Elveflow was in Norway for the NOR-MPS 2025 symposium, where we had the opportunity to engage with researchers from the University of Oslo and beyond. This annual networking event gathers leading Nordic and international experts to share their latest research and discuss advancements in microphysiological systems, organoids, and organ-on-chip technology.
The symposium fostered collaboration between academia and industry, featuring keynotes, project presentations, roundtable discussions, and a poster session—all packed into an insightful one-day event.
We were thrilled to welcome visitors to our booth, exchange ideas, and explore new avenues for collaboration.
Couldn’t attend? Curious about the latest innovations in microphysiological systems research? Stay with us as we walk you through the key highlights from the conference!
The conference opened with an insightful keynote by Reyk Horland, CEO of TissUse, who shared the current state of organ-on-chip technology and its readiness for real-world applications. His presentation was structured around HUMIMIC Solutions – Their core organ-on-chip platform, designed to model organs and diseases on a chip, generating highly relevant preclinical data, and Artificial Intelligence – TissUse is now looking to integrate AI-driven data analysis to enhance the interpretation of complex biological responses. (Interestingly, AI was also a major theme in our SLAS conference report—highlighting its growing role in microphysiological systems research.)
The HUMIMIC product line represents a human-on-a-chip technology, offering systemic preclinical insights using human tissue models. These platforms enable near real-life predictions of chemical effects and metabolism, paving the way for more accurate drug development and toxicity testing.
Peter Loskill’s talk emphasized the importance of immunocompetence in organ-on-chip technology, highlighting how integrating immune components into these systems enhances disease modeling, drug testing, and therapy development.
His research covers a range of immunocompetent organ-on-chip models, from cancer-on-chip platforms for immunotherapy research to choroid-on-chip systems for studying ocular effect of biological drugs and adipose tissue-on-chip models for metabolic disease insights. He also introduced PDMS-free microfluidic models, designed to improve compatibility with immune cells and enhance physiological relevance.
Looking ahead, further research should focus on incorporating additional immune cell types, such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells and Tregs, given their key immunosuppressive role in the tumor microenvironment. Integrating tissue- and organ-specific resident cells could also help uncover their role in immune-cancer interactions. Additionally, the high-content nature of immunocompetent organ-on-chip models presents an opportunity for AI-driven data analysis, particularly for image interpretation and advanced pattern recognition.
With immunocompetent chips paving the way for personalized medicine, Loskill’s work underscores the shift toward functionally integrated, patient-relevant in vitro models, bringing organ-on-chip technology closer to clinical applications.
We also had the chance to listen to Professor My Hedhammar from KTH, Stockholm, who presented her research on bioengineered extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds for in vitro models and organ-on-a-chip systems.
The Challenge: Traditional hydrogels and scaffold-free cultures fall short in replicating the structural and biochemical complexity of native tissues, where collagen fibers and fibronectin provide essential support.
The Solution: Inspired by spider silk, her team developed a recombinant ECM combining:
This hybrid ECM self-assembles into nanofibrils, mimicking real tissue environments. A bubble-induced fiber technique further refines the structure, generating collagen-like fibers that enhance cell adhesion, migration, and signaling.
Applications:
Tissue models – Supports proper cell differentiation.
Tumor research – Enables epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) for metastasis studies.
Lung-on-a-chip – Promotes alveolar-like structures.
Regenerative medicine – Potential for biomaterial implants.
Hedhammar’s work provides a scalable and realistic alternative to conventional ECM models, offering new possibilities for organ-on-a-chip technology and regenerative medicine.
Are you excluding data due to technical issues with connection and pumping systems? Maybe it’s time to switch to a more performant solution.
When it comes to microfluidic flow control, pressure-based systems outperform pumpless setups in key areas such as precision, flexibility, and integration, making them ideal for advanced research applications like organ-on-chip and organoid studies.
High precision with real-time pressure control
Less precise, depends on liquid levels and gravity-driven flow
Adapts to various flow rates and configurations
More limited adaptability
Slower, less responsive flow regulation
Compatible with sensors, automation, and other lab technologies
More basic, harder to integrate with complex systems
Suitable for organ-on-chip, organoid research, and advanced microfluidics
Best for simpler, low-precision fluid flows
Lower cost and reduces benchtop clutter
While pumpless systems offer lower costs and a more compact setup, they are limited in precision, adaptability, and automation. For applications requiring tight flow control and reproducibility, pressure-based systems remain the superior choice.
The NOR MPS 2025 symposium brought together leading researchers and industry experts to discuss the latest advancements in microphysiological systems, organoids, and organ-on-chip technologies. From AI-driven organ-on-chip analysis to immunocompetent tissue models and bioengineered extracellular matrices, the conference highlighted the rapid evolution of in vitro models toward more realistic, functional, and scalable solutions.
However, despite their potential, none of these models are yet FDA or regulatory approved, limiting their use to pre-selection trials rather than fully replacing animal testing. The open question remains: when will regulatory bodies take the next step, allowing organ-on-chip models to truly reduce the reliance on animal models in drug development and biomedical research?
A big thank you to the University of Oslo for organizing this inspiring event! If you couldn’t attend, we hope this recap gave you key insights into the future of MPS research. See you next time for more conference reports!
Written and reviewed by Louise Fournier, PhD in Chemistry and Biology Interface. For more content about Microfluidics, you can have a look here.
P. Loskill and L. Stauber, “Immunocompetent cancer-on-chip models to assess immuno-oncology therapy,” Trends in Biotechnology, vol. 39, no. 12, pp. 1205-1217, Dec. 2021.
L. Stauber, S. Sieber, S. Müller, H. J. Kim, and P. Loskill, “Human immunocompetent choroid-on-chip: A novel tool for studying ocular effects of biological drugs,” Communications Biology, vol. 5, 2022.
D. Klett, M. Kiel, L. Engelhardt, S. Schneider, and P. Loskill, “Autologous human immunocompetent white adipose tissue-on-chip,” Advanced Science, vol. 9, no. 15, p. 2104451, Jul. 2022.
S. Rudolph, L. Engelhardt, M. Kiel, S. Schneider, and P. Loskill, “Immunocompetent PDMS-free organ-on-chip model of cervical cancer integrating patient-specific cervical fibroblasts and neutrophils,” Advanced Healthcare Materials, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 2302714, Jan. 2023.
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