A new research consortium is developing a roadmap for further development of organ-on-a-chip technology on behalf of the EU. Under the leadership of the Leiden University Medical Center as well as the Dutch research organisation hDMT (Institute for human Organ and Disease Model Technologies), the participants are conducting research with the aim of establishing a European infrastructure to enable the coordinated development, production and implementation of organ-on-a-chip systems. The consortium is funded by the EU within the framework FET Open and brings together six leading European research institutions, including the German Fraunhofer IGB.

Researchers from the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), Institute of Physiological Chemistry, led by Dr. Marcelo Salierno, have developed a promising technique be able to facilitate the differentiation of stem cells into neurons. This even enables to accelerate the maturation process.

For the seventh time, the German Research Foundation (DFG) wants to award the Ursula M. Händel Animal Welfare Prize to those scientists who are considered to have made exemplary and sustained efforts to improve the welfare of animals in research. The prize is endowed with up to 100,000 euros.

The German Research Foundation call offers scientists to apply for the "Communicator Prize - Science Prize of the "Stifterverband" of the DFG or submit proposals till January the 5th.