One day of cutting-edge in vitro models
Sign up and submit your registration fee here.
Date and time: January 10th 2025, from 9:00-18:00
Location: Boothzaal, University Library Utrecht Science Park
Includes lunch, refreshments and borrel.
The quest to cross the human blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains one of the most critical challenges we face in neuroscience and medicine today. Scientists work tirelessly from both sides of the issue: from the side of the brain, and from the side of the vasculature to develop compounds and techniques for crossing. In recent years, a number of new human in vitro modeling technologies have greatly aided these endeavors, specifically new brain organoids and BBB models.
This is why on January 10th, 2025, we bring you the CONNECT Symposium: a one-day program around recent advances in bioengineering, in vitro BBB modeling and brain organoids. The day will bring together scientists, students, and industry leaders who are interested in or actively developing such models.
We unite over two essential questions: How can we create the most advanced in vitro BBB and brain organoid models? And what becomes possible when we develop models connecting the two?
The CONNECT Symposium provides a platform for established and junior scientists from academia and private industry to share their latest discoveries, challenges, and perspectives. The program will feature scientists from around the country.
Our keynote speakers of the day are Prof. Dr. Adrian Ranga (KU Leuven, BE) and Dr. Roberto Villaseñor (Roche, CH). Prof. Dr. Ranga will share methods for vascularizing cerebral organoids. Dr. Villaseñor will share techniques to generate high throughput in vitro models of the BBB.
The CONNECT Symposium is an initiative of the CONNECT Research Consortium*, headed by Prof. Dr. Elly Hol (UMC Utrecht) and Prof. Dr. Elga de Vries (Amsterdam UMC), and funded by NWO, Hersenstichting and Proefdiervrij.
Don’t miss this opportunity to join the conversation and be at the forefront of brain organoid and BBB model research. Sign up and submit your registration fee here.
See below for speaking opportunities and info on our keynote speakers!
Keynote Speakers
Prof. dr. Adrian Ranga | KU Leuven (BE)
Adrian Ranga is a Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven. His research explores principles of development using engineered biomimetic model systems. Prof. Ranga obtained his Ph.D. in life sciences from EPFL, and then received an SNF post-doctoral fellowship to join the laboratory of Olivier Pourquié at Harvard Medical School, where he initiated somitoids, an in-vitro model of paraxial mesoderm patterning. Since starting his lab at KU Leuven, Adrian’s main research focus has been to understand how mechanical forces coordinate neural patterning, morphogenesis and growth by designing enabling technologies to guide in vitro synthetic development. In paricular focus is on the role of vascularization and mechanical forces, using microfluidic devices and actuation technologies.
In his keynote speech, Prof. Ranga will share techniques for vascularizing cerebral organoids.
Dr. Roberto Villaseñor | Roche (CH)
Roberto Villaseñor heads the Brain Delivery lab in the Neuroscience department at Roche. He leads the preclinical efforts to develop next-generation technologies to deliver therapeutic antibodies to the brain. In this role, he has successfully developed in vitro human blood-brain barrier models to accelerate the profiling of novel compounds and gain a better mechanistic understanding of the impact of disease on transport to the brain. Roberto obtained his PhD in Dresden at the Max Planck Institute for Cell Biology and genetics and has a track record of applying novel methodologies to better understand blood-brain barrier transport.
Dr. Villaseñor on his keynote talk:
Receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT) across the blood-brain barrier has been recently validated as an effective pathway to deliver therapeutic antibodies to the brain. Optimization of brain delivery technologies requires scalable and robust in vitro human systems that recapitulate the mechanisms of RMT. In this talk I will summarize our efforts to develop robust fit-for purpose BBB models to accelerate development of next-generation BrainshuttlesTM.
Call for Speakers
The CONNECT Symposium is pleased to invite speaker applications for short 15-minute presentations. Are you a junior or senior scientist or other professional whose work pertains to Symposium themes, and would you like to share your knowledge?
We are seeking knowledgeable individuals who can share insights and expertise on culture systems, brain organoids, vascularization, in vitro BBB modeling, and relevant market developments and business perspectives. From interesting PhD findings to new methodologies, inventions, and industry opportunities, we want to hear it from you first!
As a speaker, you have the opportunity to present to a diverse audience of professionals and up-and-coming students from across academia and private industry.
Your presentation should be innovative, informative, and engaging. You should be comfortable elaborating on your material when asked questions. You will present in a block of short presentations alongside 2 other presenters. After each of you have presented, there will be a 15-minute joint discussion with the audience.
If you are interested in presenting at the CONNECT Symposium, please submit a proposal including a title, abstract, and brief bio describing your experience and qualifications. Your proposal should also include your preference for presenting in the morning, early afternoon or late afternoon session. We will do what we can to accommodate your preference.
Please submit your proposal by December 2nd to symposiumconnect@umcutrecht.nl. We will inform you if you are chosen by Monday December 16th. As a speaker, you will receive promotion on our social media, network opportunities and exposure to an audience representing a wide range of organizations and universities.
*The CONNECT Consortium is a five-year collaborative project to develop a chip connecting a brain organoid to an in vitro blood-brain barrier. Kindly funded by NWO, Hersenstichting and Proefdiervrij, our consortium partners include UMC Utrecht, Amsterdam UMC, Danone/Nutricia, Pimbio, Eyesiu, InnoSer, Confocal, SGF, and BG.legal.