Bi/ond combines feeding, stimulating and monitoring of cells in one microchip

Lab researcher with microscope

We have been featured in the latest Labvision magazine issue !

For a few months, our biology team has been using a Nikon microscope to image some of our experiments. For the moment, we have used it mostly with fixed tissue slides on the basis of fluorescence to look at the suitable expression markers of different cell types, and confirm that the barrier functions properly. 

As next step, we will also do live cell experiments with it, for instance to follow up how cells move from one to another compartment; or if you have muscle tissue in a pillar in our MUSbit™, to observe how the flow of medicine affects the muscle contraction.

If you have a hard copy of the magazine, go to pages 56-59 to read more. 

If not, check the article here to discover multiple applications of our organ-on-chip technology that can help your own research. 

PRESENTATION : Stimulating 3D Skeletal Muscle Microtissues in a Novel Perfusable Microphysiological System with Integrated Electrodes

IIm meeting talk Skeletal Muscle culture

📣 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 📣

Stimulating Skeletal Muscle Microtissues in a novel perfusable mucrophysiological system integrated with electrodes. This is the title of the presentation that our CTO, Nikolas Gaio, will be giving in Italy soon. The meeting of the Interuniversity Institute of Miology, is taking place in Assisi Italy, 12-15 of October.

During the session, Nikolas will talk to the audience about how Bi/ond has managed to stimulate 3D Skeletal Muscle Microtissues in our perfusable microphysiological system, incorporating integrated electrodes.

He will present the results of our assay where we successfully culture bit.bio skeletal muscle cells on our MUSbit™ platform, obtaining as a result 3D muscle bundles, and experiencing robust muscle contraction.

Do not miss this opportunity to see this ground breaking results in first person!

To get you in the mood for it, you can always visit our website to discover this and other applications for your research : www.gobiond.com/applications/

To attend: https://iim2023.azuleon.org/ 



Visit us at Young TPI Career event

Young TPI career event

We’re excited to announce that Bi/ond will have a booth at the Young Transitie Proefdiervrije Innovatie (TPI) Career Event on September 29th at Yes!Delft. 🌐

Join us as we connect with bright professionals passionate about shaping the future of animal-free science. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase what Bi/ond does towards making a positive change in drug development and medical research, engage with potential future talents, and inspire a next generation of professionals in the field.

Save the date and secure your spot registering here. 

See you there! 🌍

In Zurich for Next Gen Organoids and organ-on-chip workshop by CSEM

3rd Next Gen Organoids and Organ-on-Chip workshop

We are thrilled to announce that we will be in Zurich on 24 and 25th of August joining the 3rd Next Gen Organoid and Organ-on-Chip workshop, organized by CSEM(*). 

If you are in the pharma & biotech industry, or you are a clinician, regulatory expert or work in a research organization, you may consider joining as well. There will be multiple keynote sessions where some relevant topics will be discussed, amongst others:

  • How to accelerate the translation of advanced in-vitro models into clinical and drug development applications 
  • How to develop innovative products or services based on groundbreaking technologies 
  • How to overcome barriers associated with the adoption of new methods and technologies in a regulated environment 

We hope to see you there!

📅 When: 24 – 25 August 2023, 

📍 Where: Technopark Zürich, Technoparkstrasse 1, 8005 Zurich

▶️ Registration: here

🗣 Language: English

Nikolas and Curt will have some time to meet up front of the workshop on 22nd or 23rd of August if you are interested in learning about the possibilities that our technology can bring to your research

(*)About CSEM: The “Centre Suisse d’électronique et de Microtechnique” (Swiss center of electronics and micro technique) is a public-private, non-profit Swiss technology innovation center that enables competitiveness through innovation by developing and transferring world-class technologies for the industrial sector.

Bi/ond at ACE-SCORE annual meeting

ACE-Score

Bi/ond will be attending the annual meeting of the Erasmus University Academic Center of Excellence for Stem Cells & Organoids in Personalized and Regenerative Medicine (ACE-SCORE). The event will take place of the 31st of August at the Centrale Bibliotheek in Rotterdam. 

What is ACE-SCORE?

Erasmus MC started in 2015 a series of Academic Centers of Excellence to strengthen collaboration between care, research and education, discover new opportunities and inspire each other. ACE SCORE aims to promote interactions and collaborations between fundamental and translational research efforts in multiple disciplines relating to stem cells and organoids, to accelerate innovation and bring regenerative and personalized medicine approaches closer to the patient.

The group’ aim is very close to Bi/ond’s company vision to develop lab technology that will allow for more accurate drug testing and simulations of any tissue type.

We welcome this opportunity to further our relationship with Erasmus Medical Centrum, and learn from their research groups about their struggles, latest discoveries and future plans.

Will we see you on the 31st of August in Rotterdam?

Bi/ond to participate in the MAGIC Project: Accelerating Development of Genetic Therapies for Muscular Dystrophies 

Magic Project announcement

Delft, July 11th, 2023

Bi/ond is proud to announce its participation in the groundbreaking project called “MAGIC” (Next-generation Models And Genetic therapIes for rare neuromusCular diseases). This ambitious four-year initiative, jointly funded with approximately 9.5 million EUR by Horizon Europe, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation of Switzerland (SERI), aims to revolutionize the treatment landscape for muscular dystrophies—a group of severe genetic disorders currently lacking effective therapies.

Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are characterised by muscle wasting, impaired mobility, and premature death, presenting significant challenges for patients and researchers alike. The lack of robust human(ised) models for development of advanced therapies has been a major barrier to clinical translation in the field of genetic therapies for muscle diseases. The MAGIC consortium is determined to overcoming this challenge by developing advanced models of human skeletal muscle pathophysiology and innovative gene therapy vectors.

Led by Prof. Francesco Saverio Tedesco (scientific coordinator; University College London and The Francis Crick Institute) with the support of Dr Mario Amendola (Inserm, coordinating institution), the MAGIC consortium brings together 15 partners from 9 countries, including 8 from academia/research hospitals, 4 SMEs among which, Bi/ond, and 3 charities/NGOs. (*)

By combining expertise in muscle stem cells, regeneration and disease modeling, microfabrication, and microfluidic technologies, the consortium aims to generate advanced multicellular models of neuromuscular diseases using “muscle-on-chip” devices. These devices will be utilized to test genetic therapies and genome editing strategies. 

Bi/ond will empower the consortium partners by providing the technological platform and its biological expertise in the field of muscle-on-chip models. Bi/ond will support the development of multilineage 3D muscle models using human primary and iPSC-derived cells, enabling the creation of robust in vitro models of human muscle and neuromuscular disorders.

“We aim at revolutionizing muscular dystrophy treatment through the MAGIC Project, harnessing the power of Bi/ond’s cutting-edge technology. By uniting with esteemed researchers and partners worldwide, we will do our best to bring hope and transformation to the lives of patients who can’t wait any longer” – Cinzia Silvestri, CEO of Bi/Ond solutions.

Professor Francesco Saverio Tedesco is optimistic about the impact of MAGIC: “This project represents a significant step forward in the search for effective treatments for muscular dystrophies. Through cutting-edge bioengineering, innovative genetic therapies, and advanced preclinical translation, we aim to make a difference in the lives of people affected by these devastating diseases.”.” Professor of Neuromuscular Biology and Regenerative Medicine, University College London, Senior Group Leader, The Francis Crick Institute. 

For more information about Bi/ond’s involvement in the MAGIC project, please contact through the details below, or visit https://www.gobiond.com or the project website. 

Zuriñe Garcia
Marketing Lead
marketing@biondteam.com

*: BI/OND Solutions (Netherlands), Inserm (France), Hannover University Medical School (Germany), Université Paris XII Val de Marne (France), Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (USA), The Francis Crick Institute (UK), King’s College London (UK), National University of Ireland Maynooth (Ireland), Muscular Dystrophy UK (UK), Parent Project APS (Italy), Duchenne Data Foundation (Netherlands), VIVE Biotech (Spain), ReiThera (Italy), Dinaqor Dynamics (Switzerland) and University College London (UK).

About Bi/ond:

Bi/ond specializes in empowering biological innovations through microfabrication techniques and integrated electronics components. We engineer microfluidic chips that create reproducible biological models, reducing the need for animal testing. Our unique platform includes electrophysiology functionality, enabling stimulation and monitoring of muscle contractions. This technology is crucial for patients with rare genetic diseases, as it facilitates the development of tailored treatments. By studying organs on our platform, researchers gain insights into disease mechanisms and test the effects of drugs on human-derived tissues. Choose Bi/ond for advanced technology and dedicated engineering support.

About the MAGIC project:

The MAGIC (Next-generation Models and Genetic therapies for rare neuromuscular diseases) consortium brings together leading international institutions, biotech companies and patient advocacy groups to accelerate the development of gene therapies for muscular dystrophies. By creating advanced human quasi vivo models, developing tissue-specific vectors, and exploring gene editing strategies, the consortium aims to overcome the barriers that have hindered the translation of genetic therapies into clinical applications. Through collaboration, innovation, and a patient-centred approach, the MAGIC consortium is committed to making a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals affected by muscular dystrophies.

This work is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee grant numbers 10080927, 10079726, 10082354 and 10078461.

Project Original Press release

Travel with us to Torino for EACR 2023

EACR 2023 Torino

We are in full preparation mode for EACR 2023, the annual Congress of the European Association for Cancer research.

Our colleagues Liesbeth and Curtis will travel to Turin from 12 to 15th of June to be present at this important event, which highlights the latest research in the oncology field, and brings together the cancer research community.

At our booth, you will be able to find out more about our products, inCHIPit ™ and comPLATE™, as well as their applications for cancer research, and we will be informing also about actual results from some of our partners.

We hope to learn from you about your challenges, and contribute to inspiring you discover a new way of conducting your research through the use of organ-on-chips.

Meet us at booth #58 so we can start building connections and collaborations for a better future for cancer patients!

Bi/ond at MPS Summit in Berlin

MPS Summit Berlin

Bi/ond will be present at the 2nd Microphysiological Systems (MPS) World Summit, to be hosted at the JW Marriott hotelBberlin from 26th to 30th of June.

The agenda will be full of content (nearly 750 abstracts submitted), poster sessions (556) , and networking opportunities.

This is the content of the 4 main tracks:

  • MPS development: bioengineering models and readouts
  • MPS for industrial and regulatory application: standardization, QA, parallelization and automation
  • MPS for disease modelling, safety testing and basic research
  • MPS highlights across disciplines

Will you be there? If you want to make sure we meet, do not forget to register to the free organized matchmaking so you can get your 20-minute-face-to-face talk with one of our colleagues at the event. 

June is full of events for Bi/ond

event route map

June is around the corner and we are super excited about it. Why? Because we will be leaving our office behind for some days to show the world about Bi/ond! These are some of the activities that we have planned for next month. Will we see you at any of them?

From 5 to 8th of June, our CEO, Cinzia Silvestri will be in Boston as part of a Dutch delegation at the BIO International Convention.

We will then travel to Turin from June 12 to 15th, to join the Annual Congress of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR 2023). Do not miss our booth, number 58, and an opportunity to learn more about our solutions!

Towards the end of the month, we will cross the border to Germany and participate in the MPS (Microphysiological systems) World Summit (June 26-30th). You can find us at our booth, (number to be announced) or at one of the several poster sessions where we will be presenting our products and applications.

More information to be posted up soon on Social media – be sure to follow us!

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