Young Researcher and Innovator Conference Grant - Report from Karolina Basniak

Conference title: European Organ-on-Chip Society Annual Meeting
Conference web-page: https://euroocs.eu/annual-meeting/
Title of the presentation: Bone marrow-mimetic bioengineered niches capturing altered cell composition of
erythroblastic islands in myelodysplastic neoplasms
Co-authors: Karolina Basiak, Natalia Gosnell, Heike Weidner, Viola Vogel, Martina Rauner, Dilara Perver
Other details of the presentation: Day II (23.06) poster session

The COST Improve Action Young Researcher Travel Grant provided me with an invaluable opportunity to present my research at the EUROoCs Annual Meeting in Braga. My work represents an ongoing collaboration between the Bone Lab at TU Dresden and the Mechanobiology Lab at ETH Zurich. Although my research stay at ETH concluded last year, the collaboration has remained strong, particularly with Dr. Perver, who is currently developing a spin-off company based on her invention and our shared research interests.

Presenting the outcomes of this collaboration at the conference provided me with an excellent platform for networking and for showcasing our humanized bone marrow model as a novel methodology for preclinical drug screening to both academic researchers and representatives of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. On a personal level, attending the meeting allowed me to deepen my understanding of non-animal methodologies, engage with leading experts in the field, and receive valuable feedback on the approaches applied in my own research.

The opportunity to continue working closely with Dr. Perver on grant applications and the development of the future spin-off represents an exciting prospect for my professional development. It will allow me not only to expand my expertise in new approach methodologies (NAMs) but also to gain practical experience in innovation, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship.

Throughout the three-day meeting, I had the opportunity to discuss our work with industry representatives interested in our technology, including scientists from Roche, AstraZeneca, and Dynamic42 GmbH. In addition, I exchanged ideas with internationally recognized academic experts on current scientific advances and the regulatory challenges associated with implementing non-animal methodologies. The conference also featured inspiring scientific sessions and provided numerous networking opportunities with both early-stage and well-established companies.

These interactions made the meeting particularly valuable at this stage of my career. As I approach the completion of my PhD, the conference strengthened my confidence in pursuing a career focused on animal-free research. It reinforced my interest in contributing to the advancement and implementation of NAMs. I also believe this meeting marks only the beginning of my involvement with COST Actions, as we are currently considering participating in the future application calls for new initiatives within the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST).
I am sincerely grateful for the support provided through the COST Improve Action Young Researchers Travel Grant, which enabled me to gain valuable scientific knowledge, establish new collaborations, and broaden my professional perspective.