Our Interdisciplinary Research Project
is pioneering the transition to innovative and ethical non-animal model systems in biomedical research.
We are doing this by integrating patient derived ex vivo models, engineered biomaterials, and synthetic biology tools into one model system which is continually assessed within ethical, legal, and societal frameworks.
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So,
what does this mean?
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Interdisciplinarity
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Our shared goal
At the core of our project is combining the expertise of various academic fields, including law, bioethics, biology, biochemistry, and biomedicine, to work towards a shared goal. By doing this, we are pioneering the way for more extensive research efforts in the future.
We want to develop an innovative, robust, and ethical model system to be used in biomedical research. For this, we want to combine previously separate methods into one robust model. In addition, we are making sure that from the very beginning, our model is continually assessed within ethical, legal, and societal frameworks.
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Our model system for biomedical research
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Our ethical, societal, and legal efforts
The model system we are developing contains a unique combination of methods and tools. These include using tissue material donated by cancer patients, bioengineered materials (gels) to grow these ex vivo cultures in, synthetic biology tools (optogenetics) to dynamically modify gene expression and state-of-the art spatial transcriptomics.
There is considerable ethical and regulatory imperative for transitioning to using non-animal model systems in research. We want to showcase how societal, ethical, and legal reflection is integrated into biomedical research and how it can advance in parallel with it.
ORGANOIDS • CANCER BIOLOGY • NON-ANIMAL METHODS • SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY • BIOMATERIALS CHEMISTRY • OPTOGENETICS• BIOETHICS • ANIMAL LAW • SPATIAL TRANSCRIPTOMICS •
And,
who are we?
We are a group of innovative experts from various fields and diverse backgrounds. You can learn more about us here.
Our Research Fields
In HUMAN-Bio, we integrate the expertise of various academic fields to promote the transition to fully human, more clinically relevant and ethical biomedical models. Below you can learn more about the research fields we are combining.
Cancer Biology
Engineered Biomaterials
Synthetic Biology
Animal Law
Bioethics
Latest Insights
Explore our recent team updates and scientific perspectives here