Left to right: Adithya Sridhar, Katja Wolthers, Nina Johannesson, Nening Nanlohy, Susana Fuentes, and Hauke Smidt.
Advancing Our Human Gut Models with RIVM and Wageningen University
OrganoVIR Labs has officially joined forces with researchers at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Wageningen University to launch a groundbreaking new venture: the Friend or Foe project. This research initiative will push the boundaries of human gut disease modelling and delve into the fascinating interplay between bacteria and viruses and how they influence our health and vulnerability to disease.
Bacteria: Are they our friend, or our foe?
Are bacteria protecting us from harmful viruses, or do they work together to make us sick? This is the question that drives the Friend or Foe Project. Supported by Stichting Proefdiervrij (the Dutch Society for the Replacement of Animal Testing) and led by Katja Wolthers, co-head of OrganoVIR Labs, this project will advance the development of human disease modeling.
This project will be carried out in partnership with Susana Fuentes and her team at RIVM, along with Hauke Smidt at the Unlock Facility of Wageningen University. Also joining the project is Joep Korsten, a former OrganoVIR Labs research technician, now pursuing a PhD within this collaboration.
Building a next-generation gut organoid model
Previously, OrganoVIR Labs has contributed to the development of the next-generation gut organoid model. Within the GUTVIBRATIONS project, an EU-funded project that has developed a user-friendly gut-brain axis organ-on-chip, we developed a triple culture gut organoid model containing fibroblasts and immune cells. This work within GUTVIBRATIONS laid the foundation for the next step.
Within the Friend or Foe project, Joep will contribute to the development of a two-compartment model with a constant flow of medium and O2 and an anaerobic mixed bacterial culture. This model will use a pump-based system. This model will be instrumental in understanding the interaction between microorganisms and the human immune system. It will also be used to study the interplay between bacteria and viruses in the human gut.
“This project is the next step in developing human disease models” said Katja Wolthers. “We are glad that we have the support of a like-minded organization such as Stichting Proefdiervrij, and we are glad to have like-minded researchers on board in this project” she added.
