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Humanized mice, personalized therapies and big data – Course and Conference Office

EMBO Practical Course

Humanized mice, personalized therapies and big data

Overview

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or recovery is required to attend this on-site course. Please see EMBL’s COVID-19 safety policy for on-site events.

Course overview

Humanized mouse engraftment models (human immune system and/or human tissue) are an integral part of basic and translational research for the understanding of human diseases and for development of new therapies. The Ebola Virus outbreak has demonstrated the relevance of humanized mouse models for the understanding of emerging diseases and testing new medicines. The same can apply for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “Big pharma” and biotech companies include humanized mice in their pre-clinical development portfolio to test efficacy and safety of anti-cancer drugs. These platforms provide researchers and drug developers with human specific targets, physiological pathways and mechanisms of disease not found in traditional mouse models of disease. These aspects of the humanized models allow direct testing of human versus mouse specific therapies enabling more rapid drug development and the generation of more clinically relevant data. During the last decade these models have substantially diverged among laboratories regarding the mouse strains used, mouse handling, analyses techniques and sources of human material. This experimental variability is expected as the field is dynamic and growing rapidly, but the data documentation and reporting should be better standardized for metadata analyses.

This course will teach the participants the principles of experimental pre-requisites and harmonized analyses (e.g., flow cytometry, RNA sec and genomic analyses).

Audience

This course is aimed at principal investigators, postdocs, clinicians, and PhD students who have already experience with humanized mouse models and would like to refine their analysis methods as well as get an overview of available models that might fit best to their research question.

Modules

  • Conceptual introductory keynote lecture
  • Human immune reconstitution                              
  • Human immuno-oncology                                       
  • Human oncology and genomics                             
  • Human infections and transcriptomics                                
  • Human tissue regeneration                                     
  • Ethics for human material and animal experimentation                
  • Data management and analysis                                                    

Learning outcomes

Conceptual and practical aspects for generation and uses of humanized models:

  • Single cell preparation and analyzes from humanized mice
  • Multicolor flow cytometry from human-mouse chimeras
  • RNA/protein/gene analyzes from tissue of (infected) humanized mice
  • Microscopy to define immune invasion and pathological changes during infection, tumor development, and therapy
  • Practical class for (neonatal) transplantation, implantation, and sample collection

Speakers and trainers

Speakers

Sofia Casares

Naval Medical Research Center

USA

(Virtual Speaker)

Simon Haas

Berlin Institute of Health at Charité

Germany

Johannes Sam

Roche Innovation Center Zurich

Switzerland

(Virtual Speaker)

Renata Stripecke

Hannover Medical School (University of Cologne from 01.07)

Germany

Angela Wahl

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

USA

Trainers

Simon Haas

Berlin Institute of Health at Charité Universitätsmedizin

Germany

Scientific organisers

Renata Stripecke

Hannover Medical School (University of Cologne from 01.07)

Germany

Course organisers

Raili Pall

Course and Conference Officer

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Yvonne Yeboah

Training Laboratory Manager

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Programme

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  • Some pre-course work (such as watching pre-recordings, protocol reading and computational exercises) with estimated 0 – 10 hours will be required and will be shared in advance of the course.
  • Some speakers may need to join virtually to give their lecture or Q&A, and the programme is subject to change.
  • All times in the programme below are shown as the time in Europe/Berlin.
Day 1 – Sunday 12 June 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
11:45 – 12:00Bus departure from ISG Hotel to
EMBL Heidelberg		ISG Hotel
bus stop
12:00 – 13:00Arrival & registrations with light lunchATC Entrance
& Flex lab A & B
13:00 – 13:45Welcome & introductions
Renata Stripecke – Hannover Medical
School, Germany
Yvonne Yeboah – EMBL Heidelberg,
Germany		Courtyard
Room A & B
13:45 – 14:45IcebreakerCourtyard
Room A & B
14:45 – 15:15Coffee breakFlex Lab
A & B
15:15 – 16:15
KEYNOTE LECTURE:
Evolution of humanized mouse
models: From mouse strains to human
materials and need of standardizations
Leonard Shultz – The Jackson Laboratory,
USA (Virtual Speaker)		Courtyard
Room A & B
16:15Bus departure to NeckarmünzplatzEMBL
Bus stop
16:45 – 18:15Guided tour of Heidelberg
18:15 – 18:45Free time in the city
18:45Bus departure from Neckarmünzplatz to
ISG Hotel
19:15 Barbeque dinner at ISG HotelISG Hotel
Day 2 – Monday 13 June 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
08:45 – 09:00Bus departure from ISG Hotel to EMBL HeidelbergISG Hotel bus stop
09:00 – 09:15Registration and check-inATC Entrance
PART 1: Human Hematopoiesis and Immunity
Chairs: Renata Stripecke and Dominique Bonnet
09:15 – 10:00

Definition, characterization and regulation
of human hematopoietic stem cells in humanized mice
Dominique Bonnet – The Francis Crick Institute, UK		Courtyard Room A & B
10:00 – 10:45
Human B cell development in humanized mice
Roberta Pelanda – University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, USA		Courtyard Room A & B
10:45 – 11:15Coffee breakFlex Lab
A & B
11:15 – 12:00Use of adoptive cells and vectors for development of humanized mice
Renata Stripecke – Hannover Medical School, Germany		Courtyard Room A & B
12:00 – 12:45
Development of human T and NK cells in humanized mice
Michael Brehm – University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA (Virtual Speaker)		Courtyard Room A & B
12:45 – 13:45Lunch BreakEMBL Canteen
PART 1: TECHNICAL LECTURES
13:45 – 14:15
Live Q&A to pre-recorded lecture:
Refresher course flow cytometry analyses
Diana Ordonez – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany		Courtyard Room
A & B
14:15 – 14:45

Live Q&A to pre-recorded lecture:
Standardization of multicolor flow cytometry panels and staining techniques
Sebastian Theobald – University Hospital Cologne, Germany		Courtyard Room
A & B
PART 1: PRACTICAL CLASS IN GROUPS
14:45 – 18:15

GROUP 1: Immune Reconstitution of huNSG: Staining and fixation of cells for flow cytometry analyses (with flexible coffee break)
Diana Ordonez – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Sebastian Theobald – University Hospital Cologne, Germany
Andreas Schneider – Hannover Medical School, Germany		Training Lab A & B
14:45 – 17:15

GROUP 2: Tumor analyses of NSG: mouse handling for analyses of mice implanted with patient-derived malignancies, collection and processing of tissues for histology and microscopy analyses (with flexible coffee break)
Anja Wege – University Hospital Regensburg, Germany
Li-Chin Yao – The Jackson Laboratory, USA
Veruschka Albert – University Hospital
Regensburg, Germany
Alessandra Piersigilli – Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, USA 		Training Lab A & B
17:15 – 18:15

GROUP 2: Roundtable discussion and guidelines: Minimal Information for Standardization of Humanized Mice (MISHUM). Tutorial “responsible conduct of research (RCR)”: Principles of Animal Welfare.
Renata Stripecke – Hannover Medical School, Germany
Anja Wege – University Hospital Regensburg, Germany 		ATC Rooftop Lounge
18:15 – 19:15Dinner breakEMBL Canteen
19:15 – 21:00Poster session 1 (ODD numbers) with drinks & snacksATC Foyer
21:00Bus departure to ISG HotelEMBL Bus stop
Day 3 – Tuesday 14 June 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
08:45 – 09:00Bus departure from ISG Hotel to EMBL HeidelbergISG Hotel bus stop
09:00 – 09:15Registration and check inATC Entrance
PART 2: Human immuno-oncology
Chairs: Brian Soper & Anja Wege
09:15 – 10:00Applications of Humanized Platforms in Immuno-Oncology
Brian Soper – The Jackson Laboratory, USA		Courtyard Room A & B
10:00 – 10:45
Breast cancer models for immuno-oncology research
Anja Wege – University Hospital Regensburg, Germany 		Courtyard Room A & B
10:45 – 11:15Coffee breakFlex Lab
A & B
11:15 – 12:00
Application of humanized mouse models in drug discovery
Johannes Sam – Roche Zurich, Switzerland (Virtual Speaker)		Courtyard Room A & B
12:00 – 12:45
BLT models for biosimilar research, CRS
Kristina Howard – Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, USA		Courtyard Room A & B
12:45 – 13:45Lunch BreakEMBL Canteen
PART 2: TECHNICAL LECTURES
13:45 – 14:15

Live Q&A to pre-recorded lecture:
Refresher course histopathology: Processing and new analytical tools
Alessandra Piesigilli – Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, USA		Courtyard Room A & B
14:15 – 14:45

Live Q&A to educational videos:
Mouse handling and tumor implantations
Anja Wege – University Hospital Regensburg, Germany
Li-Chin Yao – The Jackson Laboratory, USA 		Courtyard Room A & B
PART 2: PRACTICAL CLASS IN GROUPS
14:45 – 18:15

GROUP 2: Immune Reconstitution of huNSG: Staining and fixation of cells for flow cytometry analyses (with flexible coffee break)
Diana Ordonez – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Sebastian Theobald – University Hospital Cologne, Germany
Andreas Schneider – Hannover Medical School, Germany 		Training
Lab A & B
14:45 – 17:15

GROUP 1: Tumor analyses of NSG: mouse handling for analyses of mice implanted with patient-derived malignancies, collection and processing of tissues for histology and microscopy analyses (with flexible coffee break)
Anja Wege – University Hospital Regensburg, Germany
Li-Chin Yao – The Jackson Laboratory, USA
Veruschka Albert – University Hospital Regensburg, Germany
Alessandra Piesigilli – Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, USA		Training
Lab A & B
17:15 – 18:15

GROUP 1: Roundtable discussion and guidelines: Minimal Information for Standardization of Humanized Mice (MISHUM). Tutorial “responsible conduct of research (RCR)”: Principles of Animal Welfare
Renata Stripecke – Hannover Medical School, Germany
Anja Wege – University Hospital Regensburg, Germany 		ATC Rooftop Lounge
18:15 – 19:15Tapas dinnerATC Foyer
19:15 – 21:00Poster session 2 (EVEN numbers) with drinks & snacksATC Foyer
21:00Bus departure to ISG HotelEMBL Bus Stop
Day 4 – Wednesday 15 June 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
08:45 – 09:00Bus departure from ISG Hotel to EMBL HeidelbergISG Hotel Bus stop
09:00 – 09:15Registration and check-inATC Entrance
PART 3: Human Oncology (Cdx And Pdx Models)
Chair: Jan Jabob Schuringa
09:15 – 10:00Clonal heterogeneity in human AML
Jan Jabob Schuringa – University of Groningen, The Netherlands		Courtyard Room A & B
10:00 – 10:45

Absence of NKG2D ligands defines leukaemia stem cells and mediates their immune evasion
Claudia Lengerke – University Hospital Tübingen, Germany (Virtual Speaker)		Courtyard Room A & B
10:45Group photoOutside IC
10:45 – 11:15Coffee breakFlex Lab
A & B
11:15 – 11:45
Live Q&A to pre-recorded lecture:
Application of PDX for triple negative marker breast cancer research
Francesca Menghi – The Jackson Laboratory, USA (Virtual Speaker)		Courtyard Room A & B
11:45 – 12:45
Roundtable discussion and guidelines: Minimal Information for Standardization of Humanized Mice (MISHUM). Tutorial “responsible conduct of research (RCR)”: Data Acquisition, Management, Sharing and Ownership.
Christian Muenz, Jan Jabob Schuringa, Brian Soper, Renata Stripecke, Anja Wege, Vladimir Benes		ATC Rooftop Lounge
12:45 – 13:45Lunch BreakEMBL Canteen
PART 3: PRACTICAL CLASS
13:45 – 17:15PRACTICAL: Genome, transcriptome and flow cytometry technologies to dissect clonal heterogeneity in cancer (with flexible coffee break)
Jan Jabob Schuringa – University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Jan Provaznik – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany		Courtyard Room A & B
17:15 Bus Departure to ISG HotelEMBL Bus stop
18:30 – 19:30Buffet dinner at the ISG HotelISG Hotel
19:30 – 20:30Networking with drinksISG Hotel
Day 5 – Thursday 16 June 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
08:45 – 09:00Bus departure from ISG Hotel to EMBL HeidelbergISG Hotel bus stop
09:00 – 09:15Registration and check-inATC Entrance
PART 4: Infections with Human Pathogens
Chair: Christian Muenz
09:15 – 10:00EBV and KSV infections
Christian Muenz – University of Zurich, Switzerland		Courtyard Room A & B
10:00 – 10:45Emerging Viral Infections
Estefania Rodriguez – Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Germany		Courtyard Room A & B
10:45 – 11:15Coffee break
Flex Lab
A & B
11:15 – 12:00HIV
Scott Kitchen – University of California Los Angeles, USA		Courtyard Room A & B
12:00 – 12:45
Poster session (continued)ATC Foyer
12:45 – 13:45Lunch BreakEMBL Canteen
13:45 – 15:15PRACTICAL CLASS:
GROUP 1: Immunofluorescence of viral antigens in histology sections
Christian Muenz – University of Zurich, Switzerland
Estefania Rodriguez – Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Germany
GROUP 2: Interactive insight into single-cell analyses
Simon Haas – Berlin Institute of Health at Charité Universitätsmedizin (BIH), Germany
Florian Grünschläger – German Cancer Research Center and HI-STEM, Germany		Training
Lab A & B
15:15 – 15:45Coffee breakFlex Lab
A & B
15:45 – 17:15PRACTICAL CLASS:
GROUP 2: Immunofluorescence of viral antigens in histology sections
Christian Muenz – University of Zurich, Switzerland
Estefania Rodriguez – Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Germany
GROUP 1: Interactive insight into single-cell analyses
Simon Haas – Berlin Institute of Health at Charité Universitätsmedizin (BIH), Germany
Florian Grünschläger – German Cancer Research Center and HI-STEM, Germany		Training
Lab A & B
17:15 – 18:15Roundtable discussion and guidelines: Minimal Information for Standardization of Humanized Mice (MISHUM). Tutorial “responsible conduct of
research (RCR)”: Principles of informed consent for use of materials of human subjects.
Christian Muenz, Jan Jabob Schuringa, Karl-Dimiter Bissig, Brian Soper, Renata Stripecke, Anja Wege		ATC Rooftop Lounge
18:15
Bus departure to ISG HotelEMBL Bus stop
19:00Bus departure from ISG Hotel to Heidelberg downtownISG Hotel bus stop
19:30 – 21:00Course dinner downtownWirtshaus zum Nepomuk
Day 6 – Friday 17 June 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
08:45 – 09:00Bus departure from ISG Hotel to EMBL HeidelbergISG Hotel bus stop
09:00 – 09:15Registration and check-inATC Entrance
PART 5: Regeneration of Human Tissues And iPSC
Chair: Karl-Dimiter Bissig
09:15 – 10:00

Overcoming liver injury through regenerative medicine
Amar Sharma – Hannover Medical School, Germany		Courtyard Room A & B
10:00 – 10:45

Human liver chimeric mouse models – the chances & challenges
Karl-Dimiter Bissig – Duke University Medical Center, USA		Courtyard Room A & B
10:45 – 11:15Coffee break
Flex Lab
A & B
11:15 – 12:00
Humanised mouse models to for investigation of the immune response to organoids
Kourosh Saeb-Parsy – University of Cambridge, UK		Courtyard Room A & B
12:00 – 12:45Lung implantation
Angela Wahl – UNC Chapel Hill, USA		Courtyard Room A & B
12:45 – 13:30
Feedback & Closing remarks
Renata Stripecke – Hannover Medical School, Germany
Karl-Dimiter Bissig – Duke University Medical Center, USA 		Courtyard Room A & B
13:30 – 14:30Lunch break
EMBL Canteen
14:30Bus departure to Heidelberg main train station & city centreEMBL Bus stop

Practical information

Registration Fees and Motivation Letter

The course is limited to 16 participants. For selection purposes, please note that your application will not be considered without a letter of motivation.

Registration

Registration Fees include admission, course materials, COVID-19 safety measures, meals and coffee breaks.

This EMBO course includes accommodation and transportation to and from the ISG Hotel to the venue.

Academia€500
PhD Student€500
Industry€1000

Confirmation and payment

The registration fee should be paid only after acceptance to the course. The results will be announced approximately 2-3 weeks after the application deadline.

Motivation letter submission

After you have logged in and successfully registered, you will receive an email asking you to submit your motivation letter. Click on the link provided and enter your motivation letter in the text box provided. Alternatively you can submit your motivation letter by clicking on the link on the confirmation page directly after registering.

Instructions

  1. Include your relevant skills, experience and qualifications showing why you would be suitable for the course.
  2. Explain why you would like to attend, including what you can contribute and how you think you will benefit from the course.

Please note:

  • The limit of 2000 characters refers to manually typed text and excludes spaces. If an error occurs try using a different web browser (preferably Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox).
  • If you copy-paste the text into the form, hidden formatting might still be included which may cause the text to exceed the 2,000 character limit resulting in an error message. We recommend you clear all formatting before pasting in the text.
  • If you have special symbols in your text, make sure you are using Unicode characters, otherwise these will not be recognised.

For more detailed information, follow the instructions provided in our video on how to submit a course motivation letter.

Further details

For further information about registration and motivation letter submission please refer to the FAQ page.

Financial assistance

Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme and EMBO in the form of both registration fee waivers and travel grants. Availability is limited to participants attending on-site events in Heidelberg and will be indicated during the abstract or motivation letter submission process.

Your place in the meeting is only confirmed by paying the registration fee, which is mandatory even when receiving a fee waiver.

Registration fee waiver

The fee waiver will cover the registration sum that you have paid to attend the course or conference.

Travel grant

The travel grant will cover the cost of travel (airfare, train, bus, taxi, accommodation, visa, and/or registration fees*) and is provided up to specified caps which are normally as follows:

– up to €400 for participants travelling to an EMBL Course, EMBL Conference or EMBO|EMBL Symposium from within Europe.
– up to €1000 for participants travelling to an EMBL Course, EMBL Conference or EMBO|EMBL Symposium from outside Europe.
– up to €500 for any participant travelling to an EMBO Practical Course or EMBO Workshop.
– up to €1000 for any participant working in Chile, India, Singapore or Taiwan travelling to an EMBO Practical Course or EMBO Workshop.

*Registration fees are only covered for EMBO Practical Courses or EMBO Workshops

The organisers may reduce the grant cap to accommodate more participants. Recipients will be notified of their travel cap amount when they are informed of the outcome of their application. Original receipts must be provided with your signature for all costs incurred within two months of completion of travel. Scanned copies cannot be accepted.

Childcare grant

For EMBO Practical Course or EMBO Workshop participants with children, there is the possibility to apply for a childcare grant to offset child care costs incurred by participants or speakers when participating at a course or conference. Eligible costs include fees for a baby-sitter or child-care facility, travel costs for a care giver, or travel costs for taking the child to the meeting etc. Please note that priority will be given to early stage researchers. A maximum amount of 500 EUR can be awarded per participant applying for an EMBO Childcare Grant. In order to apply for this grant for EMBO Workshops, you must be registered by the abstract submission deadline.

Application

You may apply for financial assistance when submitting your motivation letter for courses, and abstract for conferences. In your application you will be asked to answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance and how your attendance will make a difference to your career. Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application.

Selection

The scientific organisers will select the recipients of all financial assistance during the motivation letter or abstract selection process. Results will be announced approximately 6-8 weeks before the event start date, however for some events this may be delayed. Selection results do not impact your admission to the meeting. Selection is based on your current work or study location, the reasons for needing financial support and the impact this event will have on your career.

Reimbursement

Costs will be reimbursed after the meeting only once a reimbursement form and original receipts (from travel costs) have been received.

Further details

View our list of external funding opportunities and information on attending a conference as an event reporter.

For further information about financial assistance please refer to the FAQ page.

Accommodation and Shuttles

Hotel

The registration fee includes accommodation for 6 nights (Saturday 11 June – Friday 17 June 2022) at the ISG Hotel in a single room, including breakfast. Any additional nights need to be booked and paid for by you to the hotel. We recommend that all course participants stay at the ISG Hotel, which is the dedicated hotel for the course.

Local transport

Shuttle buses will go from the ISG Hotel to EMBL and back, mornings and evenings. A bus schedule and location of the bus stops will be made available prior to the meeting.

Further details

Address: EMBL Heidelberg, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany

For further information on getting to EMBL Heidelberg visit our Travel Information page.

For enquiries about accommodation and local transportation please refer to the FAQ page.

Event Software

Event software

The EMBL eCampus learning platform will be used to collaborate, communicate and network with all of the course participants. All participants will receive information on how to join shortly before the course. We recommend using Chrome, Safari or Mozilla Firefox browsers for eCampus. 

Additional Information

Please find additional information including FAQs, terms and conditions, COVID-19 safety policy and travelling to EMBL on our Information for Participants page.

COVID-19 Related Questions

COVID-19 information for onsite events at EMBL Heidelberg can be found in our COVID-19 FAQs.

Sponsors

Sponsorship opportunities

We offer a variety of event sponsoring possibilities, with the flexibility to select a set sponsorship package or combine individual sponsorship options to suit your event budget. Discounts are available for companies sponsoring multiple events at EMBL Heidelberg. View other conferences, or contact sponsorship@embl.de for further information.

If you are interested in becoming a media partner of this event, please visit our media partnerships webpage.

Date: 12 - 17 Jun 2022

Location: EMBL Heidelberg

Venue: EMBL Advanced Training Centre

Deadline(s):

Application: Closed

Organisers:

  • Karl-Dimiter Bissig
    Duke University Medical Center, USA
    • Ernesto de la Cueva Bueno
      EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
      • Christian Münz
        University of Zurich, Switzerland
        • J.J. Schuringa
          University of Groningen, The Netherlands
          • Leonard Shultz
            The Jackson Laboratory, USA
            • Brian Soper
              The Jackson Laboratory, USA
              • Renata Stripecke
                Hannover Medical School, Germany
                • Anja Kathrin Wege
                  University Hospital Regensburg, Germany

                Contact: Raili Pall

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