Speakers
Keynote speakers
Frank Bradke
Title of talk: Mechanisms of axon growth and regeneration
Abstract: Almost everybody who has seen neurons under a microscope for the first time is fascinated by their beauty and their complex shape. Early on during development, however, neurons look round and simple without signs of their future complexity. How do neurons develop their sophisticated structure? How do they initially generate domains that later have distinct functions within neuronal circuits, such as the axon? And, can a better understanding of the underlying developmental mechanisms help us in pathological conditions, such as a spinal cord injury, to induce axons to regenerate?
Here, I will talk about the cytoskeleton as a driving force for initial neuronal polarization and axon growth. I will then explore how cytoskeletal changes help to reactivate the growth program of injured CNS axons to elicit axon regeneration after a spinal cord injury. Finally, I will discuss whether axon growth and synapse formation could represent mutually excluding processes. Pursuing this developmental hypothesis has helped us to generate a novel perspective on regeneration failure in the adult CNS and to provide new paths to overcome this. Thus, this talk will describe how we can employ developmental mechanisms to induce axon regeneration in the adult after a spinal cord injury.
Biography: After studying at the Freie Universität Berlin and University College London, Bradke carried out research at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg as part of his doctoral thesis. As a postdoctoral researcher, he moved to the University of California in San Francisco and Stanford University in 2000. In 2003, he was appointed a group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried. In 2011, he was awarded the IRP Schellenberg Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the field of regeneration research. In the same year he became full professor at the University of Bonn, and was appointed head of the Axon Growth and Regeneration research group at the DZNE. Bradke is an elected a member of the Leopoldina (the German National Academy of Sciences), the Academia Europaea, and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). In 2016, he was awarded the Leibniz Prize, which is the most important research award in Germany. In 2018, he received the Roger de Spoelberch Prize and in 2021 he was selected for the Carl Zeiss Lecture. In 2023, he was awarded the Remedios Caro Almela Prize for Research in Developmental Neurobiology, the highest international prize for Developmental Neurobiology. In 2024, Frank Bradke was named a Henriette Herz Scout of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and received the Academy Prize of the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the highest prize of a German Academy (this prize is given only biannually). In 2025 he was not only officially welcome as a new member of the Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste (North Rhine-Westphalian Academy for Sciences, Humanities and the Arts) but also as a new member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW).
Erik Groot Jebbink
Title of the talk: Technical medicine, the key to personalized medicine
Abstract: We live in an era where technological advancements in medicine are becoming increasingly sophisticated, paving the way for personalized healthcare. This evolution creates a growing need for healthcare professionals who possess a deep understanding of both medical technology and the individual patient, ensuring that these innovations are applied as safely and effectively as possible.
Technical Physicians are uniquely trained to meet this demand. By combining scientific, medical, and technical expertise, they play a direct role in patient care across a wide range of hospital departments.
In this presentation, I will share several examples of the impact Technical Physicians have made in the field of microbubble based contrast-enhanced ultrasound. These include the development and clinical integration of advanced high-framerate contrast-enhanced ultrasound blood flow imaging to predict atherosclerotic disease progression and stent patency, as well as the use of ultrasound contrast for treatment optimization during radioembolization for liver cancer treatment.
Biography: Erik Groot Jebbink received his B.S., M.S. and PhD in Technical Medicine from the University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. He is currently an associate professor at the Multi-Modality Medical Imaging group, University of Twente and Technical Physician at the department of Vascular Surgery at the Rijnstate hospital, Arnhem. His work focuses on the interaction between blood flow and stents, based on in vitro and in vivo high-framerate contrast-enhanced ultrasound measurements.
Riku Klén
Title of the talk: Automated analysis of cancer tomography images
Abstract: Cancer is one of the most common cause of death and early detection of cancer is important for treatment. An important non-invasive tool for cancer detection is tomography imaging, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).
Analysis of tomography images is a demanding and time-consuming task. Artificial intelligence and especially machine learning (ML) provides tools to automatise image analysis and has been recently utilised in many everyday tasks also in the field of medicine. My presentation covers different applications of ML models in cancer tomography image analysis. Especially, I will cover examples of image classification and segmentation of CT, MRI and PET images.
Biography: Riku Klén received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from the University of Turku, Finland, in 2004 and 2009, respectively. He is currently an Associate Professor with the Turku PET Centre, Turku, Finland. His research interests include medical imaging instrumentation and digital image processing.
MET Research Highlights speakers
Heli Skottman
EU project introduction: KeratOPrinter
The KeratOPrinter project (Horizon Europe, RIA) develops a 4D bioprinting suite to produce fully functional, biocompatible, full-thickness human corneas. The project combines iPSC-derived cell sources, advanced bioinks, single-cell resolution bioprinting, GMP-compliant workflows, AI-driven quality control, and clinical handling solutions to ensure safe and scalable translation into clinical use by 2035.
Consortium partners:
- Tampere University (Finland) – Coordinator
- StemSight Oy (Finland)
- Brinter AM Technologies Oy (Finland)
- Universiteit Maastricht (Netherlands)
- Klinikum der Universität zu Köln (Germany)
- University of Helsinki (Finland)
- Cellbox Solutions (Germany)
- Asphalion SL (Spain)
- Crowdhelix Limited (Ireland)
Toni Seppälä
EU project introduction: PREDI-LYNCH
The PREDI-LYNCH project (Horizon Europe, IA) addresses the urgent need for better cancer surveillance in people with Lynch syndrome, who face a high lifetime risk of colorectal, endometrial and other cancers. The project aims to develop and clinically validate non-invasive liquid-biopsy tests—using blood and urine samples—for early cancer prediction in this high-risk population. It integrates advanced biomarker discovery (including metabolomics and GAGome profiling), AI-driven data analysis, large multicentre clinical studies, and health-economic and regulatory assessments to enable safe, cost-effective implementation of routine screening by 2031.
- Oslo University Hospital HF – (Norway) Coordinator
- Unicancer (France)
- Tampere University (Finland)
- French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) (France)
- The University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
- Fondazione IRCCS National Cancer Institute (Italy)
- Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute (Czechia)
- Utrecht University (Netherlands)
- Geneton s.r.o. (Slovakia)
- i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto (Portugal)
- Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam (Netherlands)
- EIT Health e.V. (Germany)
- University of Granada (Spain)
- Elypta AB (Sweden)
- EuropaColon Portugal – Association for the Fight Against Bowel Cancer (Portugal)
- Riga Stradiņš University (Latvia)
- PredictBy Research and Consulting S.L. (Spain)
- Institut Curie (France)
- Oslo Cancer Cluster SA (Norway)
- University of Oslo (Norway)
- EVITA – Hereditary Cancer Association (Associação EVITA) (Portugal)
- Clinical Hospital Centre “Sisters of Charity” (Croatia)
- European Regional and Local Health Authorities (EUREGHA) ASBL (Belgium)
- Aix-Marseille University (France)
- Gustave Roussy Institute (France)
- MSInsight (France)
- Semi-Colon e.V. (Germany)
Mark van Gils
EU project introduction: SMASH-HCM
The SMASH-HCM project (Horizon Europe, RIA) develops a hybrid digital twin–based platform to improve the diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The project combines multi-scale biophysical models, advanced data analytics, deep phenotyping, and decision-support tools, validated through clinical pilot studies, to enable precision medicine approaches in HCM care.
Consortium partners:
- Tampere University (Finland) – Coordinator
- Politecnico di Milano (Italy)
- Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna (Italy)
- EMPIRICA (Germany)
- University of Florence (Italy)
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (Germany)
- University College Dublin (Ireland)
- University of Rennes (France)
- Medtronic Bakken Research Center B.V. (Netherlands)
- InsilicoTrials Technologies S.p.A. (Italy)
- NovaMechanics Ltd (Cyprus)
- Additional hospitals and SMEs