StemScreen

^{L-R: Intestinal organoid (Martti Maimets), Neuronal culture (Arun Thiruvalluvan), Nasal organoid (Ana Bustos Muñoz)}

The Center for Stem Cell-based Disease Modelling and Drug Screening (StemScreen) facilitates image-based high-content screens of organoids (”mini organs” built from stem cells) and seeks to identify lead compounds for drug discovery. StemScreen has potential to cut the costs of developing new drug treatments for difficult-to-treat diseases, while also reducing animal experimentation.

StemScreen is a Danish academic-industrial partnership including instrumentation, expertise and a research network, funded by the Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD).

High-Content Screening Facility

The StemScreen facility includes:

A high-speed confocal-based imaging system with an integrated environmental chamber (CV8000, Yokogawa)
An external incubator
AI-driven data analysis software (CellPathfinder, Yokogawa)

The facility is capable of end-point or live-cell high-content and high-throughput screening of stem cell-based 3D models.

The CV8000 is an inverted high-speed microlens-enhanced dual spinning-disk confocal microscope fitted with four sCMOS cameras with superior sensitivity for gentle and high-speed imaging, allowing acquisition of up to four fluorescent colours in a single exposure.

For details of the instrumentation at the StemScreen facility, see StemScreen’s technical guide (contact stemscreen@sund.ku.dk to request a copy).

What is High-Content Screening?

High-Content Screening (HCS) is a drug discovery strategy that characterizes phenotypic changes among or within cell populations (e.g. organoids) through visual analysis of the effects of a library of small molecules.

A successful HCS strategy requires:

A suitable cellular model
A fast, simple read-out
A positive control
A compound library

For more information about high-content screening strategy, see StemScreen’s technical guide (contact stemscreen@sund.ku.dk to request a copy).

Getting Started

The StemScreen facility is for:

Pilot screens
Developing simple and robust assays
Performing large-scale compound screens in stem cell-based models

Model development and condition testing should be performed prior to moving to the StemScreen facility.

All users of the StemScreen facility must be working on an approved StemScreen project. Moreover, users must complete introductory training before they can access the facility independently.

Contact StemScreen’s screening and imaging specialist Jonas Bagge (stemscreen@sund.ku.dk) for:

Training
Information on the essential steps to prepare for a high-content screen
Advice on assay development and high-content screening
Planning and coordination of screening campaigns
StemScreen’s technical guide (PDF)

Apply for a New Project

Any researcher with a promising proof-of-concept project that has potential to generate value can apply to use the StemScreen facility.

An application for a new StemScreen project should include:

Aims
Value proposition
Timeline
Milestones
Description of the organotypic model
Proposed high-content screening strategy

Submit your application by emailing a 2-page pdf (maximum 1000 words) to stemscreen@sund.ku.dk.

Project applications are prioritized by the StemScreen steering committee. The committee may approach key stakeholders for input. Applicants can expect to receive an answer within 3 months after their submission date.

Successful project applications gain access to the StemScreen facility and expertise, but no funding is awarded.

Network and Projects

StemScreen is a partnership between two Danish biotech firms – Bioneer A/S and Synklino A/S – and the University of Copenhagen. StemScreen is led by Professor Kim Bak Jensen (Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine - reNEW, University of Copenhagen).

The StemScreen research network includes nine proof-of-concept (PoC) projects led by the following scientists from the University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Synklino A/S and Bioneer A/S.

Kim Bak Jensen (reNEW, UCPH)
Bente Frølund (Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology - ILF, UCPH)
Kristine Freude (Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences - IVH, UCPH)
Jeremy Turnbull (Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine - ICMM, UCPH)
Thomas Kledal (Synklino A/S)
Bjørn Holst (Bioneer A/S)
Agnete Kirkeby (reNEW, UCPH)
Joshua Brickman (reNEW, UCPH)
Jakub Sedzinski (reNEW, UCPH)

The StemScreen steering committee (Christian Clausen, Melissa Little, Rasmus P. Clausen, Mette Rosenkilde, Steen B. Mortensen) is responsible for ratifying the inclusion of new projects, as well as guiding and prioritizing projects within StemScreen.

Training, Events and Publications

StemScreen was established in 2023 thanks to a DKK 24.5 million grant (EUR 3.3 million) from Innovation Fund Denmark.
StemScreen offers workshops on conceptualization, preparation and execution of high-content screens, aimed at researchers interested in using the StemScreen facility. The first workshop took place 2-5 September 2024, with 22 participants. Contact stemscreen@sund.ku.dk if you have questions or are interested in signing up for future workshops.
The StemScreen facility has been fully up-and-running since mid-2024.
The first StemScreen Annual Meeting took place on 9 February, 2024. The StemScreen network gathered to connect and gain inspiration for their projects. The next Annual Meeting will be on 9 January, 2025.