Bioengineering & Organoids Technology platform

Mission

The Bioengineering & Organoids Technology platform aims to serve as a bidirectional bridge between the biomedical and engineering research communities. Our aim is to develop and share expertise and innovation in translational bioengineering to support research and federate the wider interdisciplinary bioengineering community.

• We enable your translational research with the technologies and knowhow, e.g., coming out of EPFL or the larger engineering community. 
• We augment and accelerate your engineering of innovative assays and technologies by facilitating access to the clinical and translational landscape and expertise.

Work in the platform is underpinned by a research & development and service function, which undertakes continual improvement in order to introduce new techniques and to enhance existing ones. We are active throughout the users’ projects cycle: from identification of needs to prototype implementation. We work closely with the local innovation and industrialization offices to help facilitate the maturation of technologies with commercial potential at the pre-incubation phase.

Resources

As a center of expertise in translational bioengineering, the platform encompasses educational activities, research & development, and an open-access facility infrastructure to support your research needs along three main axes: 

• An “open” bioengineering facility for microfluidic systems and advanced cellular models development, production and analysis, including organoids/tumoroids, organ-on-chips and microphysiological systems.
• An R&D laboratory for the implementation of novel bioengineered systems and instruments, and for the development of specialized assays.
• An innovation, educational and knowledge center in bioengineering that catalyses interdisciplinary collaborations through ideation and design, technological incubation, and direct interaction with clinical centers and industrial partners.

Our creative and collaborative lab enables sharing ideas and maintaining knowhow. Our goal is to help researchers design and produce their own devices, assays and prototypes to resolve their research questions and to provide service on selected processes. The platform provides access to:

• Rapid micro-fabrication and prototyping of microfluidic and organ-on-chip systems: polymer microfluidics, micropatterning, 3D printer, CAD, back-end manufacturing etc.
• Microfluidics, bioMEMS and organ-on-chip systems implementation: syringe pumps, manifolds, microscopes, incubators, electronic and optical readout instruments, etc.
• Specialised instrumentation for the development of advanced cellular models and custom biological assay developments: organoids – tumoroids – tissue explants – organ-on-chip development and culture automation, high-throughput high-content 3D imaging, droplet microfluidics drug testing, etc.