InVitro+Jobs presents scientists and their innovative research in a regular feature called “Working Group – a Portrait”. We focus on newly developed methods, their evaluation and their potential for reducing and where possible replacing animal experimentation according to the 3R principles of Russel & Burch (reduce, refine, replace).

In this feature we present an institute that amongst other things researches the development of in vitro disease models (“diseases in a dish”). The models allow to study of disease developments based on patient-specific human cells instead on genetic modified animals (animal models).

A researcher group headed by Dr. Georg Damm from the Clinic of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Charité Berlin developes immunocompetent liver cell models that make it possible to examine fatty acid- and drug-induced liver damages.

The American company Emulate Inc., headquartered in Boston will receive a financial injection of 28 million dollars to implement their organ-on-a-chip technology in ready-to-use systems for industrial application. Aim is, inter alia, an improved drug development.

With the aim to promote the implementation of new approaches as a replacement to animal experiments, the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and CAAT-Europe at the University of Constance have launched a training course program.

The sessions of the practical, one and two-day training courses are led by specialists in the respective areas. The events take place in different European countries.