Workshops

24 June 2026, Wednesday

25 June 2026, Thursday

26 June 2026, Friday

24 June 2026, Wednesday
ACU – LABAROTORIES
From Bench to Bedside: Translational and Advanced Techniques in Pancreatic Research
08.00-08.15 Welcome & Course Overview
08.15-11.00 Hands-on Experimental Techniques I*
11.00-11.15 Coffee Break
11.15-12.45 Interactive Translational Session I**
12.45-13.30 Lunch
13.30-15.00 Interactive Translational Session II**
15.00-15.30 Coffee Break
15.30-17.45 Hands-on Experimental Techniques II*

 

Session content

Participants will select two hands-on sessions and two interactive sessions. Sessions will run in parallel in small groups.
*Hands-on Experimental Techniques: Participants will actively perform experimental procedures.
**Interactive Translational Sessions: Guided, discussion-based, non-hands-on sessions

🔬Hands-on Experimental Techniques

  • Establishment of Ex vivo Cultures I
    – Organoid-Based Systems
  • Establishment of Ex vivo Cultures II
    – Organotypic Culture Systems
  • DRG isolation & Culture & 3D Migration Analysis
  • Islet Isolation & Functional Assessment
  • CAM Tumor Model for Functional and Translational Assessment

🧠 Interactive Translational Sessions

  • TIL Isolation and Interpretation
  • Immune Profiling & Flow Cytometry
  • Behavioral Tests in Pancreatic Disease Models
  • Integrative Omics & MALDI Imaging
  • AI-Assisted Pathology & Digital Tissue Analysis
  • Translational Application of Multi-Omics Data
  • Microscopy-Based Assessment of CAR-T Cell Function
  • Clinical Genomic Profiling & Bioinformatic Interpretation

🔬Hands-on Experimental Techniques

Establishment of Ex vivo Cultures I - Organoid-Based Systems

Organoid initiation from mouse tissue (including duct picking and enzymatic digestion)
Seeding and dome formation (Matrigel handling and plating)
Co-culture design and setup
QC and troubleshooting

Establishment of Ex vivo Cultures II - Organotypic Culture Systems

Tissue slicing & handling
Ex vivo culture setup
Native microenvironment preservation
Functional readouts & QC

DRG isolation & Culture & 3D Migration Analysis
DRG isolation and culture
Neurite outgrowth assessment
3D migration assay setup
Live imaging and data interpretation
Islet Isolation & Functional Assessment
Pancreatic digestion & islet separation
Islet picking and purity assessment
Viability & morphology scoring
Basic functional readouts (stimulus/response logic)
CAM Tumor Model for Functional and Translational Assessment

Embryo day selection (E4–E7), shell windowing techniques, rapid assessment of embryo viability
Tumor grafting strategies on CAM
Drug / compound application on CAM
Macroscopic and functional readouts
Imaging-based interpretation of invasion and vascularization
Translational positioning of CAM models (Use of CAM in the drug discovery pipeline)

🧠 Interactive Translational Sessions

TIL Isolation and Interpretation
Tumor tissue dissociation for immune cell recovery
Tumor tissue dissociation for immune cell recovery
Viability and yield assessment
Distinguishing true TILs from peripheral immune cells
Translational considerations for downstream analyses (quality control)
Immune Profiling & Flow Cytometry
Principles of immune phenotyping
Sample preparation for flow cytometry
Marker selection and panel logic
Data acquisition and basic gating strategies
Common pitfalls and interpretation challenges
Behavioral Tests in Pancreatic Disease Models
Rationale for behavioral testing in pancreatic disease
Mechanical sensitivity assessment (von Frey test)
Locomotor and anxiety-related behavior (Open Field test)
Experimental design and sources of bias
Interpretation of behavioral readouts and translational relevance
Integrative Omics & MALDI Imaging
Overview of multi-omics approaches in pancreatic research
Introduction to spatially resolved omics
MALDI imaging: principles and sample requirements
Linking molecular patterns to tissue architecture
Strengths, limitations, and translational potentia
AI-Assisted Pathology & Digital Tissue Analysis
Whole-slide imaging and digital pathology workflows
AI-Guided Tissue Analysis: Opportunities and Pitfalls
Human–AI interaction: decision support vs automation
Risks of over-interpretation in translational studies
Translational Application of Multi-Omics Data
Overview of major omics layers (genomics, transcriptomics, epigenetics)
What biological questions each omics approach can answer
Linking omics-derived signatures to therapeutic vulnerabilities
Strengths and limitations of omics-guided treatment decisions
Translational pitfalls and overinterpretation risks
Microscopy-Based Assessment of CAR-T Cell Function

Fluorescent labeling strategies (RFP/GFP reporters, lipophilic dyes)
Co-culture setup for CAR-T–target cell interaction assays
Live and fixed-cell imaging acquisition (basic settings and controls)
Microscopy-based functional readouts (cell contact, killing, persistence)
Interpretation of imaging data and common technical pitfalls

Clinical Genomic Profiling & Bioinformatic Interpretation

Overview of targeted NGS approaches in pancreatic cancer
Panel design and gene selection rationale (what is covered, what is missed)
Variant types detected by targeted sequencing (SNVs, indels, CNVs)
Basic bioinformatic workflow and data output interpretation
Distinguishing clinically relevant alterations from background noise
Impact of bioinformatic choices on translational conclusions