Workshop: 3-D In Vitro Tissue Systems for Research on Aging

3-d multi-cell type in vitro system

Audience

Researchers at all career stages who are interested in modeling aging in vitro.

Dates

July 29, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET

July 30, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET

Purpose and Background

Animal models are extremely valuable to the study of aging. However, they do not always phenocopy aging in humans and are limited in the insights they can provide on the mechanisms underlying aging. The advent of technologies that allow for culturing in vitro human tissues has opened opportunities for modeling aging using 3-D multi-cell type in vitro (microphysiological) systems, also known as MPS. These in vitro platforms could complement studies in animal models. The challenge rests in inducing/recapitulating aging processes in vitro and in defining the questions that can be successfully addressed with such models. This workshop examined how complex mammalian 3-D in vitro tissue platforms can be developed, validated, and leveraged to study aging. The goals of the event were to assess the status of the field and critical needs, to define future directions, and to outline opportunities and priorities to better support the development of novel in vitro platforms for research on aging.

Agenda

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time.

Monday, July 29

9:00 a.m. Welcome, Stacy Carrington-Lawrence, Ph.D., Acting Director, Division of Aging Biology, NIA

9:05 a.m. Opening Remarks, Tiziana Cogliati, Ph.D., Division of Aging Biology, NIA

9:10 a.m. Charge for the Workshop, James McGrath, Ph.D., University of Rochester (*workshop chair)

9:15 a.m. Keynote Presentation: The Cellular Wear and Tear of Aging, Nathan LeBrasseur, Ph.D., M.S., Mayo Clinic

10:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. | Session I

10:00 a.m. Explant, Organoid, and Microphysiologic Models of Ovarian Aging, Francesca Duncan, Ph.D., Northwestern University

10:30 a.m. Engineering Self-Organization in Health and Disease, Zev Gartner, Ph.D., UCSF

11:00 a.m. Break

11:20 a.m. Direct Neuronal Reprogramming to Study Aging and Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disorders, Jerome Mertens, Ph.D., UCSD

11:50 a.m. Inducing Age-Related Vulnerabilities in Human PSC Models of Late-Onset Neurodegenerative Disorders, Lorenz Studer, M.D., Sloan Kettering Institute

12:20 p.m. Lunch Break

1:20 p.m. - 4:40 p.m. | Session II

1:20 p.m. Recapitulating Microenvironmental Regulation in the Aging Tissue, Sharon Gerecht, Ph.D., Duke University

1:50 p.m. Identifying Local Matrix Signatures: Metabolic Labeling in 3D Engineered Tissues, Claudia Loebel, M.D., Ph.D., University of Michigan

2:20 p.m. Using the Miniature Knee Joint System to Study Osteoarthritis and Test Treatments, Hang Lin, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh

2:50 p.m. Break

3:10 p.m. Modeling and Measuring the Impact of Aging on Vascular Barrier Function and Disease, James McGrath, Ph.D., University of Rochester

3:40 p.m. Models of Aging Using a Vascular Microphysiological System, George Truskey, Ph.D., Duke University

4:10 p.m. Stem Cells & Genomics: From Precision Medicine to Clinical Trials in a Dish, Joseph Wu, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University

4:40 p.m. Panel Discussion

5:00 p.m. Day 1 Adjourn

Tuesday, July 30

9:00 a.m. Summary of Day 1 and Goals for Day 2, James McGrath, Ph.D., University of Rochester (*workshop chair)

9:05 a.m. Presentation of the NIH Common Fund Program, ComplementARIE

Catalyzing the Development and Use of Novel Alternative Methods (NAMs) to Advance Biomedical Research, Margaret Ochocinska, Ph.D., NIH Office of the Director

9:35 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. | Session III

9:35 a.m. Imaging-Based Approach to Quantitate Aging and Rejuvenation in Single Cells, Alexey Terskikh, Ph.D., Scintillon Research Institute

10:05 a.m. The AgeScore-Systematic Estimation of Biological Age of Divers In Vitro Cell Culture Systems, Christiane Hartmann, Ph.D., Rostock University

10:35 a.m. Break

10:50 a.m. Hallmarks of Systemic Aging and Rejuvenation with Suggestion of Novel Approaches for Human MPS, Irina Conboy, Ph.D., UC Berkeley

11:20 a.m. A Human Aging-on-a-Chip System for the Adipose Tissue-Liver Axis, Andreas Stahl, Ph.D., UC Berkeley

11:50 a.m. 3D Microphysiological Systems for Rejuvenating Aging Skeletal Muscle, Young C. Jang, Ph.D., Emory University

12:20 p.m. Lunch Break

1:05 p.m. - 2:35 p.m. | Session IV

1:05 p.m. Skeletal Muscle MPS Platform to Model Muscle Wasting in Space Flight, Sarcopenia and Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, Siobhan Malany, Ph.D., University of Florida

1:35 p.m. Rejuvenation of Alveolar Epithelial Cells Using Interrupted Programming, Golnaz Karoubi, Ph.D., University of Toronto

2:05 p.m. Advanced Heart-on-a-Chip Platform for Cardiac Aging Research, Deok-Ho Kim, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University

2:35 p.m. Panel Discussion II

2:55 p.m. Concluding Remarks

3:00 p.m. Day 2 Adjourn

Contact Information

Please contact Tiziana Cogliati at tiziana.cogliati@nih.gov for questions you may have about the workshop.