High-throughput and reproducible development of intestinal organoids by microfluidics encapsulation in synthetic niches for intestinal bowel disease research

Intestinal bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-mediated disorder characterized by a complex spectrum of multifactorial disorders, which affects 2.5-4 million people in Europe with a total annual healthcare cost of 4.6-5.6 billion.

The unknown aetiology of IBD, along with its heterogeneous and multifactorial nature, make essential the development of novel disease model platforms that enable the fundamental understanding of the disorder.

My project aims to develop the next generation of human intestinal organoids (HIOs) in reproducible and high-throughput fashion by microfluidics encapsulation in synthetic niches.

This scalable technology will provide a well-controlled mass production of HIOs for disease modelling, drug screening of novel therapeutic targets, and regenerative medicine applications, filling the translational gap with organoids research.

I will co-culture HIOs with immune cells and microbiota to obtain native physiological similarities and to develop the next generation of HIOs, which can effectively recapitulate the complex multifactorial spectrum of IBD and allow the identification of new insights into the pathophysiology of the disorder.

MSCA Fellowship will provide me with a unique opportunity to exploit my diverse skill set and take fully advantage of available facilities and partnerships of Prof. Andrs Garca and Prof. Abhay Pandit, who are uniquely positioned to maximize the output of this project and benefit my future career.

I will be trained in both discipline-specific and complementary technical training and generic and complementary transferable skills training through an inter-sectoral secondment on a CRAMs industrial partnership to translate this innovative therapeutic technology to the clinic.

The disruptive technology developed through this proposal will represent a step change in our understanding of intestinal disorders and advanced therapies, entailing a great contribution to the European knowledge-based economy and society.