Young bioengineers push the boundaries of biomedical research with human cells
The two 2026 winners of the Young 3Rs Investigators Awards are Blandine Clément, for her work on treating chronic pain, and Amanzhol Kurmashev, for his work on tackling antibiotic resistance. They are both bioengineers and work in different research groups at the ETH Zurich. They proposed improvements on systems derived from human stem cells to make research in their own fields more relevant to human medicine while keeping it animal free.
Redefining pain: pain-on-a-chip breakthrough unlocks human insight without the use of animals
Dr. Blandine Clément, a researcher at ETH Zurich and Novartis, is redefining pain research with a human-based “pain-on-a-chip” platform. The system enables scientists to investigate complex pain mechanisms without using animals, providing a more ethical and clinically relevant approach to understanding how pain works in humans.
The model uses sensory neurons derived from human stem cells to recreate key elements of the sensory pathway. These cells are combined into a miniature, interconnected system that lets researchers study pain processes and test potential therapies under controlled conditions. It integrates multiple human cell types, including neurons, skin cells and Schwann cells. The innovative platform has already attracted interest from both academic and industry partners. “It is very motivating to see the model gaining attention from collaborators ready to risk new approaches,” says Dr. Clément. The system enables researchers to study pain mechanisms across the human sensory pathway entirely in vitro, without animal tissue. All cells in the model are human. “Of course, there is a long way until this type of human model will be fully adopted for drug testing and discovery,” she says, “but this is a collective effort.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Clément hopes that continued collaboration and adoption of human-based methods will accelerate the replacement of animal models and improve the translation of research findings into patient treatments.
Reinventing Infection Research with Human Tissue Models
Dr. Amanzhol Kurmashev, a researcher at ETH Zürich and part of the NCCR AntiResist consortium, is developing new microfluidic technologies that allow scientists to study bacterial infections in human tissue models in real time. His work addresses key challenges in infection research by enabling more physiologically relevant experiments while reducing reliance on animal models.
At the core of his work is a platform that enhances the widely used Transwell filter system for cell culture with dynamic microfluidic control and high-resolution imaging. This allows researchers to observe how pathogens invade tissues and respond to therapies under controlled, human relevant conditions. “My work bridges this gap by upgrading the familiar Transwell format into an advanced microphysiological system,” says Dr. Kurmashev, highlighting the importance of combining technical capability with accessibility for everyday laboratory use.
The platform also supports the principles of Replacement and Reduction within the 3Rs framework. By lowering technical barriers and building on established workflows, it offers laboratories a practical option to study infection processes and evaluate therapies in vitro. As Dr. Kurmashev notes, “Building technology to advance human-relevant alternatives to animal models is not a niche pursuit but a priority the community is ready to invest in.” He adds that “the most impactful technology is the one your peers can easily adopt.”