First Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge Starts with Four Teams

Four amazing teams with promising plans and ideas will make this first Proefdiervrij version of the Venture Challenge epic. The teams firstbaseBIO, The Avatar Zoo, GUTS bv, and Felix Bioprinter will follow the 12-week programme and compete for the grand prize. Who will have a successful commercial product in the end?

firstbaseBIO

Human brain organoids form the basis of firstbaseBIO’s off-the-shelf 3D platform on which neurological diseases can be studied. The organoids will be formed by reprogrammed human cells from easily accessible sources such as urine, skin, or mucosa. The proof of-concept brain organoids will be those from patients with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare, incurable brain disease that occurs primarily and is often fatal in young boys. With the brain organoid platform, possible medicinal treatments for ALD can be effectively optimised.

The Avatar Zoo

During the education for people doctors and vets it is important to see how all anatomy relates and functions. Using virtual reality technology developed at the veterinary faculty (UU) and at the LUMC we are able to make functional animal models, so-called ‘avatars’. Avatars are virtual reality models that offer unique possibilities for practicing clinical, surgical techniques, and experimental procedures, for which no live animals are needed. Learning anatomy and clinical procedures from avatars at an academic level is only possible with high quality models.

GUTS BV

At the University of Utrecht, an accurate model of the small intestine was developed. GUTS BV is the start-up company with the goal to effectively market this model. This includes two cell culture platforms for different organs that are hugely improved from the current standard. In addition, GUTS BV will offer its services for testing compounds in these systems for their uptake and biological effects and subsequent computational analyses. When using these systems from early on in the development phase, accurate predictions can be made and many laboratory animals will be spared.

Felix Bioprinter

FELIXprinters is a company in IJsselstein that has been developing and marketing 3D printers for a decade. Since 2020, the FELIX BIOprinter has been added to the portfolio. It was developed because of an assignment for the EU and a regenerative medicine training network. The BIOprinter is capable of printing hydrogels (BIO-INK) and living cells to develop living tissues. These tissues can then be used for research of new treatments.

We wish the teams good luck and a successful and productive time!

Source: Proefdiervrij