Monday, 18 November 2024

09:00

Microfluidics and Nanofluidics for Diagnostic Tests Pre-Conference Training Course
Steve Soper, Foundation Distinguished Professor, Director, Center of BioModular Multi-Scale System for Precision Medicine, The University of Kansas, United States of America

Pre-Conference Training Course from 09:00-11:00

[Separate Registration Required to Attend this Pre-Conference Training Course]

11:00

Pre-Conference Training Course from 11:00-13:00 Microfluidic Product Development [Separate Registration Required to Attend this Pre-Conference Training Course]
Leanna Levine, Founder & CEO, ALine, Inc., United States of America

This training course will explore the translation of science and nascent engineering programs into a well-structured product development program to address Reduction to Practice or proof of concept; Human factors engineering – what is it and why it matters; Design Control and Risk Control Roadmap for Development; Design for Manufacture and Assembly; Scale -up progression and manufacturing methods.

**A Must-Attend for Companies Embarking on Microfluidic Product Development**

13:00

Conference Registration, Materials Pick-Up and Networking in the Exhibit Hall


Session Title: Lab-on-a-Chip and Microfluidics World Congress 2024 -- Opening Plenary Session

13:45

Welcome and Introduction by the Chairs: Professor Dino Di Carlo and Dr. Leanna Levine, 2024 Conference Focus and Themes Highlighted Over the 3-Day Event


Venue: Plenary Ballroom

14:00

Plenary Presentations from 14:00-18:45 in the Plenary Ballroom -- See LOAC Agenda for Details

18:45

Networking Reception in the Exhibit Hall with Beer, Wine and Dinner. Network with Colleagues, Engage with the Exhibitors and View Posters

20:15

Close of Day 1 of the Main Conference

20:30

3D-Printing of Microfluidics Training Course Presented by Professor Noah Malmstadt
Noah Malmstadt, Professor, Mork Family Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Southern California, United States of America

Course Runs from 20:30-22:30
Venue: Slate Room

[Separate Registration Required to Attend this Training Course]

Tuesday, 19 November 2024

07:30

Morning Coffee, Continental Breakfast and Networking in the Exhibit Hall


Session Title: Emerging Themes and Trends in Lab-on-a-Chip and Microfluidics 2024


Venue: Ballroom A

09:00

For Presentations from 09:00 - 10:30, please see LOAC Track Agenda


Presentations Focusing on Organoids in this Session

11:00

Holger SchmidtKeynote Presentation

Lab-on-Chip Devices For Analysis of Extracellular Vesicles and Their Contents From Cerebral Organoid Tissue
Holger Schmidt, Narinder Kapany Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of California-Santa Cruz, United States of America

Cultured organoids have emerged as important test beds for studying cell development and disease. Sub-micron sized extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, secreted by these organoids provide an ideal opportunity for assessing and continuously monitoring organoid status on the molecular level. I will describe the development of integrated lab-on-chip devices for real-time analysis of EVs produced in a custom 3D cerebral organoid tissue culture platform. This includes the detection of individual exosomes as well as their molecular biomarker cargo using single particle fluorescence and trapping-assisted nanopore sensing. I will also discuss the direct incorporation of this electro-optofluidic lab-on-chip within the tissue culture platform.

11:30

Mehdi NikkhahKeynote Presentation

Engineering Organotypic Disease On-a-Chip Models; Harnessing Innovations in Microfluidics, Biomaterials and Single-Cell Resolution Analysis
Mehdi Nikkhah, Associate Professor of Bioengineering, Arizona State University, United States of America

12:00

Alysson MuotriKeynote Presentation

Applications of Human Brain Organogenesis
Alysson Muotri, Professor, Director of the Stem Cell Program, University of California-San Diego, United States of America

Structural and transcriptional changes during early brain maturation follow fixed developmental programs defined by genetics. However, whether this is true for functional network activity remains unknown, primarily due to experimental inaccessibility of the initial stages of the living human brain. We developed cortical organoids that spontaneously display periodic and regular oscillatory network events that are dependent on glutamatergic and GABAergic signaling. These nested oscillations exhibit cross-frequency coupling, proposed to coordinate neuronal computation and communication. As evidence of potential network maturation, oscillatory activity subsequently transitioned to more spatiotemporally irregular patterns, capturing features observed in preterm human electroencephalography (EEG). These results show that the development of structured network activity in the human neocortex may follow stable genetic programming, even in the absence of external or subcortical inputs. Our approach provides novel opportunities for investigating and manipulating the role of network activity in the developing human cortex. Applications for neurodevelopmental disorders, brain evolution and space exploration will be discussed.

12:30

Networking Buffet Luncheon in the Exhibit Hall -- Network with Exhibitors and Colleagues, View Posters


Session Title: Organoids and Organs-on-Chips -- Utilizing Microfluidics for Harvesting Biological Insights


Venue: Ballroom A

13:30

Shuichi TakayamaKeynote Presentation

Organoids with Reversed Biopolarity (ORBs): SARS-CoV-2 Drug Testing and Breast Cancer Progression
Shuichi Takayama, Professor, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, and Price Gilbert, Jr. Chair in Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University School of Medicine, United States of America

This presentation will describe production of sub-millimeter diameter, consistent size and shape, lung, kidney, and mammary organoids that have an inverted, apical-out geometry. These Organoids with Reversed Biopolarity (ORBs) are used in 384 well plates in a single-organoid-per-well format to test drugs and disease physiology. The airway ORBs are infected with high yields with multiple SARS-CoV-2 strains with Omicron variant showing highest viral replication and Delta giving the most inflammatory response. The ORBs also predict anti-viral drug efficacy correctly where conventional 2D cultures give false signals. Early-stage breast cancer progression model studies will also be discussed.

14:00

Alice SoragniKeynote Presentation

Leveraging Patient-derived Tumor Organoids For Precision Medicine
Alice Soragni, Assistant Professor, University of California Los Angeles, United States of America

Patient-derived tumor organoids (PDTOs) are representative of the histopathology and physiological behavior of tumors. They are clinically relevant, tractable ex vivo models that can be quickly established from tumor biopsies and surgical samples. There is increasing interest in leveraging tumor organoids for drug development and personalized medicine applications for their ability to maintain principal features of the tumor they originate from, including drug response. PDTOs are particularly important to model rare tumors which often completely lack experimental models. We routinely establish organoids from a spectrum of tumors, including rare ovarian and peritoneal cancers (Phan et al, Communications Biology, 2019), benign tumors such as cutaneous neurofibromas (Nguyen et al, Cell Reports Methods, 2024), indolent bone cancers (Al Shihabi et al, Science Advances, 2022) and aggressive sarcomas (Al Shihabi et al, in press, 2024). We have developed a unique organoid screening platform that uses a modified geometry to seed or bioprint cells in a robust, high throughput and automation-compatible format that bypasses the need for any cell sorting, passaging or in vitro expansion. Our short screening timeline, with results available within one week from surgery, is compatible with therapeutic decision making. Overall, we have been able to identify unique drug responses to both fast and slow-growing cancers, including for tumors that are recalcitrant or impossible to grow as patient-derived xenografts. In a pilot study of PDTOs established from over 120 sarcomas, a family of rare tumors arising from bone or soft tissue, we demonstrated how PDTO drug screening provides sensitivity information that correlates with clinical features yielding actionable information for treatment guidance (Al Shihabi et al, in press, 2024). Importantly, sarcoma organoid responses complemented genetic sequencing and mirrored patient outcomes, leading to the launch of a clinical trial to test PDTO use in osteosarcoma (An Organoid-based Functional Precision Medicine Trial in Osteosarcoma: PREMOST, NCT06064682).

14:30

Development of Pumpless Single-Organ and Multi-Organ MPS
Mandy Esch, Project Leader, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States of America

Single and multi-organ microphysiologic systems (MPS) can be used to detect secondary drug toxicities stemming from drug metabolites. Here we describe how to design and prototype such systems to replicate key aspects of the human body that influence the concentration of drug metabolites within the system. Using 3D printing we have prototyped and tested several microfluidic MPS that operate with liver and heart tissues and that can recirculate near-physiological amounts of cell culture medium. We have also developed several devices that recirculate small amounts of cell culture medium in a way that makes it feasible to culture mechano-sensitive cells such as HUVEC or GI tract epithelial cells within the system. The talk given here is a summary of our efforts in this area.

15:00

Mid-Afternoon Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibit Hall

15:29

Please view Agenda for the Second Half of the Afternoon in the LOAC Track Agenda

18:30

Networking Reception with Beer, Wine and Dinner in the Exhibit Hall -- Network with Colleagues, Engage with the Exhibitors and View Posters

20:15

Close of Day 2 Main Conference Programming

20:30

Introduction to Microfluidics Training Course
Shuichi Takayama, Professor, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, and Price Gilbert, Jr. Chair in Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University School of Medicine, United States of America

Course Runs from 20:30-22:30
Venue: Slate Room

[Separate Registration Required to Attend this Training Course]

Wednesday, 20 November 2024

07:30

Morning Coffee, Continental Breakfast and Networking in the Exhibit Hall

08:29

Industry Breakout Round-Tables: Each Round-Table Moderated by an Industry Participant -- Delegates Engage with the Moderator to Discuss Commercialization Themes


Venue: Ballroom B


Session Title: Continuing Coverage on Organoids and Organs-on-Chips -- Technologies and Applications

09:30

Speaker to be Confirmed

10:00

Hervé TiriacKeynote Presentation

Title to be Confirmed.
Hervé Tiriac, Assistant Researcher, University of California-San Diego, United States of America

10:30

Neurons from Human Stem Cells in 2D and 3D Culture for the Discovery of New Antiseizure Agents
Robert Halliwell, Professor of Neuroscience, University of The Pacific, United States of America

Somatic tissues derived from human stem cells offer significant advantages over animal models for drug studies and disease modeling. For over 20 years, my lab has been addressing the neuropharmacological and neurophysiological properties of human stem cell derived neurons in 2D and, more recently, in 3D culture. This presentation will cover the challenges and advantages in combining stem cell created neuroglial cells, maintained in ultra-long-term culture, with multi-electrode array technology, to advance the discovery of novel antiseizure agents for epilepsy. Specifically, I will present recent data demonstrating that human neuroglia cell networks are able to detect the antiseizure properties of diverse antiepileptic drugs with high sensitivity, specificity and reliability. I will also present one of our recent studies showing that fenamates, a well-established class of NSAID, that are also subunit-selective potentiators of the GABAA receptor (the major inhibitory receptor in the brain) have potent antiseizure properties. These observations provide new evidence for a novel therapeutic approach to the treatment of epilepsy, and we are exploring these well-established NSAIDs for drug repurposing. Overall, our data, and that emerging from other labs, demonstrate the power of stem cell derived neural circuits, supported by glia to identify new and novel agents for complex, difficult-to-treat, neuropsychiatric disorders.

11:00

Speaker to be Confirmed

11:30

Speaker to be Confirmed

12:00

Networking Buffet Luncheon in the Exhibit Hall - Network with Exhibitors, Colleagues and View Posters


Poster Awards Venue: Ballroom A

14:00

Poster Awards -- 3 Cash Awards Sponsored by the RSC and Lab-on-a-Chip Journal