Western's Interdisciplinary
Development Initiative in Organoid Research
Harnessing the potential of organoids to model human health and disease in a patient-centric fashion
About this Research Initiative
With support from Western Research's Interdisciplinary Development Initiative (WIDI), we aim to establish a core organoid program accessible to all London-based scientists interested in modeling biological and disease processes to develop patient-centric therapies. To support this initiative, $1.7 million was donated for the creation of a patient-focused organoid research facility within the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre, as part of the Baker Center for Pancreatic Cancer.
Our primary objectives are to:
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Foster interdisciplinary collaboration and share innovative research findings.
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Bring together clinical and basic researchers, policy developers and industry to discuss the future of organoid-based research.
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Provide a platform for knowledge exchange and professional networking.
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Discuss the translational applications of organoid research in personalized medicine and drug discovery.
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Address regulatory and ethical considerations related to organoid research and applications.
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
Applications will be adjudicated by the IDI oversight committee consisting of the team leads, team members from all participating faculties, patient partners, foundation representatives and trainees. Grants will be scored equally based on novelty and impact, collaborative and multidisciplinary nature of the proposal including integration of multiple team members, integration of EDID practices and the ability to address research gaps for under-represented populations, and likelihood for external funding.
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Multidisciplinary Seed Grants
(4 grants x $20,000 each)
Deadline: CLOSED
These grants will fund collaborative research teams that include researchers from at least two Faculties. These grants will use established organoid lines to ask questions on patient-specific sensitivities to treatment, development of extracellular matrices for organoid differentiation, or examination of cell-cell interactions similar to that observed at the fetal/maternal interface.
