The MAESTRO competition funds projects aimed at conducting pioneering scientific research, including interdisciplinary research, which is important for the development of science, goes beyond the current state of knowledge and may result in scientific discoveries.

Experienced scientists with at least a PhD degree could apply for funding if they have managed at least two research projects selected in national or international competitions in the last ten years, published at least five publications in renowned Polish or foreign scientific journals or publishing houses, Polish or foreign, and also meet other competition criteria concerning, among others, conference speeches, awards, publications, membership in associations.

In the sixteenth edition of the MAESTRO competition, the NCN (National Science Centre) received 69 applications. Funding was awarded to 7 projects:

• one in the group of humanities, social sciences and art,
• two in the life sciences group
• and four in science and technology group.

The value of the funded applications is over 29.7 million PLN. The project led by Prof. Zbigniew Brzózka received 4,114,816 PLN of this amount.

About the project

Drug discovery and development is a long and costly process. Despite huge investments in drug development, the success rate of drugs entering clinical trials is very low. It is reported that out of 250 drugs that have passed the preclinical phase and been selected for clinical trials, only 1 drug has been finally launched on the pharmaceutical market. This is a consequence of the poor rendition of results obtained in preclinical studies to clinical trials. The in vitro cell models currently used in preclinical research greatly simplify the conditions in the human body. However, in the case of animal models, the process of disease formation, its development and response to therapy is often different from that in the human body. Therefore, there is a great need to design and create advanced models for the preclinical research stage.

Microfluidic organ-on-a-chip systems (OoC) have become a solution to this problem. OoC technology allows for the creation of cellular models that are morphologically similar to in vivo (living organisms) in conditions that mimic the complex and specific characteristics of tissues, which is not possible in standard culture conditions. Although many advanced OoC models have been developed, there is no golden standard for determining which tissue should be modelled in Organ-on-a-chip systems based on given technological parameters using a specific 3D cell model.

Therefore, the aim of the project is to develop Organ-on-a-Chip systems that imitate the microenvironment of selected organs as a solution that enables preclinical research as an alternative to standard in vitro cell culture and preclinical animal studies. We will also provide new knowledge on which culture model is the most suitable and effective for a particular organ.

The results obtained in the project will allow for a deeper understanding of how the type of cellular liver model, including liver cancer, lung cancer, and heart cancer, affects the correct representation of the organ in vivo. In addition, the organ models developed in OoC technology can facilitate the screening and development of new drugs in the future. In addition, the approach proposed and optimised in the project (modelling and analytical methods) can be used in personalised medicine (using patient cells). Finally, we assume that the results obtained in the project can answer the question of whether Organ-on-a-Chip systems can be useful in preclinical research.