Last September, the second WG4 hands-on training event took place at Erasmus Medical Centre, attracting experts to discuss innovative tissue modelling methodologies, from hematopoietic stem cell differentiation to advanced brain organoid models.
The event opened with a welcome address by the host Mehrnaz Ghazvini (Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands), followed by insightful presentations from Andrea Ditadi (San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy), Martin Hoogduijn (Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands), Adrian Ranga (KU Leuven, Belgium), and Marcela Garita-Hernandez (Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA). Participants were particularly engaged by hands-on training sessions, including a “Make Your Own Chip” workshop led by Silvia Mihaila (University of Utrecht, Netherlands).
Day two focussed on brain differentiation and neurodevelopmental disorder models, with expert sessions from Femke de Vrij (Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands), Vivi Heine (Amsterdam UMC, Netherlands), and Amalia Dolga (University of Groningen, Netherlands). The event concluded with a hands-on workshop on dopaminergic neuron differentiation, led by Mehrnaz Ghazvini.
Special thanks go to the organising committee: Mehrnaz Ghazvini, Una Riekstina (University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia), Lyn Healy (Francis Crick Institute, London, UK), Jacopo Zasso (Human Technopole, Milano, Italy), Sema Aygar (Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA), Silvia Ferreira (i3S, Porto, Portugal), and Silvia Mihaila.
The event was made possible with the generous support of sponsors Biolamina, Stem Cell Technologies, and Axions, whose support made the event possible, and who also provided valuable insights into extracellular matrix components and brain organoids.