Adult intestinal stem cells are grown into closed 3D structures with protruding buds and a luminal compartment. These 3D structures are produced from the stem cells present in the base of crypts isolated from rectal mucosa samples that can be collected by suction or forceps biopsy. The crypts are

Last updated on: 22-02-2024 - 11:15

Contact: Anabela Ramalho
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
Fiber biopersistence is a key factor in understanding the pathogenicity of man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF). Today, compliance to Note Q in Annex VI of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures may only be demonstrated via in vivo

Last updated on: 19-12-2023 - 19:17

Contact: Léa Hiéronimus
Organisation: Eurima is the European Insulation Manufacturers Association
Status: Still in development, Internally validated, Published in peer reviewed journal
Macrophages orchestrate reactive particle segregation, compact aggregates of immune cells and non-immune cells and promote fibrosis-surrounding granulomas. We developed a simple 3D in-vitro model that mimics granuloma formation and categorizes granuloma-inducing inorganic particles. Macrophage

Last updated on: 03-04-2023 - 11:21

Contact: Léa Hiéronimus
Organisation: Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL)
Status: Still in development, Internally validated
The purpose of the present development is to use avian MoDCs to implement a cellular platform to increase understanding of the immune responses induced by various antigens of interest (e.g. vaccine candidates) and evaluate their immunogenic potential. Considering the difficulty to work on dendritic

Last updated on: 03-02-2023 - 08:51

Contact: Fiona Ingrao
Organisation: Sciensano
Status: Still in development
Intestinal organoids are cultured from intestinal biopsies obtained during routine endoscopy. The stem cell containing crypts are isolated and cultured in a 3D ECM (Matrigel) in the presence of the desired growth factors. The present stem cells will expand and give rise to all epithelial cells of

Last updated on: 11-01-2023 - 16:43

Contact: Bram Verstockt
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
The in vitro micronucleus test is a genotoxicity test for the detection of micronuclei in the cytoplasm of interphase cells and has been described in detail in OECD TG 487. Micronuclei may originate from acentric chromosome fragments (i.e. lacking a centromere), or whole chromosomes that

Last updated on: 23-11-2022 - 16:31

Contact: Birgit Mertens
Organisation: Sciensano
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal, Validated by an external party (e.g. OECD, EURL ECVAM,…)
E. coli is one of the organisms of choice for the production of recombinant proteins. DH5 alpha cells are commonly used for maintenance, propagation and mutation, whilst BL21(DE3) and C43(DE3) are mainly used for expression of the transgene. The advantage of C43(DE3) is that is used to produce

Last updated on: 03-11-2022 - 07:25

Organisation: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Status: Still in development, History of use, Internally validated
The main objective of this research project is to create the first full-thickness cornea-on-chip, which comprises a 3D construct with every cellular layer of the cornea. This construct is embedded in a microfluidic chip with two channels that are continuously perfused. The epithelial side of the

Last updated on: 27-07-2022 - 09:35

Contact: Joris Van Meenen
Organisation: University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen)
Status: Still in development
A battery of in vitro genotoxicity assays is currently used to detect agents with DNA damaging and carcinogenic potential. Although the sensitivity of this battery of genotoxicity assays is high, the specificity is low (“false positive hit”), especially with the mammalian cell-based assay, compared

Last updated on: 11-07-2022 - 15:51

Contact: Marc Audebert
Organisation: Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRAE)
Status: History of use, Internally validated, Published in peer reviewed journal, Currently submitted for further validation by an external party (e.g. OECD, EURL ECVAM,…)
This method uses human skin-derived precursors (hSKP) differentiated towards hepatic cells (hSKP-HPC) as a hepatic in vitro model. Exposure of these cells for 24 hours to sub-cytotoxic concentrations of acetaminophen, which is a reference hepatotoxicant, induced specific cellular responses in a

Last updated on: 26-05-2022 - 10:39

Contact: Robim Rodrigues
Organisation: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal