People – «Resourceful, reliable, resilient»
Presenting our members of the steering committee: 3 responses from Olivier Guenat, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Bern
1. Please describe yourself using 3 words that start with an R?
Resourceful, reliable, resilient.
2. What was your motivation to become an NRP 79 Steering Committee member?
As a member of the NRP79 Steering Committee, my role encompasses three key aspects.
- Firstly, I act as a spokesperson for the community of researchers dedicated to alternative methods, advocating for their needs and promoting their interests.
- Secondly, my involvement allows me to gain valuable insights into the overall trends shaping the field, encompassing technical advancements, scientific breakthroughs, and societal developments.
- Lastly, my aspiration is to facilitate the accessibility of innovative technologies, particularly organs-on-chip, to all researchers. By breaking down barriers and promoting inclusivity, I aim to democratise access to organs-on-chip technology and foster its widespread adoption among researchers.
3. Where do you see the biggest potential regarding the organs-on-chip technology?
Organs-on-chip technology holds immense potential in providing clinically relevant tissue-level information from in vitro systems. It permits examination of dynamic aspects of tissue physiology. Organs-on-chip enable the engineering of organ-specific environments, facilitating the analysis of complex biological functions.
While these models cannot yet fully replicate the intricate complexity of in vivo systems, they offer a distinct advantage: they provide detailed information about the effects of inputs on the biological model. This capability allows for targeted investigations and a deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms. Organs-on-chip models have significant potential to advance healthcare and medical research.
Main fields of expertise:
- Organs-on-chip
- Microfluidics
- Lung disease models
- Microvasculature models
- Organoids