NEOLIVER and NAP4DIVE Kick Off to Shape the Future of Healthcare

January 2025 marks the launch of two projects—NEOLIVER and NAP4DIVE—aimed at transforming regenerative medicine and drug development. Both consortia gathered for their respective Kick-Off Meetings, bringing together experts, stakeholders, and external advisors to align on project goals and strategies for the coming years.

NEOLIVER: Pioneering 3D Bioprinted Liver Tissue Constructs

On January 21–22, 2025, the NEOLIVER consortium convened to initiate their work on the automated generation of dense, functional, and perfusable bioprinted liver constructs for transplantation. Hosted by project coordinator Prof. Bart Spee from Utrecht University, the meeting began with a keynote from a patient representative emphasizing the urgency of advancing research towards clinical applications. Dr. Mirko Lo Cicero, Project Officer from HaDEA, also addressed key grant management aspects.

Partners reviewed the work packages planned for the first year, focusing on defining construct requirements and vascularization approaches. The discussions were enriched by insights from the External Advisory Board (EAB), including:

• Prof. Dr. Paolo Martins (Transplantation Surgeon, Oklahoma Health Science Centre)
• Jose Willemse (Executive Director, Dutch Liver Patients Association)
• Dr. Dirk Groenewegen (Managing Director, Cells4Therapy)

Building on the success of the EU-funded ORGANTRANS project—which successfully transplanted small liver constructs into mice—NEOLIVER pushes the boundaries of tissue engineering by automating the bioprinting process and scaling up functional tissue production.

Stay updated on the project’s progress at their website and on LinkedIn.

NAP4DIVE: Revolutionizing Drug Testing Through Advanced Technologies

Kicking off on January 15–16, 2025, in Turku, Finland, the NAP4DIVE project aims to reduce the reliance on animal models in drug development for brain diseases. The meeting, hosted by Project Coordinator Prof. Cecilia Sahlgren at Åbo Akademi University, set the stage for the development of two key technologies:

• A high-throughput Blood-Brain Barrier-on-Chip
• An in silico Nanoparticle Design Simulator powered by machine learning

During the sessions, partners outlined critical first-year activities, including defining technology specifications, establishing a nanoparticle design library, and structuring a Health Technology Assessment framework. The consortium welcomed guidance from HaDEA EC Project Officer Carlos Eduardo Lima da Cunha and benefited from the expertise of its EAB members:

• Erika Györvary (EUROCS Board Member, CSEM Switzerland)
• Roberto Latini (Senior Advisor, IRFMN)
• Yu Shrike Zhang (Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School)
• Aki Laakso (Head of R&D, Professor in Neurosurgery, Helsinki University Hospital)

Additionally, the project ensures ethical compliance with the support of its External Ethics Board, including:

• Steven Van Wortswinkel (Ethicist, Hospital aan de Stroom, Belgium)
• Bernice Bovenkerk (Associate Professor, Wageningen University and Research, Netherlands)

With a four-year roadmap ahead, NAP4DIVE is set to revolutionize preclinical research and accelerate drug development.

Follow project updates at their website and on LinkedIn.

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