells but colored demi water)
    • Connect different types of perfusion systems to chips, calculate the required flow for the cells and run the system.
    • Learn tips and tricks of preparing an organ on a chip system.
  • Experiment:
    • Simulate operating the whole system in an incubator and a biosafety hood.
    • Take samples and refresh
    • Learn how to monitor cell viability under a microscope
  • Post-experiment:
    • Disconnect the chip
    • Simulate fixing the cells or the tissues and/or retrieving them from the system
    • Learn imagining method in the chip
  • NEW: work with an intestine-microbiome organ chip system (GuMI)

   —

3. Expert views (in-person)

“Rebuild the complexity: an organoids-derived, immune- and microbiome-competent mesofluidic gut physiomimetic system“
Dr. Jianbo Zhang
Department of Molecular Biology and Microbial Food Safety
Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences
University of Amsterdam
Amsterdam, the Netherlands

“A novel physiologically relevant tissue explant gut-on-a-chip model with an aerobic-anaerobic interface to study host-microbe interactions“
Dr. Joanne Donkers
Scientist human cell biology at TNO
Metabolic Health Research
Sylviusweg 71, 2333 BE
Leiden, The Netherlands

Renée Moerkens, MSc
Department of Genetics
University Medical Center of Groningen
Groningen, The Netherlands

4. Experience commercial products

Dynamic42 markets human miniaturized organ models in biochips. As a contract research organization, we test compounds for pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical companies. Further, we develop and sell customer-specific organ models (e.g. disease/ infection models) and our biochip platform.

Discover the technologies from Dynamic42 by watching this short presentation during our live webinar (13:20-28:10)

Jobst Technologies is the global competence and performance leader for biosensor monitoring applications. The microfluidic operation of the multi-parametric sensor systems allows for real-time monitoring and control of metabolic parameters (Lactate, Glucose, Glutamine) critical for organ on a chip systems.

Discover the technologies from Jobst Technologies by watching this short presentation during our live webinar (28:10-58:05):

Microfluidic ChipShop is one of the leading microfluidic products and service providers. A unique feature of the company is its catalogue with a huge variety of off-the-shelf microfluidic components and systems, allowing a low-cost rapid access to lab-on-a-chip technologies, such as Organ-on-Chip.

Discover the technologies from Microfluidic ChipShop by watching this short promo video:

5. Organ-on-a-chip Challenge

• • Design an Organ on a chip assay:
    • In a group, you will develop an organ on a chip system for an application of your choice.
    • You will be given design canvasses and receive instructions by experts at AZAR Innovations.
    • Using available technologies, academic or commercial, you will design an organ on a chip assay, from the start to the end of the experiment.
    • Understand important aspects in every step of the way by designing an organ-on-a-chip assay.

Trainer:

Hossein E. Amirabadi, PhD

• Developing Organ chips since 2013
• R&D and training for biologists since 2015
• 3 years of experience developing Intestine chips for contract research for pharma
• Member of leadership team 3RsC-MPS, an initiative of commercial Organ chips
• Inventor 2 Organ chip-related patents
• Related Organ chip projects
• Organ chip consultant

We are aware that you will need support for your organ-on-a-chip activities after the MasterClass. That is why AZAR Innovations offers online consulting to the Organ-on-a-chip MasterClass participants after the event.

Check out the program: Program Organ on a chip MasterClass – Intestine & Intestine-Microbiome 2023

Cannot attend this event? Then fill in this form to know about future Organ on a chip MasterClasses as soon as they are planned.

You can find more information about MasterClasses here.