The new NSW Organoid Innovation Centre (NSWOIC) opened in Sydney, Australia will provide reliable and reproducible access to stem cell and organoid cultures for researchers in the academic and commercial sectors.
Organoids, sometimes referred to as “mini organs in a dish” are self-organising clusters of cells derived from human stem cells. They allow for the development and testing of new medicines and treatments outside the human body.
NSWOIC is a multi-institutional initiative that will make organoid production and analysis accessible to researchers across New South Wales (NSW) and Australia. Combining stem cell techniques with robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, its facilities provide organoids for applications including drug discovery, personalised medicine and disease modelling.
Funding of $2.5 million for the centre was delivered by the NSW Government through the Emerging Industry Infrastructure Fund. The University of Sydney will invest an additional $1.3 million in the centre, a collaboration with the University of NSW and the Children’s Medical Research Institute at Westmead.
The NSW Organoid Innovation Centre will be based in the University of Sydney’s refurbished Molecular Bioscience building (G08).
Director of the Centre for Drug Discovery Innovation and 2024 AFR Research Commercialisation joint winner Professor Michael Kassiou is the academic lead of the centre. He said, “Organoid technology bridges the gap between initial discovery and testing directly in humans, with the potential to rapidly accelerate relevant drugs to treat disease.”
