IBB Seminar
"High-throughput Vascularized Organoids for Drug Discovery" - Noo Li Jeon, Seoul National University, Korea
Noo Li Jeon
Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Seoul National University, Korea
Recent advances in microphysiological systems (MPS) research have enabled the reconstruction of biomimetic 3D cellular microenvironments. However, significant challenges remain in generating reproducible vascularized micro-tissue constructs at scale. This presentation introduces an injection-molded plastic array platform and 3D-printed devices that support diverse MPS applications within a single, universal culture framework, with emphasis on vascularized spheroids and organoids.
The platform integrates spheroid and vascular network regions within a standard SLAS/SBS form factor. A novel capillary-based patterning method allows stable, multi-channel loading of cell suspensions or cell-laden hydrogels. We demonstrate the platform's ability to reconstitute 3D tumor microenvironments, including angiogenesis, vascularized tumor models, and tumor, immune cell migration.
Critically, the platform is designed for high-throughput production of large numbers of near-identical microtissues that closely mimic the human 3D microenvironment. This scalability enables the generation of rich, reproducible datasets — an important resource for machine learning model training and a foundational axis for AI-driven drug discovery pipelines. The modular design can be rapidly customized to support a range of co-culture configurations, from tumor microenvironment modeling to vascularized organoids, positioning the platform as a key enabler of next-generation, data-intensive therapeutic screening.
Susan Thomas, faculty host