We are happy to announce that the S&T COURSE EVENT 5a “TWINALT – Best practices for hepatic in vitro models” will take place in August 29th – September 16th , 2022 (3 weeks).
Location: VUB Health Campus, Dept. In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-cosmetology, Brussels (vaccination is mandatory to enter the laboratory)
The practical course will be organized on-site by organized by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and is dedicated only for max. 3 researchers from partner institutions (internal members/partners of the Twinalt project).
The liver is the major organ for biotransformation of xenobiotics, and therefore, one of the main sites for toxicity insults when the human body is exposed to chemicals. Considering the shift from in vivo hazard assessment to animal-free methodologies, in vitro liver-based cell models represent a valuable resource to investigate the Mode of Action of chemicals as well as the biological steps underlying liver toxicity. The aim of this course is to provide theoretical and hands-on training on the use of three different human hepatic cell models namely, the human hepatic cell lines HepG2 and HepaRG, and human skin stem cell-derived hepatic cells (hSKP-HPC). For each cell model, specific assays for the investigation of respectively cytotoxicity, phase I enzymatic activity and lipid metabolism will be taught using reference chemical compounds. Lectures on the theory of the cell models as well as the different assays are planned regardless of the background of participants. If possible, isolation of human skin stem cells from fresh skin samples will be showcased. Separate time slots are foreseen for data analysis at the end of each week. By the end of the training, the obtained results will be prepared and presented by the participants.
To register: please, write an e-mail to the address: Tamara.Vanhaecke@vub.be
