The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research together with the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce organizes the quarterly Biotech Connector Speaker Series. This event promotes and supports the Frederick County and surrounding areas’ biotech and bioscience community and provides an inside look at local advances.
Please join fellow biotech and bioscience professionals for our second event in 2026. The speakers for the event are:
- Nathan Coussens, Ph.D., Scientific Director, In Vitro Evaluation and Molecular Pharmacology Laboratories, Applied and Developmental Research Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research
- Paul Vulto, Ph.D., CEO and Founder, MIMETAS
- Matthew Dallas, Ph.D., Senior Manager, R&D Cell Biology, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Registration is required. Fill out the form below.
Contact Lyuba Khavrutskii at lyuba.khavrutskii@nih.gov with questions.
Agenda
A high-throughput combinatorial screen against a panel of patient-derived colorectal organoids revealed active combinations of standard of care and selected anticancer agents
Abstract
A panel was developed with thirty-two patient-derived colorectal organoid models from the NCI’s Patient-Derived Models Repository. The models were derived from primary or metastatic tumors of patients ranging in age from 32–90 yrs, that were either previously treated or treatment naïve. Variations were determined in consensus molecular subtype, microsatellite stability, and genetics, including clinically relevant oncogenic variants. A high-throughput screen was conducted with twenty-two combinations of agents, including standard of care and investigational oncology drugs. Organoid growth was measured by live brightfield imaging every 24 h and cell viability was determined by CellTiter-Glo 3D at 48 h and 168 h. Some combinations of agents achieved >1 log of cytotoxicity and demonstrated additive to greater-than-additive activity according to the Bliss independence model.
Bio
Nathan P. Coussens, Ph.D., is the scientific director of the In Vitro Evaluation and Molecular Pharmacology Laboratories at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, which is focused on the preclinical development of cancer therapeutics. Previously, he was a senior research scientist at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, where he developed biochemical and cell-based assays to identify and characterize small molecule modulators from high-throughput screens. Dr. Coussens is a member of the Frederick National Laboratory Scientific Standards Hub and the SLAS Technology editorial board, as well as an associate editor and former editor-in-chief of the National Institutes of Health’s Assay Guidance Manual.
An interesting fact about the speaker
Nathan contributed to the discovery of “cockroach milk” as a unique super food that crystallizes in the gut of the only known viviparous cockroach and provides all essential amino acids, lipids, and sugar.
Ready-to-use organoids perfusion cultures for turnkey high throughput experimentation
Abstract
Organoids and Organ-on-a-Chip technology have been considered a paradigm shift in cell culture for over a decade. However, fundamental usability and logistics aspects have hampered widespread adoption, as both require deep biological expertise and cumbersome logistics of cell materials. MIMETAS has invested in productization of organoids in its perfused high throughput OrganoPlate platform. Its OrganoReady® product line comprises of 64 adult stem cell derived colon organoids grown as perfused tubules that are delivered ready-to-use to the bench of the scientist. Turnkey assays allow monitoring of barrier function under toxic and inflammatory challenges. New products for the kidney are available in early access, and next generation models comprising fully vascularized, stroma and immune competent liver, lung and tumor tissues are available in a services setting. Such ready-to-use solutions with turnkey assays open up complex organoid and Organ-on-a-Chip technologies to a wide spectrum of users irrespective of expertise and facilities.
Bio
Paul is CEO and founder of MIMETAS, an early pioneer in commercial Organ-on-a-Chip solutions. The high throughput OrganoPlate®, launched in 2014, was the first commercially available Organ-on-a-Chip platform and was based on Paul’s invention of PhaseGuide technology. Since then, Paul and his team have been pushing boundaries of in vitro modelling and assaying, including tissue vascularization, high throughput screening and productization of cell biology. Prior to founding MIMETAS, Paul worked at the Universities of Leiden, Freiburg and Bologna and start-up companies Silicon Biosystems and ScienceWorks. Paul earned his PhD in Microsystems Engineering from the University of Freiburg in Germany and has been named a Fellow of the Netherlands Academy of Engineering.
An interesting fact about the speaker
MIMETAS was founded in 2013 both in the Gaithersburg, US and Leiden the Netherlands. With only one part-time technician on the payroll and no money for the founders to pay themselves a salary, the team proudly considered themselves the smallest multinational on the planet.
Tumor Organoids: Practical strategies for building and applying patient-derived cancer models
Abstract
Tumoroids, or patient-derived cancer organoids, are 3D multicellular models that preserve key genetic and phenotypic features of primary tumors. Compared to traditional 2D cell lines, these models more faithfully capture tumor heterogeneity and patient-specific biology, enabling more predictive preclinical research. This talk will outline practical strategies for establishing and characterizing tumoroid cultures, discuss common technical challenges, and highlight applications in drug screening, immuno-oncology, and translational cancer research.
Bio
Matt has been a member of the R&D team in Cell Biology at Thermo Fisher Scientific since 2012. His team is focused on developing new products for cell culture, with interests in media, supplements, recombinant proteins, and specialty plastics for a variety of cell-based models. Most recently, Matt’s team has launched OncoPro Tumoroid Culture Medium, which simplifies the culture of patient-derived cancer models. He completed his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, where he focused on the role that glycoproteins play in the development and spread of cancer.
An interesting fact about the speaker
Matt is the oldest of eight siblings.