Funded project summary Award amount: £62, 500 Principal Investigator: Dr Ke Ning Institution: University of Sheffield, Department of NeuroscienceProject title: Development and validation of a human brain microphysiological system derived from induced pluripotent stem cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Project Summary: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a rare and progressive adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive death of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The mechanism of this disease has yet to be fully understood. Based on recent research, the nerve cell losses are roughly attributed to genetic, cellular, immunological and environmental… Read More

Funded project summary Award amount: £71,349 Principal Investigator: Dr Anke Richard-BruningInstitution: Bioprocess and Biochemical Engineering group (BioProChem), Department of Chemical and Process EngineeringProject title: Bioprinting 3D Migratory Microenvironments for Brain Tumour Drug Screening Project Summary: Glioblastomas are extremely aggressive types of brain cancer that are highly capable of spreading and recurring. One strategy in preventing tumour recurrence uses drugs that inhibit invasion; however, cancer drug screening is often conducted on 2D cell layers and is poorly representative of the 3D arrangement of cells within the body. 3D-bioprinting can be used to create 3D tumour models… Read More

Funded Project Summary Award amount: £79,890 Principal Investigator: Dr. Deepak KalaskarInstitution: Division of Surgery and Interventional Sciences, University College LondonProject title: 3D Vascular Model as A Platform to Investigate Vascular Diseases Project Summary: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in industrial nations (Circulation 2017, 135, e146). Our ability to improve existing treatments by identifying new therapeutic targets relies upon understanding the disease pathogenesis, and the underlying biochemical and cellular pathological mechanisms, which remain unknown. Hence developing human relevant in vitro 3D models of vessels which recapitulate the true nature of physiological vascular structures,… Read More

ECR Social Lunch 3rd July 2020 12-1pm report by Jonathan Temple The Early Career Researcher (ECR) social lunch was kicked off in a virtual session by a warm welcome by Dr. Bhumika Singh, the 3DbioNet manager, who introduced the ECR events organising committee to the participants. Currently, the committee members are Dr Caroline Taylor, University of Sheffield, Jonathan Temple, University of Liverpool and Sebastian Gilbert, University of Birmingham. Caroline outlined the aims of the session, and the overall aims of the ECR club. Following a quick round of introduction from all the… Read More

Professor Ruth Cameron’s team at the University of Cambridge was awarded pump priming grant by 3DbioNet. The aim of the study is to produce alveolar organoid structures in highly defined 3D structures. This will allow transitioning away from current spherical organoid systems, typically cultured using Matrigel, to a 3D system that more appropriately reflects tissue organisation. The group propose to design ice –templated, collagen- and elastin-based, porous environments to supply the spatial, mechanical and biochemical cues of native tissue.Below is a video we filmed from our trip to their laboratory in Cambridge.

Dr Iestyn Pope’s team at Cardiff University was awarded pump priming grant for this project titled ”Incorporating deuterium into 3D organoids to identify cell types and track cellular metabolic rates using CARS microscopy”. In this study, Dr. Pope’s group intend to use CARS microscopy to image organoids that have been cultured in media containing deuterated water. The aim being to identify the different cell types that make up the organoid structures without the need for fluorescent markers. Similarly by feeding the cells with deuterated compounds we will be able to observe the… Read More

3DbioNet funded a range of projects, one of them was at Dr. Eirini Velliou’s group at the University of Surrey. The project aims to design a biomimetic 3D printed prototype of primary ovarian cancer.”We want to see what happens when a patient develops resistance to a certain disease” , Dr. Priyanka Gupta, Velliou’s group, University of Surrey.

3DbioNet have started an initiative to promote learning and training among the early career researchers interested in 3D biology. A committee has been set up to lead the activities, some of which would be around training in techniques, new methods, as well as career mentorship. Dr. Caroline Taylor, University of Sheffield, and Jonathan Temple, University of Liverpool have been appointed as the ECR committee members. If you would like to become a member of the ECR committee, or to contribute, please email at 3dbionet@liverpool.ac.uk.

Our latest workshop was a joint event with another Technology Touching Life network, IBIN (Integrated Biological Imaging Network) in London. This was our first joint IBIN-3DBioNet workshop where over 100 attendees from all over the UK met during two days in January. IBIN‘s focus is on developing new methods of taking high-resolution images of living cells in 3D systems and tissues. So, the complementarity with 3DbioNet is obvious. The first day included a session on mental health organised and chaired by early career researchers. The power of combining experimental and mathematical modelling approaches… Read More

Dr Iestyn Pope’s team at Cardiff University was recently awarded £53,950 to take the following project forward: Incorporating deuterium into 3D organoids to identify cell types and track cellular metabolic rates using CARS microscopy Organoids are 3D microtissues that reproduce more accurately how a tissue behaves compared to a 2D culture on plastic. This is because it allows the cells to interact with each other and to organise their own microenvironment. Recently, we and others have shown that patient-derived cancer organoids retain the cellular diversity that matches that of the tumours from… Read More