StemScreen network shares knowledge to accelerate drug screening projects
The StemScreen Center for Stem Cell-based Disease Modeling and Drug Screening held its first workshop from September 2-5 at Panum, University of Copenhagen. Twenty-two participants from across StemScreen’s network gathered for in-depth discussion of high-content image-based screening and disease models.
Various aspects of screen design and cellular disease models were presented by experts including Jonas V. Bagge (StemScreen Screening Specialist) Kim B. Jensen (StemScreen Project Lead, Professor and Director at reNEW Copenhagen), Albert Kooistra (Associate Professor in Data Science for Drug Design at UCPH) and Fredrik Wieland (Imaging Application Scientist, Yokogawa Deutschland GmbH). Discussion topics included cell model selection, assay development, compound libraries for high-content screens, and how to analyse and visualise data with Yokogawa’s powerful ‘CellPathFinder’ tool.
Partipants gained inspiration for their projects: “The StemScreen workshop has given us many new ideas about how to prepare our screen. The speed of the StemScreen imaging system is impressive, and will be essential for screening 3D cell models.”, said StemScreen researcher Dr. Elin Byman Shatri, Research Scientist, Bioneer A/S.
The StemScreen high-content screening facility launched in May 2024 and is based at reNEW Copenhagen. It is designed for high-speed drug screens of disease models built from stem cells, including 3D organoids or ‘mini organs’. Using the facility, research projects in the StemScreen network aim to revolutionize drug discovery pipelines, cut the costs of developing new drug treatments for difficult-to-treat diseases, and reduce animal experimentation.
“It has been great to see StemScreen network connections growing during the workshop, and to hear about project ideas and developments. I think the workshop has catalysed a lot of screening projects, and I’m excited to see the results emerging at StemScreen and reNEW.” said Dr. Jonas V. Bagge.
StemScreen is funded by Innovation Fund Denmark, and currently includes nine proof-of-concept projects led by researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Danish biotech companies. Any researcher can apply to use the StemScreen facility if they have a promising proof-of-concept screening project with potential to generate value. Researchers can also apply to join future workshops, which are free to attend.
Read more about StemScreen, high-content image-based screening, and how to submit a project proposal: www.stemscreen.ku.dk