Current pre-clinical drug safety evaluation methods remain costly, inefficient, and unreliable, with 80–90% of compounds ultimately failing in human trials — often due to poor predictive models and safety concerns. Scaffold-based 3D organ models offer a more promising and physiologically relevant
Last updated on: 02-10-2025 - 14:55
Contact: Jolanda van Hengel
Organisation: Ghent University (UGent), Ghent University hospital (UZ Gent), Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum (IMEC), University of Hasselt (UHasselt)
Status: Still in development
Older adults are characterized by specific metabolic changes, altering their nutritional needs (i.e., lower calorie but higher protein requirement). Adapted nutrition is of crucial importance for this group. To develop foods adapted to the nutritional needs of older adults and test the impact of
Last updated on: 01-10-2025 - 16:20
Contact: Dorine Duijsens
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
More than 3 million deaths worldwide are linked to excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol abuse associated gut barrier dysfunction is thought to play an important role in the development of alcohol-associated liver disease. Although some aspects that contribute to this process have been elucidated,
Last updated on: 15-09-2025 - 08:46
Contact: Ami Gloria Toulehohoun
Organisation: Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL)
Partners: Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc
Status: Internally validated, Published in peer reviewed journal
This method generates cortical brain organoids from embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells. The protocol involves neural induction of 3D aggregates (embryoid bodies) which are then directed towards the cortical lineage in the presence of small molecules. SMAD inhibition (dorsomorphin
Last updated on: 12-09-2025 - 08:51
Contact: Roel Quintens
Organisation: Belgian Nuclear Research Centre
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
ChP organoids are produced starting from human induced pluripotent or embryonic stem cells. 7 days after seeding of the stem cells, the organoids are embedded in matrigel. After 30-40 days, the organoids are differentiated and form a functional blood-CSF barrier with fluid-filled cysts resembling
Last updated on: 08-09-2025 - 12:04
Contact: Xenia Ghysel
Organisation: Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Ghent University (UGent)
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
Chronic pain affects 20% of the population, impacting daily life and increasing psychosocial burdens for patients. Limited mechanistic understanding of human pain pathophysiology and inadequate study models, primarily rodent-based, hinder the development of effective pain medications without major
Last updated on: 29-08-2025 - 10:07
Contact: Dara Khosrowshahi
Organisation: Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum (IMEC), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Status: Still in development, Published in peer reviewed journal
This method describes a well-known optimised human in vitro model of drug-induced cholestasis. Cryopreserved primary human hepatocytes are cultured between two layers of extracellular matrix scaffold, which will delay dedifferentiation and allows to restore cell-extracellular matrix interactions.
Last updated on: 14-08-2025 - 13:14
Contact: Cannot be disclosed
Organisation: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Status: Still in development
The method detects two facets of drug-induced cytotoxicity i.e. the intracellular accumulation of phospholipids and of neutral lipids, i.e. phospholipidosis and steatosis respectively. The assay makes use of a kit containing an aqueous, red-fluorescent formulation of labelled phospholipids (LipidTOX
Last updated on: 14-08-2025 - 13:13
Contact: Cannot be disclosed
Organisation: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Status: History of use
This method assesses general cytotoxicity. Upon disruption of the cell membrane, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is released. LDH catalyzes the interconversion of pyruvate and lactate with concomitant interconversion of reduced (NADH) and oxidized (NAD+) nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. The principle
Last updated on: 14-08-2025 - 13:12
Contact: Cannot be disclosed
Organisation: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Status: History of use
Aim: To model cartilage-related disorders in a human-specific context for the investigation of disease mechanisms and the screening of potential therapeutics.
Technique: Fibroblasts and/or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from both healthy donors and patients are reprogrammed into
Last updated on: 07-08-2025 - 15:33
Contact: Pauline De Kinderen
Organisation: University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen)
Status: Internally validated
