Exploring human-relevant in vitro and in silico approaches for disease modelling and therapeutic innovation

Webinar description

BioMed21 (Biomedical Research for the 21st Century Collaboration) invites you to a 60-minute webinar exploring how New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), including advanced human-relevant in vitro models and in silico technologies, are transforming rare disease research and drug development.

The webinar will bring together experts from academia, policy, and biomedical research to discuss innovative approaches ranging from retinal organoids and retina-on-chip systems to computational modelling and AI-driven strategies for therapy development.

Topics will include:

• Human-centric strategies for rare disease research
• hiPSC-derived organoids and organ-on-chip technologies
• In silico modelling and computational approaches
• Translational opportunities and challenges for NAMs in therapy development
• European research and policy perspectives

Draft agenda

• Advancing Human-Centric Strategies for Rare Disease Research: A European Research Policy Perspective
  Francesca Pistollato – Humane World for Animals
• Human retinal organoids and retina-chip platform for modeling disease and gene therapy
  Kevin Achberger – University of Tübingen
• Human-Centric In Silico Modeling for Rare Disease Research and Drug Development
  Francesco Pappalardo – University of Catania & the COMBINE Group
• NAMs in Rare Disease Therapy Development: Where and When Do They Fit?
  Manoe Janssen – Radboudumc

📄 BioMed21 Policy Paper: https://biomed21.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/RareDiseases_WhitePaper_2026-final.pdf