Department of Chemical Engineering Seminar 2026-Dr. Elena Gkantzou (Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas – Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (FORTH/ICEHT))

Abstract

The Directive 2010/63/EU on animal experimentation within the European Union promotes the use of non-animal approaches in research, in line with the 3Rs principle – Reduce, Refine, Replace animal experimentation. Organ-on-Chip has been recognized by both the EU and FDA  as a transformative innovation that will mark the future of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. 3D (bio)printing has given new potential in this field by enhancing the structural and functional complexity of these biomimetic models and offering customized solutions for replicating organ physiology.  Microfluidics is the fundamental technology behind organ-on-chip and describes the methods to develop microflow channels within a chip device of a few centimeters to recreate a physiological function or a laboratory assay. The study of biomaterials has been indispensable for the growth of this field since they provide with new opportunities for the creation of scaffolds for biological systems development.  The combination of 3D (bio)printing and microfluidics has provided scientists with exceptional tools for accelerating and customizing their work or even developing new methodologies that were not possible with traditional approaches. In this presentation, we will explore the materials and methods behind these advanced fabrication techniques and highlight their applications in biotechnology. Focusing on biomedicine, we will examine organoid-on-chip systems and their potential in eliminating animal testing for drug screening and disease modeling. 

Speakers Short CV

Dr. Elena Gkantzou completed an Integrated Master’s program at the Department of Biological Applications and Technologies, University of Ioannina, Greece. Following the biotechnology division of the department, the researcher pursued a PhD thesis on the development of biocatalytic devices with the use of 3D printing and microfluidic technology. At the same department, she also performed one year of PostDoctoral research on the effect of deep eutectic solvents (DES) on 3D-printed constructs. Moving abroad, the researcher continued her PostDoctoral research at the Institute of Technical Chemistry, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany. There, she developed 3D-printed microfluidic reactors as a screening platform for different enzyme mutants. Throughout her career, the researcher has studied a series of organic and inorganic (nano)materials as a scaffold for the attachment of bioactive molecules. She has specialized on the surface modification of nanomaterials and polymeric, 3D-printable materials to render them biocompatible. More recently, the researcher coordinated a scientific project in collaboration with the University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna and FORTH/ICEHT for the development of a novel, extracellular matrix-based biomaterial for 3D bioprinting applications. Shifting her focus to biomedical applications of microfluidic devices, the researcher is aspiring to use 3D bioprinting for the development of vascularized organoids-on-chip, towards the elimination of animal models in preclinical drug testing (the 3Rs principle).