Health + Life Science Alliance Heidelberg Mannheim

“The goal of the POEM project is to develop automated bioengineering approaches for producing precise organoid models not only with high throughput but also reproducibly,” says project initiator Dr Andrea Leibfried, Managing Director of the CellNetworks Core Technology Platform at Heidelberg University.
Organoids, miniature versions of human organs, are obtained from stem cells and used for experimental research on complex diseases such as cardiovascular disorders and cancer. Current systems face limitations, particularly due to the lengthy “maturation processes” involved in modeling adult human tissue. According to the Heidelberg researchers, there are currently very few models that can simulate the interactions of multiple organs in vivo. 

In the fields of molecular systems engineering, machine learning, biomedicine and modeling, the Heidelberg research team is working on ultrasound-based assembly of cells combined with complex microfluidics and molecular markers. The aim is to enable various organoids to grow in a controlled way and connect with one another. Combined with screening methods supported by Artificial Intelligence, these complex organ-on-a-chip systems are intended to create clinically relevant and complex disease models, such as for “broken heart syndrome”, providing more accurate depictions of organ interactions – e.g. between the heart and brain. In addition to improving the modeling of diseases and disease mechanisms, the POEM project also aims to contribute to the reduction and subsequent replacement of animal testing. The long-term goal is to establish an organoid platform at Heidelberg University. Research work is set to start at the beginning of next year.