Congratulations to the 12 finalists and a huge thank you to all participants for making the ARTxSCIENCE Competition a success.

The group of Heiko Locher has succesfully grown a new cell type in inner ear organoids.

From scientific discovery to first application in the clinic. This is the remarkable 20-year journey of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), made possible by a series of technological advances.

Martin Giera delivered his inaugural lecture ‘Everything is intertwined’ on September 4.

Congratulations to Kadi Lõhmussaar from reNEW Copenhagen, who received a Scientific Exchange Grant from EMBO. This grant supports international collaborations and enables transfer of expertise.

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain, leading to debilitating motor symptoms. Stem cell-based therapies involving transplantation of new dopaminergic cells to the brain is emerging as a promising alternative to current treatments.

Ask a scientist what a stem cell is, and you will get a biological answer. Ask the internet, and you will get something else entirely. Anders Grundtvig from PREPARE Copenhagen spent his PhD studying the “online life” of stem cells.

reNEW Melbourne researchers have used gene therapy to reverse a severe inherited heart disease in preclinical models, paving the way for new treatments that could one day reduce the need for heart transplants in children.

reNEW CEO Professor Melissa Little has been awarded Research Australia’s Peter Wills Medal at Research Australia’s 2026 Health and Medical Research Awards in Sydney.

Audiences at Science Gallery Melbourne explored the future of stem cell medicine through an in-conversation between acclaimed Australian artist Patricia Piccinini and reNEW CEO Professor Melissa Little, an international pioneer in regenerative therapies for kidney disease, on Saturday 15 August.

reNEW Melbourne Associate Investigator Dr Holly Voges and her team have created the world’s first three-dimensional human heart valve tissue from stem cells, paving the way for new treatments for heart valve disease.

A reNEW team led by Pascale Dijkers and Niels Geijsen discovered how a gradient of two signaling molecules dictates cellular composition and elongation in gastruloids.

Nearly half of currently marketed ATMPs will lose their regulatory market exclusivity period by 2030. This raises the question how to ensure persistent patient access to these often life-changing therapies

Congratulations to Enzo Porrello and his team, who have been awarded an NHMRC Investigator Grant to advance stem cell technology that may one day remove the need for heart transplants.

A major philanthropic investment from the Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation will help accelerate stem cell-based drug discovery at reNEW Melbourne.

The STEM-PD trial, the first European-based clinical trial of a pluripotent stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease, has reached an important milestone. The trial group has now published 12-month primary safety endpoint data, confirming that the therapy is safe.

reNEW Melbourne and Copenhagen Principal Investigator Professor Melissa Little and reNEW Copenhagen Principal Investigator Associate Professor Agnete Kirkeby have both been awarded Novo Nordisk Foundation Regenerative Medicine Catalyst Grants to advance internationally collaborative regenerative medicine research.

Congratulations to reNEW Melbourne Principal Investigator, PREPARE Theme Lead and head of the MCRI Stem Cell Ethics and Policy group Professor Megan Munsie, and her interdisciplinary team, on securing an AUD$1.5 million grant from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Stem Cell Therapies Mission to address a critical question in paediatric stem cell research: Who owns my cells – and what say do I have?

During development, cells gradually acquire their final identities through a series of coordinated changes. Traditionally, these cell fate decisions have been studied by analyzing gene expression profiles using advanced sequencing technologies, which provide molecular snapshots of cells at discrete time points.

Susana Chuva de Sousa Lopes receives ERC Advanced grant to study ovarian ageing.

Richard Davis receives funding from ValNAM program to advance new models for cardiac safety testing.

B cells are a crucial component of the immune system that protects our body against pathogens. Researchers from the group of reNEW Principal Investigator Frank Staal have succeeded in growing these cells from blood stem cells in the laboratory using a new method. The study marks an important step forward for research into B-cell deficiencies.

How can skin expand while maintaining its structure and protective barrier function? This is a key question in biology, but it is also central to clinical practices such as reconstructive surgery, where controlled stretching is used to generate additional skin.

The fifth reNEW Annual Scientific Meeting took place 8-12 June in Copenhagen, Denmark, facilitating valuable knowledge sharing and promoting collaboration among our researchers across all three reNEW nodes.

Obesity and related metabolic disorders are a rapidly expanding worldwide therapeutic challenge. A new study from Associate Professor Agnete Kirkeby’s research group at reNEW Copenhagen adds to the understanding of how the brain controls hunger and satiety.

Associate Professor Agnete Kirkeby from reNEW Copenhagen, together with Lund University Professor Malin Parmar and Cambridge University Professor Roger Barker, guided the preclinical development of STEM-PD, a novel stem cell therapy using human stem cell-derived dopamine producing nerve cells transplanted into patients with Parkinson’s disease. This project now has a new partner, Cellular Intelligence, who will take over future development.  

The heart and kidneys are closely connected. Proper communication between these two organs is crucial for their function, and damage to one often has major consequences on the other. Nevertheless, much remains unknown about how these organs communicate in our body.

A critical phase of early embryo development is the implantation of the blastocyst into the uterine wall. A new study from Associate Professor Jan Żylicz’s research group at reNEW Copenhagen, led by Eleni Kafkia and David Pladevall-Morera, reveals that this transition is driven by far more complex metabolic changes than previously thought.

For the last decade or so, scientists have been able to use stem cells to grow three-dimensional models of human tissue in the lab, called organoids, to better understand disease and advance new treatments and therapies. Understanding how cells are organised within stem cell–derived organoids is critical if these models are to reliably mimic human tissues.

International consortium integrates advanced toxicological analyses, stem cell- and animal models, population-based epidemiology and clinical insights to uncover environmental factors that may contribute to Parkinson’s disease.

Every time you breathe in, your lungs are exposed to bacteria, viruses, pollen, and other environmental challenges. To stay healthy, your lungs rely on a close cooperation between two key cell types: immune cells called alveolar macrophages, and the cells that line the air sacs, known as type 2 alveolar epithelial cells (AT2 cells).

STRAIGHT-IN Dual, developed in the group of reNEW AI Richard Davis, enables researchers to insert multiple large DNA constructs into human stem cells (hiPSCs) with high precision and speed.

A new collaboration between the research arm of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Initiative for Vaccines and Immunity, NIVI Research Center, and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) aims to accelerate the development of a vaccine against Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) infection.

When Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed, many dopamine-producing neurons are already severely depleted. Once neurons are lost, they cannot regenerate, and treatment options become limited.

With roughly 86 billion neurons, the human brain is nature’s most complex structure, and yet how it builds itself remains surprisingly poorly understood. How does a single stem cell give rise to billions of specialised neurons, each finding their place in an intricate web of circuits? Answering these fundamental questions could one day change how we treat brain diseases.

Researchers from the group of reNEW Associate Investigator Valeria Orlova developed a 3D Vessel-on-Chip model to study CADASIL*, a rare inherited disease affecting the  brain’s small vessels.

reNEW Melbourne PREPARE researcher Dr Leanne Rees has been awarded a two-year grant through the Victorian Government-owned Transport Accident Commission (TAC) Best Client Outcomes Grant Program.

Two reNEW Melbourne members took part in Science and Technology Australia’s premier event, Science Meets Parliament 2026.

A group of experts, including reNEW researchers present a White Paper on research, technological development and regulation of stem cell-based embryo models in the scientific journal Human Reproduction.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, has released its annual report, highlighting the stellar work accomplished throughout 2025.

PREPARE and reSOLVE researchers from reNEW present a practical framework in Stem Cell Reports to support stem cell scientists in making informed diversity-related decisions when designing experiments.

Designed to offer students an opportunity to explore, learn and discuss stem cell science, reNEW’s UniStem Day 2026 events brought together high school students from Denmark, the Netherlands, and Victoria, Australia.

Denmark’s King Fredrik X and Queen Mary toured reNEW Melbourne’s state-of-the-art stem cell medicine labs, based at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), on March 18.

A study from Associate Professor Heiko Locher’s Group at reNEW Leiden, published in Disease Models and Mechanisms, shows that human iPSC-derived inner ear organoids are promising tools to mimic human toxicity in vitro.

Naive human pluripotent stem cells resemble those of the earliest human embryo. Associate Professor Jan Żylicz’s research group at reNEW Copenhagen has co-led an international collaboration to establish a robust method for growing naive human pluripotent stem cells without the need for mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), which have until now been the standard requirement.

Researchers from the group of reNEW Principal Investigator Professor Susana Chuva de Sousa Lopes at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) have successfully advanced the maturation of stem cell–derived primordial germ cells in culture.

Researchers from the group of reNEW Principal Investigator Professor Susana Chuva de Sousa Lopes at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) have successfully advanced the maturation of stem cell–derived primordial germ cells in culture.

A new review from reNEW Melbourne PhD student Serene Yeow explores emerging research avenues to better understand and treat rheumatic heart disease, a chronic and often debilitating condition caused by inflammation and long-term damage to the heart valves.

Ibnova Theraputics, the first spin-out company from reNEW, was announced today by the BioInnovation Institute (BII) and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation will continue to support regenerative medicine through extended funding for reNEW. Reaching its mid-term at the end of 2026, the Novo Nordisk Foundation have announced that funding will extend to the end of 2031 to enable the consortium to continue to deliver on its Mission.

Challenges related to fertility are becoming more prevalent and in vitro fertilization (IVF) plays a crucial role for many families hoping to conceive.

reNEW Principal Investigator Associate Professor Ana Hidalgo Simon published three papers on successful translation and clinical application of advanced therapies.

On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we spoke with three of our female researchers about their journeys into the world of science. One of them is bioinformatician Emma Scully from reNEW Melbourne, who shares her story and the path that led her to pursue a career in science.

Researchers from the groups of Associate Investigator Richard Davis and Principal Investigator Christine Mummery at reNEW Leiden, together with biotech company Sartorius, investigated how the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin harms the heart using advanced stem cell models and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based image analysis.

On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we spoke with three of our female researchers about their journeys into the world of science. One of them is medical doctor and PhD-candidate Roxanna Hauck from reNEW Leiden, who shares her story and the path that led her to pursue a career in science.

A new collaborative study from Professor Kim Bak Jensen’s group at reNEW Copenhagen and Professor Matthias P. Lütolf’s group at the Roche Institute of Human Biology in Basel, Switzerland, published in Cell Stem Cell, reveals that tissue architecture can actively instruct how cells develop and function.

On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we spoke with three of our female researchers about their journeys into the world of science. One of them is Assistant Professor Daniela Mayer from reNEW Copenhagen, who shares her story and the path that led her to pursue a career in science.

Can metabolism shape embryo neurodevelopment? Assistant Professor Eleni Kafkia from reNEW Copenhagen has been awarded a Lundbeck Experiment Grant to explore this fundamental question.

Congratulations to reNEW Melbourne Associate Investigator Dr Rhiannon Weder on receiving significant funding from the MRFF to improve support for children and adults living with chronic lung conditions.

Researchers from the group of reNEW Leiden AI Richard Davis and PI Christine Mummery and the Leiden-based biotech company Ncardia have joined forces to develop a new platform that enables the automated production of 3D cardiac microtissues.

reNEW Principal Investigator Niels Geijsen and Associate Investigator Nienke de Graeff were among the researchers who discussed embryo models at the first Science Café in The Hague.

The group of reNEW AI Françoise Carlotti received EUR600.000 from Breakthrough T1D to advance their research on novel islet replacement therapies for type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Maximilian Stötzel has been awarded an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship, a highly competitive program that supports outstanding research in molecular biology.

Congratulations to reNEW Melbourne principal investigators Professor Andrew Elefanty and Associate Professor Richard Mills, and their teams based at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, on being awarded National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas grants.

Cell and gene therapies (CGT) are revolutionizing medicine by offering, for the first time, potential cures for conditions that were previously untreatable.

reNEW Melbourne Associate Investigator Dr Rhiannon Werder, a group leader at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, has received the Al & Val Rosenstrauss Fellowship in recognition of her contributions to understanding children’s lung health.

Epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS) is best known as a blistering skin disease. Yet, when caused by mutations in the KLHL24 protein, it can also lead to heart failure. Researchers from the lab of reNEW PI Karine Raymond used both patient material and stem cell-based heart models to uncover how these mutations affect cardiac tissue.

The group of Dr. Heiko Locher, principal investigator at reNEW Leiden, uses stem cell-derived models to study the human inner ear.

When patients and families ask about unproven therapies, clinicians often find themselves walking a fine line: balancing hope with evidence, empathy with professional boundaries.

reNEW Melbourne Node Director Professor Enzo Porrello has been elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS).

Organ-on-Chip (OoC) systems offer researchers the unique opportunity to mimic the structure and physiology of human organs in the laboratory. Over the last decade, the field has rapidly progressed and the systems are increasingly applied in disease modeling and therapy development.

On Saturday, October 18, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) hosted a national day dedicated to patients affected by the rare genetic vascular disorder ROW/HHT.

Dr Holly Voges, a senior research officer at reNEW Melbourne, based at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, has been awarded a Future Leader Fellowship from the Heart Foundation to better understand Rheumatic heart disease (RHD).

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has published a comprehensive new resource for accelerating the translation of pluripotent stem cell-derived.

Congratulations to Dr Declan Turner, postdoctoral researcher from the Werder lab, at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW Melbourne in Australia for winning first prize in the third annual reNEW ARTxSCIENCE Competition.

Researchers from the lab of reNEW PI Ton Rabelink and AI Siebe Spijker successfully used stem cell-based models of the kidney to study chronic kidney disease.

In clinical practice, doctors often face patient problems without clear solutions. Dr. Malene Hviid Saxtorph is one of these doctors. Each year, thousands of blastocysts, early-stage embryos, are transferred into the uterus, yet many fail to implant, and it remains unknown why.

Can stretching the skin change how we feel touch, pain, and temperature? Surprisingly, yes! Associate Professor Aragona and her team will look into how and why, thanks to the Serendipity Grant Scheme research grant worth almost 4 million DKK from the LEO Foundation.

On Saturday 20 September, reNEW Leiden once again took part in the Nacht van Ontdekkingen (Night of Discoveries) in Leiden, the city’s annual science festival.

Infertility affects 1 in 6 couples worldwide. Among the many contributing factors, obesity is known to negatively affect fertility. As rates of overweight and obesity continue to rise globally, understanding how these metabolic conditions impact reproductive health has become an important area of research.

Researchers from the group of reNEW PI Frank Staal employed a new platform to gain insights into T-cell development in patients with the severe inborn error of immunity RAG1-SCID. They also used the platform to test the effect of a proprietary stem cell gene therapy for this condition.

Evanston, IL – The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is proud to announce a collaboration with the Novo Nordisk Foundation to host the ISSCR Annual Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark 27-30 June 2028.

Congratulations to reNEW Melbourne AI Associate Professor Rachel Conyers, who has been awarded a $3 million (AUD) Genomics Health Futures Mission grant from the Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to lead a national initiative aimed at improving the safety and effectiveness of cancer treatments for children and young people.

LUMC researchers and French colleagues have developed a new technique to see and measure the brain’s smallest blood vessels for the first time.

reNEW’s Bioinformatics Hub, based at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), has developed cutting-edged software that can now uncover how the most common heart tumour in children forms and changes.

An exciting partnership between Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and Retro Biosciences will accelerate breakthroughs in blood stem cell therapies for children and adults with bone marrow failure, leukaemia, and other blood disorders.

A very valued member of reNEW’s Scientific Advisory Committee, Professor Pete Coffey, has passed away. Professor Coffey, DPhil was a Theme Lead of Development, Ageing and Disease at University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology and the Co-Executive Director of Translation at UC Santa Barbara’s Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering.

reNEW’s participation at the biggest political meeting in Denmark with more than 40.000 guests turned out to be a success. reNEW was lucky to be invited from the organizers of the meeting to be part of the newly established art area and exhibited the ARTxSCIENCE Exhibition which was located at a very central place with lots of people passing by. 

reNEW Copenhagen has been visited by a very special guest: patient #8 and thus the last to be transplanted in the STEM-PD transplantation clinical trial study for Parkinson’s disease.

The fourth reNEW Annual Scientific Meeting took place 19-23 May in Leiden, the Netherlands, facilitating valuable knowledge sharing and promoting collaboration among our researchers across all three reNEW nodes.

Professor Melissa H. Little, reNEW’s CEO, has been appointed Fellow of the Royal Society. Fellows of the Royal Society are many of the world’s most eminent scientists, engineers and technologists.

Progress towards personalised blood stem cell treatments for children and adults with bone marrow failure, leukaemia and other blood disorders will be advanced through a new partnership between the Melbourne node of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, based at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia, and US biotechnology company Retro Biosciences.

Congratulations to reNEW Melbourne PIs Professor Enzo Porrello, Professor Andrew Elefanty and AI Dr Jessica Vanslambrouck, based at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, who have each received two-year Stem Cell Therapies Mission grants from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), worth a total of $3 million.

A reNEW Copenhagen team, led by Professor Joshua Brickman, demonstrate that by changing their diets, stem cells can rejuvenate and turn into ‘super stem cells’, which are more effective at making other cells, and perform exceedingly well when transplanted into a mouse embryo.

New discoveries into the first decisive step of human life have been made and published in Nature Cell Biology by Associate Professor Jan Żylicz’s research group at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW.

reNEW’s Prof. Dr. Christine Mummery (Leiden University Medical Center) has been awarded the Langerhuizen Oeuvre Prize 2025 by The Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW).

Professor Megan Munsie has been elected to the 2025 International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Executive Committee, in the position of Clerk.

Two research teams including reNEW Leiden AIs Milena Bellin and Anna Alemany were selected to receive funding from the ZonMW Open Competition.

reNEW researchers at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) have developed a method for enhancing the purity of insulin-producing islets generated from stem cells in the laboratory.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, has released its annual report, highlighting the stellar work accomplished throughout 2024.

Seven reNEW researchers are among a group of stem cell experts who received a Public Service Award from the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR).

High school students from Denmark, the Netherlands, and Victoria, Australia participated in reNEW’s UniStem Day 2025 events, which were designed to offer students a chance to explore, learn, and discuss the transformative potential of stem cell research in medicine.

Rita Alves, postdoc in the Żylicz Group at reNEW Copenhagen has been awarded a Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship from the European Union. She will use this fellowship to uncover the requirement of nuclear metabolism for gene expression changes occurring at embryo implantation.

Associate Professor Agnete Kirkeby and PhD student Alison Salvador from her lab at reNEW Copenhagen are developing a therapy for the treatment of dementia. They are currently testing their developed stem cell product through implantation into rat brains.

Two members of reNEW Melbourne participated in the 2025 Science and Technology Australia’s premier event, Science Meets Parliament.

Dr Janko Kajtez, a postdoc at Human Neural Development group led by Associate Professor Agnete Kirkeby at the Copenhagen node of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW), has received a Lundbeck Foundation Experiment grant for his research on the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCB).

A paper has been published by Professor Kim Bak Jensen’s group at the Copenhagen node of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, in the journal Developmental Cell that provides new discoveries into the way the epithelium works.

A comprehensive overview of clinical trials using human pluripotent stem cells is published in Cell Stem Cell by Associate Professor Agnete Kirkeby and colleagues.

Congratulations to Dr Holly Voges on being awarded an National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas grant, that aims to discover ways to reverse heart valve damage.

In October, Wang et al. reported a breakthrough in the field of type 1 diabetes (T1D) research: a functional cure after transplantation of patient- specific iPSC-derived islets. Promising results, that raise the discussion if patient-specific or off-the-shelf stem cell based therapies for T1D patients are the way forward.

Associate Professor Françoise Carlotti and Assistant Professor Anna Alemany from reNEW Leiden are part of a new consortium that receives 3 million euros from the NWO ENW-XL Open Competition.

‘’We should include diverse patient populations in first-in-human clinical trials.’’ That is what PREPARE researchers Lieke van Kempen, Nienke de Graeff and Martine de Vries from reNEW Leiden argue in a recently published commentary for BMJ Journal of Medical Ethics.

Assistant Professor Nienke de Graeff (De Vries group, reNEW Leiden) has been named a member of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Ethics Committee.

New reference model will become crucial in understanding the effects of mutations, treatments on embryos, and the relevance of new stem cell based embryo models.

Dr Holly Voges, a senior research officer at reNEW Melbourne, based at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, has been awarded the two-year, $150,000 Vanguard Grant from the Heart Foundation to better understand Rheumatic heart disease (RHD).

Dr. Rhiannon Werder has today been awarded the Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research in recognition of her leadership in stem cell research and her efforts to develop new treatments for respiratory infections.

A reNEW Leiden team, led by Fanny Sage and Niels Geijsen, has revealed how skeletal muscles are organized at the tissue level.

Congratulations to Charlotte De Henau, research technician at the Karine Raymond lab in Leiden, part of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, for winning first prize in the second ARTxSCIENCE competition.

Congratulations to Enzo Porrello, Sean Humphrey and team, who were awarded an NHMRC Synergy grant, that aims to better dilated cardiomyopathy and potentially find new therapies.

Collaborative research co-led by reNEW’s PREPARE Lead Professor Megan Munsie has reported that targeted action by national regulators has resulted in a considerable decline in the advertising of unproven stem cell treatments.

Congratulations to: Lieke Stockmann, Ben Johnson, Fangchen Liu, Hayley Pointer, Janine Melsen, Denis Bienroth, Aude Dorison, Amy Lucassen, Charlotte De Henau, Oscar Bay Axelsen, Maria Giovanna Garone and Beatrice Gabbin.

A recent review by PREPARE has examined the essential role communication plays between healthcare professionals and patients when discussing stem cell therapies.

Researchers from the LUMC Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics (CPM) at reNEW Leiden have published four scientific articles on improved methods and analysis for the study of metabolites.

reNEW Melbourne researchers in the Heart Disease Team have now completed a screen of 30,000 drug compounds, towards the aim of developing transformative therapies for patients with heart failure.

Researchers from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, have created blood stem cells in the lab that closely resemble those in the human body.

The group of reNEW Leiden AI Richard Davis has published a step-by-step protocol for the STRAIGHT-IN genome editing platform in Nature Protocols.

A grant from IPCEI Med4Health will facilitate the development of advanced technologies to improve cell and gene therapy production.

Mimicking the structure and physiology of human tissues and organs in the laboratory. Microphysiological systems (MPSs), such as organs-on-chip (OoCs), offer this unique opportunity but determining the relevance of MPS to actual tissues of the human body has remained challenging.

Dr Rhiannon Werder has secured an Australian Government grant to further her team’s research into a long-COVID complication that causes lung damage.

The group of reNEW Leiden PI Prof. Frank Staal, has published two papers on the development of hematopoietic stem cell-based lentiviral gene therapies.

Professor Susana Chuva de Sousa Lopes, reNEW Leiden PI, receives an ERC Proof of Concept grant that allows her to develop a stem cell-based screening assay for toxic effects of chemical compounds and environmental factors on male fertility.

Inflammatory bowel disease is characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract and is divided into two conditions; Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. While Crohn’s disease can cause inflammation anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, ulcerative colitis is contained to the colon and rectum.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine is proud to announce that CEO and Executive Director of reNEW, Professor Mellissa H. Little and Principal Investigator at reNEW’s Copenhagen node, Professor Joshua Brickman, have this year been elected members of the prestigious European Molecular Biology Organization – EMBO.

Associate Professor Jan Żylicz from reNEW Copenhagen node, as part of an international consortium, has been awarded an MSCA Doctoral Networks Grant for project; NUCLEAR – metabolic regulation of genome function and cell identity.

Assistant Professor Philip Seymour, former Assistant Professor Nina Funa and PhD student Heidi Mjøseng, with colleagues from the Serup Group at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, University of Copenhagen, have had a paper published in Stem Cell Reports investigating further development of a cellular therapy to replace the lost insulin-producing beta cells in type one diabetics.

Madeleine Linneberg-Agerholm, and colleagues in the Brickman group at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, University of Copenhagen, have had a paper published in Cell, following the discovery of the remarkable memory contained within a cell type previously thought to be a source of nutrients for the early embryo.

On Thursday 13 June, the reNEW Early Career Research Committee organized a reNEW ECR Mini-Symposium. The Symposium included the announcement of the winner of the inaugural ECR Publication Award, which celebrated and acknowledged the outstanding research contributions of our ECRs across the international nodes.

Being able to get pregnant is not a given. Infertility affects around 17,5% of the adult population, both men and women, which is equivalent to 1 in 6 people. World Infertility Awareness Month aims to create awareness about this global problem.

Prof. Ton Rabelink, reNEW Leiden PI, has been awarded a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant worth 2.5 million euros. With the grant, Rabelink will further his research on tissue repair after kidney injury.

The third reNEW Annual Scientific Meeting took place 27 – 31 May in Melbourne, enabling valuable knowledge exchange and fostering collaboration between our researchers across all three reNEW nodes.

Associate Professor Agnete Kirkeby, from reNEW Copenhagen, has published the paper Forced LMX1A expression induces dorsal neural fates and disrupts patterning of human embryonic stem cells into ventral midbrain dopaminergic neurons, in Stem Cell Reports.

After a positive interim safety evaluation, the pioneering STEM-PD clinical trial has advanced to higher dose testing.

Researchers from the lab of reNEW Leiden PI Ton Rabelink and AI Marten Engelse have developed a new method to keep donor kidneys alive outside the body for longer.

The city center of Zutphen turned into a large open-air science festival during Expeditie NEXT on May 1st.

How does the embryo implant into the uterus? 11 researchers, including reNEW Leiden PI Susana Chuva de Sousa Lopes, receive a MSCA Doctoral Networks Grant worth 3.5M euros to investigate this understudied and poorly understood process.

reNEW researchers have, in collaboration with the European Medicines Agency, published a commentary on the updated Guidelines for the development and evaluation of medicinal products containing genetically modified cells.

Two members of reNEW Melbourne participated in the 2024 Science and Technology Australia premier event, Science Meets Parliament.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, has released its annual report, highlighting the stellar work accomplished throughout 2023.

Dr Sean Humphrey, who manages the reNEW Functional Phosphoproteomics Platform, has been awarded the Peter Doherty Investigator Award, the highest ranked recipient of a research grant in the Emerging Leadership category, by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NMHRC).

High school students across reNEW’s nodes in Denmark, the Netherlands and Victoria, Australia, joined reNEW’s UniStem Day 2024 events, each designed to provide students an opportunity to learn, discovery and discuss the power and potential of stem cell research, to transform medicine.

Research in the lab of Professor Susana Chuva de Sousa Lopes (reNEW Leiden) has resulted in three publications. Two research papers, published in Developmental Cell and Cell Reports Medicine, present new knowledge on human reproduction and developmental biology of the reproductive organs.

Ben Johnson, postdoc in the lab of reNEW Leiden AI Richard Davis and PI Christine Mummery, has been awarded a Marie-Sklodowska-Curie fellowship.

On World Kidney Day, March 14, we aim to raise awareness on the importance of our kidneys and reduce the impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems.

Professor Frank Staal, reNEW Leiden PI, has received a prestigious Rare Angel Award for his ongoing research on stem cell based gene therapies for hereditary immune deficiencies.

Postdoc Alberto Dinarello from the Brickman Group has been awarded a Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship from the European Union to identify the mechanisms through which chromatin reconfiguration prepares ventral foregut stem cells for onward differentiation.

The internet has revolutionized the accessibility of information about stem cells, but it also presents challenges in discerning reliable sources from misinformation. The way information is filtered and presented online is constantly changing. Now the arrival of AI adds to the complexity.

The StemScreen Center for Stem Cell-based Disease Modelling and Drug Screening held its first annual network meeting on Friday February 9 at Panum, University of Copenhagen.

It is with great sorrow that we announce the loss of our dear friend, colleague, and mentor, Palle Serup. Just before Christmas, Palle passed away peacefully after a prolonged battle with metastatic cancer.

Dr Tine Friis receives Junior Scholar Award for her contributions to making the research field of Medical Science and Technology Studies more visible.

On January 8, Professor Kim Jensen has stepped into the position of Node Director of the Copenhagen Node of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine – reNEW in place of Professor Melissa Little.

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded Dr. Ben Johnson (reNEW Leiden) an Open Competition ENW-XS grant. Johnson will use the grant to develop a stem cell-based model to simulate human heart attacks in a petri dish.

Congratulations to Silvia Velasco and Sean Humphrey, who received NHMRC Investigator grants, and Shireen Lamande, who received an NHMRC Ideas grant.

The rise of stem cell-derived human embryo models has revived ethical discussions surrounding human embryo research. PREPARE researchers Megan Munsie (reNEW Melbourne PI) and Nienke de Graeff (reNEW Leiden AI) were joined by Lien de Proost (LUMC) to discuss new and recurring ethical questions on this topic in two recent publications.

Researchers from the labs of reNEW Leiden PI Niels Geijsen (LUMC) and Miguel Castilho (TU/e) have developed printed scaffolds of magnetized microfibers to study skeletal muscle tissue in 3D.

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded Associate Professor Jakub Sedzinski, from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW Copenhagen node, and his team, a two million euro grant for their work on understanding how mechanical forces regulate embryo development.

Researchers from the lab of reNEW PI Ton Rabelink have discovered in collaboration with Arnaud Zaldumbide (LUMC) that knockout of HLA class 1 by itself is insufficient to protect transplanted kidney organoids from T-cell mediated rejection.

Diabetes, affecting 537 million people globally and the number being projected to rise to 783 million by 2045, demands innovative solutions.

Professor Megan Munsie has been acknowledged for her significant contribution to Australia’s health and medical research landscape by Research Australia.

Researchers from the lab of reNEW Leiden PI Karine Raymond, have successfully modeled monkeypox infections in human skin organoids.

Congratulations to PhD fellow Antar Drews from the Zylicz lab, at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW Copenhagen for winning first prize in the first reNEW ARTxSCIENCE Competition.

Dr Jessica Vanslambrouck and her team at reNEW Melbourne, based at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, have advanced our ability to grow complex models of human kidney tissue to benefit kidney disease understanding and treatment.

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of normal motor control, leading to rigidity, slow movements, tremor, and difficulties walking. The disease affects approximately 1% of people above the age of 60 and, with an aging population, its prevalence is increasing.

reNEW enters into partnership with the newly established Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator. Professor Melissa Little, CEO of reNEW and Executive Director of reNEW Copenhagen, is excited about this partnership.

All reNEW nodes now have access to large compound libraries for drug screening and drug development research. This access has been secured through reNEW membership of Compounds Australia and will help identifying potential therapeutic compounds through the stem cell-based disease models within reNEW.

Does the inheritance of factors other than our genes influence the proper functioning of cells during our lifespan? New research published in Nature Genetics demonstrate that this is the case.

It is fascinating to consider how our organs form during development and how they are subsequently replenished during adult life. Just like how we grow from a baby into a child and then into adulthood, organs initially form in an immature state that will go on to mature into fully functional organs.

Professor Megan Munsie was elected to the 2023 International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Board of Directors, for a three-year term.

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded Associate Professor Jan Żylicz and his team a 1,5 million euro grant for their work on unravelling specificity of epi-metabolic regulation in development.

The Leo Foundation has granted Associated Professor Aragona and her team a 4 million DKK grant for their work on identifying factors that improve stem cell self-renewal. The fund is awarded for a period of three years.