7 April 2026
Harnessing patient-derived insights to shape disease-relevant models:
How opnMe helped advancing Crohn’s Disease and Systemic Sclerosis
The recording of our March 26 opnMe seminar is now available for streaming. Explore how opnMe has helped advance research in Crohn’s Disease and Systemic Sclerosis through collaborative academic partnerships.
In this seminar, hear how two academic researchers won opnMe calls for collaboration and developed innovative disease models that capture key disease mechanisms. Boehringer’s Jochen Schmitz opens the session with an overview of how we partner with external experts to accelerate the development of human-derived in vitro platforms. Next, Gianluca Matteoli of Leuven University presents his team’s findings on the interplay between stromal and myeloid cells that drives fibrosis in Crohn’s Disease1. Yulia Kiyan, of Hannover Medical School, introduces an innovative microfluidic microvascular niche‑on‑a‑chip and demonstrates how it is being used to model vascular damage in Systemic Sclerosis.
Start streaming now and find inspiration for your own research.
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About opnMe:
opnMe.com, the open science portal of Boehringer Ingelheim, fosters science and collaboration initiatives in areas of high unmet medical need. With our “opn2EXPERTS” program, we enlist scientific advice on key scientific topics to fuel further drug discovery and deliver novel solutions that benefit unmet patient needs.
About opnMe online seminars:
We invite you to watch the recordings of our past opnMe online seminars on the following topics:
- SOS1 inhibitor: How BI-3406 advanced cancer and diabetes research
- GR agonist: How BI 653048 impacted pancreatic cancer research
- opn2TALENTS: How opnMe is advancing scientific careers
- Optogenetics: Mapping new circuits to analyze neuronal networks in mental health
- CatC: Novel roles of Cathepsin C in human disease
- MMP-13 antagonist: Assessing MMP-13 functions in osteoarthritis and aortic aneurysm
- PROTAC ACBI1: Illuminating the role of SMARCA2/4 in childhood cancer
- BCL6 Degrader: Elucidating the mechanism of small molecule induced protein degradation
References:
- Ke B., Abdurahiman S., Biscu F., Zanella G., Dragoni G., Santhosh S., De Simone V., Zouzaf A., van Baarle L., Stakenborg M., Bosáková V., Van Rymenant Y., Verhulst E., Verstockt S., Klein E., Bislenghi G., Wolthuis A., Frič J., Breynaert C., D’Hoore A., Van der Veken P., De Meester I., Lovisa S., Hawinkels L.J.A.C., Verstockt B., De Hertogh G., Vermeire S., Matteoli G. Intercellular interaction between FAP+ fibroblasts and CD150+ inflammatory monocytes mediates fibrostenosis in Crohn's disease. J Clin Invest. 2024, Jul 23;134(16):e173835. DOI: 10.1172/JCI173835.