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Human-Based Placenta-Embryo Microfluidic Co-Culture Platform for Developmental Toxicity Assessment of Drugs and Nanoparticles
Item type: Doctoral Thesis
Murdeu, Manon (2026)
There is a general lack of human-based developmental and reproductive toxicology (DART) studies regarding effects and mechanisms of drugs, nanoparticles (NPs) and environmental pollutants on the developing human embryo. Furthermore, conventional animal testing in DART does not fully recapitulate the complex physiology of human development, leading to species-specific differences in placentation, xenobiotic metabolism and developmental timing limiting the predictive values of the toxicological outcomes. This limitation arises from ethical and safety constraints surrounding the inclusion of pregnant women in clinical trials, together with the continuously expanding number of chemicals and nanomaterials ex-ceeding the capacity of conventional animal-based testing. As a result, this data gap creates significant safety concerns and evidences the need for advanced models that accurately mimic the maternal-embryonic axis. Current in vitro approaches to study embryotoxicity mostly focus on the direct effects of xenobiotics on the developing embryo, often overlook-ing the maternal-foetal interaction and the important role of placental factors that can indi-rectly influence embryo-foetal development.
Advanced culture systems, particularly organ-on-chip technologies, provide a powerful plat-form for the integration of multiple human tissues within a single, controlled microphysio-logical environment. By enabling the co-culturing of different cell types in spatially orga-nized and perfused compartments, these systems allow for recapitulation of key aspects of tissue architecture and function that are difficult to achieve in conventional static in vitro models. Importantly, organ-on-chip platforms facilitate not only the independent study of individual tissues, but also the investigation of their mutual interactions under physiologi-cally relevant conditions, including the ability to monitor inter-tissue communication mak-ing them particularly well suited for modelling complex biological systems, such as the ma-ternal-foetal axis, and for studying their crosstalk including drug response, transport and developmental toxicity.
To allow for evaluation of both, direct and indirect effects, this thesis is aimed at establishing a human-based co-culture on chip combining a placental barrier model and an embryoid body (EB) within a single microfluidic platform. It includes the following major sections.
1. A study describing the establishment of a human-based model of the maternal-em-bryonic interface. The microfluidic device included maternal and embryonic com-partments in which a primary derived placental barrier and a human induced pluripo-tent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived EB were cultured in close vicinity.
2. A proof-of-concept study with a known embryotoxic compound. Valproic acid (VPA), a known teratogen compound, was used to assess the effects on morphology, viability and disruption of ectodermal differentiation of EBs in presence or absence of the placental barrier, showing the important role of the placenta in the modulation of developmental toxicity.
3. A section describing the safety assessment of therapeutic nanoparticles. Prussian Blue (PB)-Mn engineered nanozymes for the treatment of inflammation during preg-nancy were evaluated in the newly developed microfluidic system. Placental trans-location of NPs was assessed in presence or absence of inflammatory conditions, and two different exposure scenarios were examined, demonstrating the suitability of the model for nanomedicine safety evaluation.
Overall, the developed platform was shown to accurately recapitulate placental physiology and morphology as well as human relevant physiological processes, such as hormone secre-tion, polarization and human-relevant foetal transfer rates of drugs and NPs. The EB model, capable to differentiate into all three germ layers, showed early ectodermal features that are important for the assessment of neurodevelopmental adverse outcomes. The suitability of the platform for studying different compounds places it within the framework of new ap-proach methodologies (NAMs) to gain early-stage data for drug and NP hazard assessment. The platform will contribute to the progress in the field of nanomedicine and to the protection of sensitive populations like pregnant women and developing foetuses, while reducing the need for extensive animal testing.
Comparative characterization of mitochondrial components across size-defined extracellular vesicle populations derived from HaCaT keratinocytes
Item type: Data Collection
Brigger, Finn; Kitanovic, Ana; Meurant, Sébastien; et al. (2026)
European Trade Policy after the Rupture: Strategic Dependencies, the Second China Shock and the Future of the WTO
Item type: Report
Felbermayr, Gabriel; Gersbach, Hans (2026)
The international economic order is undergoing a structural rupture. Economic interdependence is increasingly weaponised, the binding force of multilateral trade rules is eroding and a second China shock is hitting Europe’s industrial core in capital- and technology-intensive sectors. This article argues that the EU should not abandon openness but recalibrate its trade policy. Drawing on recent geoeconomic research, we propose criteria for identifying strategic dependencies and identify seven such dependencies for the EU. We assess trade policy responses to the second China shock and outline a pragmatic WTO reform agenda built on open plurilateralism, a rebalancing of most-favoured-nation treatment and reciprocity, and plurilateral resilience agreements against economic coercion. A deeper Single Market remains the EU’s most important source of geoeconomic strength.
Qu'il faut, au moins, une promesse: stratégies de désorcèlement et promesses technologiques
Item type: Book Chapter
Cerqui, Daniela; Dorthe, Gabriel; Maestrutti, Marina (2015)
Depuis les années 2000, les science and technology studies (STS) ont consacré une attention particulière aux attentes, aux promesses, aux déclarations prospectives portant sur les développements scientifiques, vues comme des dispositifs de discours structurant des imaginaires sociotechniques (Jasanoff, 2015) et fédérant les intérêts des différents acteurs de l’innovation (financiers, politiques, scientifiques, acteurs sociaux), tous mobilisés dans la mise en place de nouveaux domaines des technosciences (Brown et al., 2000, 2003). Le rôle que jouent les attentes relatives aux visions du futur est particulièrement intéressant si on l’observe dans sa percolation, du niveau macro des politiques nationales et internationales (Union européenne, USA, OMC par exemple) à celui plus intermédiaire des différents secteurs de l’innovation, jusqu’à celui plus micro des chercheurs et des laboratoires de recherche, ou de R&D (Borup et al., 2006).
La présente contribution, en restant attentive à l’approche proposée par cette « sociologie des attentes » (sociology of expectations), que l’on pourrait parfois plutôt qualifier d’espérances, propose une analyse socio-anthropologique et philosophique de la construction des promesses et des imaginaires technoscientifiques entendus comme des processus de « mise en culture » des innovations scientifiques et techniques (Maestrutti, 2011). Pour ce faire, nous analysons une sélection de foyers de production, diffusion et usages des attentes, tirée de nos terrains d’étude respectifs…
Children with Greater Sustainability and Equity Understanding Demand More from Educational Robots
Item type: Conference Paper
Leisten, Luca; Moffat, Ryssa; Caruana, Nathan; et al. (2027)
The application of social robots is changing learning landscapes, yet the environmental costs and social consequences of their deployment have received minimal attention. To effectively promote sustainable practices, it is crucial to identify how children’s early perspectives on sustainability and the social equity of such technologies vary across developmental stages. In this pre-registered feasibility study, we investigated children’s understanding of and attitudes toward robot sustainability and social equity through an exploratory survey with 71 children aged 10–16 years. Our findings indicate that children’s measured knowledge provides initial insights into their evaluation of social robots: higher sustainability knowledge was associated with greater perceived importance of sustainable robots, whereas critical evaluations of current robot equity were driven more by age than by greater understanding. By identifying these age-related trends, this work provides a first baseline that can inform future large-scale classroom interventions and support the responsible and sustainable design of learning technologies.