Liver Adult Stem Cells for Advanced In Vitro Models and Whole Organ Engineering

Life Sciences Seminar organised by Regenerative Medicine and Technology and the GSLS.

Speaker

Dr. Bart Spee

Dr. Spee has more than 20 years’ experience in Molecular Biology and Veterinary Medicine, and is (co)author of over 90 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Following a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology on pathways of regeneration and fibrosis of liver diseases, he took up a position as post-doc at the department of pathology at the University of Leuven, Belgium, under guidance of prof. Tania Roskams. Here he used molecular tools and combined these with the vast tissue bank at the pathology department, resulting in an increased knowledge on the activation of the adult stem cells of the liver including its neoplastic offspring. After an internship at the Laboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis (NIH, Bethesda, VS) with Dr. Thorgeirsson where he worked on cholangiocarcinoma’s, he returned to Utrecht University as an assistant professor. Currently he is investigating the use of stem cells, ranging from adult stem cells (organoids) to multipotent stromal cells (MSCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for functional recovery of liver diseases. One of the focus points of the research is the transplantation of adult stem cells in a canine model for Wilsons disease. Another focus is the creation of physiologically relevant in vitro liver models using biofabrication technology that can be used for drug toxicity testing and personalized medicine approaches. This biofabrication technology is also explored for the development of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) such as bioengineered livers as an alternative to organ donation.

Topic

Liver Adult Stem Cells for Advanced In Vitro Models and Whole Organ Engineering

Drinks

After the seminar there will be drinks in the hall of the Ruppert building from 5 pm to 6:30 pm. Come and join the drinks to network with fellow Life Sciences students!