April 29, 2026 is the Day of Immunology, and at AI&I we are proud to highlight one of our innovative immunology research projects. The AI&I Immunology program brings together a diverse group of researchers dedicated to unraveling the complexities of the immune system and advancing scientific excellence.
The Immunology program at AI&I is dedicated to exploring the complexities of the immune system, with a focus on understanding immune responses and the immunological basis of health and disease. The program is structured around four central themes, Immune Homeostasis, Immune Activation, Immunomonitoring, and Immunomodulation, and covers seven key topics.
In this article, we zoom in on the themes Immune Homeostasis and Immune Activation, and the topics Cancer Immunology and Autoimmunity and Inflammatory Diseases.
The project
A core research question driving this project is whether it is possible to develop an in vitro human Skin-Lymph Node-on-Chip platform that incorporates human immune system components for drug discovery, safety pharmacology, and efficacy testing in both personalized and precision medicine.
The platform replicates dynamic interactions between skin tissue and lymph nodes, enabling real-time study of immune responses. It offers valuable insight into immune cell trafficking, disease mechanisms, and potential therapeutic interventions for skin-related immune disorders. As a pre-clinical testing platform, it holds promise for drug discovery, safety pharmacology, and efficacy testing.
Collaboration
The idea for this research emerged from the need for more physiologically relevant human in vitro models. Existing models often oversimplify reality, making regulatory bodies and industry reluctant to implement them in drug development. To address this gap, the labs of Gibbs, Koning, and Mebius collaborated, combining expertise in reconstructed human skin models and functional lymph node models.
Dr. Jasper Koning, one of the project leads, explains: ‘By integrating reconstructed human skin with functional lymph node models, we can closely mimic real human disease processes in the lab. This allows us to study how the skin and immune system communicate, and soon, we will be able to apply triggers like infections or allergens to the skin and analyze how the lymph node responds.’
Impact
The team successfully developed a unique and innovative Skin-Lymph Node-on-Chip platform using the TissUse HUMIMIC system. This platform enables scientists to test actives, chemicals, drugs, and vaccines more safely and efficiently, accelerating the development of therapies for skin diseases, allergies, and immune disorders.
Dr. Koning adds: ‘This platform opens up new possibilities for understanding immune cell trafficking and disease mechanisms. It is a step forward in personalized medicine and could significantly reduce the need for animal testing.’
Looking ahead
Future plans include adapting the Skin-Lymph Node-on-Chip platform for automated, industry-standard workflows, facilitating adoption by industrial and regulatory partners for robust, animal-free safety and efficacy testing. Ongoing research will focus on disease modeling, integrating patient-specific cells, and testing novel therapeutics, with the aim of translating findings into clinical applications and personalized treatment strategies.
Collaboration
The Skin-Lymph Node-on-Chip model is available for collaboration with academic and industry partners. AI&I encourages interested parties to reach out to Jasper Koning (jj.koning@amsterdamumc.nl) and explore how this innovative platform can advance research and development in immunology.
For more information contact Jasper Koning (jj.koning@amsterdamumc.nl) or read the scientific publications below:
Differential biomarker expression of blood and lymphatic vasculature in multi-organ-chips (2025)
Amsterdam UMC researchers involved
Prof. dr. Susan Gibbs1,2, Professor of Skin and Mucosa Regenerative Medicine
Prof. dr. Reina Mebius1,3, Professor of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology
Dr. Jasper Koning1, Postdoc
Dr. Lotte de Winde1,3, KWF Young Investigator Msc. Daphne Panocha1, PhD candidate
Dr. Jonas Jäger1 [Former Amsterdam UMC employee and AI&I member]
dr. Andrew Morrison1 [Former Amsterdam UMC employee and AI&I member]
1 Amsterdam institute for Immunology and Infectious diseases, Immunology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2 Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3 Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer biology and immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Funding
The development of the Human Skin-Lymph Node-on-Chip platform is supported by multiple funding sources. The LymphChip project (project number NWA-ORC 2019 1292.19.019) is part of the NWA research program ‘Research on Routes by Consortia (ORC)’, funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). Additional support comes from the SMART Organ-on-Chip consortium, funded by the NWO-TTW Perspective Programme of the Dutch Research Council (NWO; project number P19-03).
Commercial collaboration is provided by TissUse GmbH, Berlin, Germany, the company behind the HUMIMIC multi-Organ-Chip platform used in this research. These partnerships are essential for advancing the technology and ensuring its integration into both academic and industrial research pipelines.
Text: Jasper Koning and Esmée Vesseur