A major new initiative involving Oxford experts aims to redefine human-based research models to improve understanding of disease and accelerate the development of new medicines.
The joint £15.9 million investment by the Medical Research Council (MRC), Wellcome Trust, and Innovate UK will enable the development of advanced, specific, and highly reproducible human in vitro models, with the aim of making them widely available to researchers in academia and industry.
In vitro models use isolated cells and tissues outside the living body and can take many forms, including stem-cell derived aggregates that display organ-like features on a smaller scale (organoids), tissue slices removed during surgery (called explant or ex vivo cultures); and organ-on-chips, small devices that use tiny channels to pass fluids through living cells, mimicking how organs work inside the body. The development of accurate and physiologically relevant in vitro models for studying disease biology and drug development aims to improve the translatability of research, while reducing reliance on animal models.
A coordinated network of five interdisciplinary teams will focus on the development of in vitro disease models of the liver, brain, cancer, pain and blood vessels.
Eric O’Neill, Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Oncology, is part of the INTREPID project (IN vitro TumouR Explant models for evaluating cancer complexity and Patient Diversity) project, which aims to tackle the barriers associated with widespread adoption of live human tumour tissue explant models – to drive progress in their use in cancer research.
Read the full story on the the Department of Oncology website.