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Accurate descriptions of the variability in single-cell oxygen consumption and its size-dependency are key to establishingmore robust tissue models. By combining microfabricated devices with multiparameter identification algorithms, wedemonstrate that single human hepatocytes exhibit an oxygen level-dependent consumption rate and that their maximaloxygen consumption rate is significantly lower than that of typical hepatic cell cultures. Moreover, we found that clusters oftwo or more cells competing for a limited oxygen supply reduced their maximal consumption rate, highlighting their abilityto adapt to local resource availability and the presence of nearby cells. We used our approach to characterize the covarianceof size and oxygen consumption rate within a cell population, showing that size matters, since oxygen metabolism covarieslognormally with cell size. Our study paves the way for linking the metabolic activity of single human hepatocytes to theirtissue- or organ-level metabolism and describing its size-related variability through scaling laws.

Accurate descriptions of the variability in single-cell oxygen consumption and its size-dependency are key to establishingmore robust tissue models. By combining microfabricated devices with multiparameter identification algorithms, wedemonstrate that single human hepatocytes exhibit an oxygen level-dependent consumption rate and that their maximaloxygen consumption rate is significantly lower than that of typical hepatic cell cultures. Moreover, we found that clusters oftwo or more cells competing for a limited oxygen supply reduced their maximal consumption rate, highlighting their abilityto adapt to local resource availability and the presence of nearby cells. We used our approach to characterize the covarianceof size and oxygen consumption rate within a cell population, showing that size matters, since oxygen metabolism covarieslognormally with cell size. Our study paves the way for linking the metabolic activity of single human hepatocytes to theirtissue- or organ-level metabolism and describing its size-related variability through scaling laws.

Accurate descriptions of the variability in single-cell oxygen consumption and its size-dependency are key to establishingmore robust tissue models. By combining microfabricated devices with multiparameter identification algorithms, wedemonstrate that single human hepatocytes exhibit an oxygen level-dependent consumption rate and that their maximaloxygen consumption rate is significantly lower than that of typical hepatic cell cultures. Moreover, we found that clusters oftwo or more cells competing for a limited oxygen supply reduced their maximal consumption rate, highlighting their abilityto adapt to local resource availability and the presence of nearby cells. We used our approach to characterize the covarianceof size and oxygen consumption rate within a cell population, showing that size matters, since oxygen metabolism covarieslognormally with cell size. Our study paves the way for linking the metabolic activity of single human hepatocytes to theirtissue- or organ-level metabolism and describing its size-related variability through scaling laws.

Accurate descriptions of the variability in single-cell oxygen consumption and its size-dependency are key to establishingmore robust tissue models. By combining microfabricated devices with multiparameter identification algorithms, wedemonstrate that single human hepatocytes exhibit an oxygen level-dependent consumption rate and that their maximaloxygen consumption rate is significantly lower than that of typical hepatic cell cultures. Moreover, we found that clusters oftwo or more cells competing for a limited oxygen supply reduced their maximal consumption rate, highlighting their abilityto adapt to local resource availability and the presence of nearby cells. We used our approach to characterize the covarianceof size and oxygen consumption rate within a cell population, showing that size matters, since oxygen metabolism covarieslognormally with cell size. Our study paves the way for linking the metabolic activity of single human hepatocytes to theirtissue- or organ-level metabolism and describing its size-related variability through scaling laws.

Accurate descriptions of the variability in single-cell oxygen consumption and its size-dependency are key to establishingmore robust tissue models. By combining microfabricated devices with multiparameter identification algorithms, wedemonstrate that single human hepatocytes exhibit an oxygen level-dependent consumption rate and that their maximaloxygen consumption rate is significantly lower than that of typical hepatic cell cultures. Moreover, we found that clusters oftwo or more cells competing for a limited oxygen supply reduced their maximal consumption rate, highlighting their abilityto adapt to local resource availability and the presence of nearby cells. We used our approach to characterize the covarianceof size and oxygen consumption rate within a cell population, showing that size matters, since oxygen metabolism covarieslognormally with cell size. Our study paves the way for linking the metabolic activity of single human hepatocytes to theirtissue- or organ-level metabolism and describing its size-related variability through scaling laws.

Visceral myopathy is a rare, life-threatening disease linked to identified genetic mutations in 60% of cases. Mostly due to the dearth of knowledge regarding its pathogenesis, effective treatments are lacking. The disease is most commonly diagnosed in children with recurrent or persistent disabling episodes of functional intestinal obstruction, which can be life threatening, often requiring long-term parenteral or specialized enteral nutritional support. Although these interventions are undisputedly life-saving as they allow affected individuals to avoid malnutrition and related complications, they also seriously compromise their quality of life and can carry the risk of sepsis and thrombosis. Animal models for visceral myopathy, which could be crucial for advancing the scientific knowledge of this condition, are scarce. Clearly, a collaborative network is needed to develop research plans to clarify genotype–phenotype correlations and unravel molecular mechanisms to provide targeted therapeutic strategies. This paper represents a summary report of the first ‘European Forum on Visceral Myopathy’. This forum was attended by an international interdisciplinary working group that met to better understand visceral myopathy and foster interaction among scientists actively involved in the field and clinicians who specialize in care of people with visceral myopathy. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Public awareness and discussion about animal experiments and replacement methods has greatly increased in recent years. The term ‘the Three Rs’, which stands for the Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal experiments, is inseparably linked in this context. A common goal within the Three Rs scientific community is to develop predictive non-animal models and to better integrate all available data from in vitro, in silico and omics technologies into regulatory decision-making processes regarding, for example, the toxicity of chemicals, drugs or food ingredients. In addition, it is a general concern to implement (human) non-animal methods in basic research. Toward these efforts, there has been an ever-increasing number of Three Rs centres and platforms established over recent years — not only to develop novel methods, but also to disseminate knowledge and help to implement the Three Rs principles in policies and education. The adoption of Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes gave a strong impetus to the creation of Three Rs initiatives, in the form of centres and platforms. As the first of a series of papers, this article gives an overview of the European Three Rs centres and platforms, and their historical development. The subsequent articles, to be published over the course of ATLA’s 50th Anniversary year, will summarise the current focus and tasks as well as the future and the plans of the Three Rs centres and platforms. The Three Rs centres and platforms are very important points of contact and play an immense role in their respective countries as ‘on the ground’ facilitators of Directive 2010/63/EU. They are also invaluable for the widespread dissemination of information and for promoting implementation of the Three Rs in general., Public awareness and discussion about animal experiments and replacement methods has greatly increased in recent years. The term ‘the Three Rs’, which stands for the Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal experiments, is inseparably linked in this context. A common goal within the Three Rs scientific community is to develop predictive non-animal models and to better integrate all available data from in vitro, in silico and omics technologies into regulatory decision-making processes regarding, for example, the toxicity of chemicals, drugs or food ingredients. In addition, it is a general concern to implement (human) non-animal methods in basic research. Toward these efforts, there has been an ever-increasing number of Three Rs centres and platforms established over recent years — not only to develop novel methods, but also to disseminate knowledge and help to implement the Three Rs principles in policies and education. The adoption of Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes gave a strong impetus to the creation of Three Rs initiatives, in the form of centres and platforms. As the first of a series of papers, this article gives an overview of the European Three Rs centres and platforms, and their historical development. The subsequent articles, to be published over the course of ATLA’s 50th Anniversary year, will summarise the current focus and tasks as well as the future and the plans of the Three Rs centres and platforms. The Three Rs centres and platforms are very important points of contact and play an immense role in their respective countries as ‘on the ground’ facilitators of Directive 2010/63/EU. They are also invaluable for the widespread dissemination of information and for promoting implementation of the Three Rs in general.

The adoption of Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes has given a major push to the formation of Three Rs initiatives in the form of centres and platforms. These centres and platforms are dedicated to the so-called Three Rs, which are the Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal use in experiments. ATLA’s 50th Anniversary year has seen the publication of two articles on European Three Rs centres and platforms. The first of these was about the progressive rise in their numbers and about their founding history; this second part focuses on their current status and activities. This article takes a closer look at their financial and organisational structures, describes their Three Rs focus and core activities (dissemination, education, implementation, scientific quality/translatability, ethics), and presents their areas of responsibility and projects in detail. This overview of the work and diverse structures of the Three Rs centres and platforms is not only intended to bring them closer to the reader, but also to provide role models and show examples of how such Three Rs centres and platforms could be made sustainable. The Three Rs centres and platforms are very important focal points and play an immense role as facilitators of Directive 2010/63/EU ‘on the ground’ in their respective countries. They are also invaluable for the wide dissemination of information and for promoting the implementation of the Three Rs in general., The adoption of Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes has given a major push to the formation of Three Rs initiatives in the form of centres and platforms. These centres and platforms are dedicated to the so-called Three Rs, which are the Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal use in experiments. ATLA’s 50th Anniversary year has seen the publication of two articles on European Three Rs centres and platforms. The first of these was about the progressive rise in their numbers and about their founding history; this second part focuses on their current status and activities. This article takes a closer look at their financial and organisational structures, describes their Three Rs focus and core activities (dissemination, education, implementation, scientific quality/translatability, ethics), and presents their areas of responsibility and projects in detail. This overview of the work and diverse structures of the Three Rs centres and platforms is not only intended to bring them closer to the reader, but also to provide role models and show examples of how such Three Rs centres and platforms could be made sustainable. The Three Rs centres and platforms are very important focal points and play an immense role as facilitators of Directive 2010/63/EU ‘on the ground’ in their respective countries. They are also invaluable for the wide dissemination of information and for promoting the implementation of the Three Rs in general.

Biomedical engineering (BME) has the potential of transforming medical care towards universal healthcare by means of the democratization of medical technology. To this end, innovative holistic approaches and multidisciplinary teams, built upon the gathering of international talent, should be encouraged within the medical industry. However, these transformations can only be accomplished if BME education also continuously evolves and focuses on the internationalization of students, the promotion of collaborative design strategies and the orientation towards context relevant medical needs. In this study we describe an international teaching-learning experience, the "UBORA (Swahili for 'excellence') Design School". During an intensive week of training and collaboration 39 engineering students lived through the complete development process for creating innovative open-source medical devices following the CDIO ("conceivedesign-implement-operate") approach and using the UBORA e-infrastructure as a co-design platform. Our post-school survey and analyses showed that this integral teaching-learning experience helped to promote professional skills and could nurture the future generation of biomedical engineers, who could transform healthcare technology through collaborative design oriented to open source medical devices., QC 20180917

Objectives: The principal motivation for regulating medical devices is to protect patients and users. Complying with regulations may result in an increase in development, manufacturing and service costs for medical companies and ultimately for healthcare providers and patients, limiting the access to adequate medical equipment. On the other hand, poor regulatory control has resulted in the use of substandard devices. This study aims at comparing the certification route that manufactures have to respect for marketing a medical device in some African Countries and in European Union. Methods: We examined and compared the current and future regulations on medical devices in the European Union and in some countries in Africa. Contextually we proposed future approaches to open design strategies supported by emerging technologies as a means to enhance economically sustainable healthcare system driven by innovation. Results: African medical device regulations have an affinity to European directives, despite the fact that the latter are particularly strict. Several states have also implemented or harmonized directives to medical device regulation, or have expressed interest in establishing them in their legislation. Open Source Medical Devices hold a great promise to reduce costs but do need a high level of supervision, to control their quality and to guarantee their respect for safety standards. Conclusion: Harmonization across the two continents could be leveraged to optimize the costs of device manufacture and sale. Regulated open design strategies can enhance economically sustainable innovation. (C) 2018 Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine., QC 20180718

Most medical technology is employed and accepted passively by patients and doctors who have little or no influence in its design or usability. Patients are not involved in the development of medical technology, which is undertaken behind closed doors and whose global impact is hindered by proprietary know-how and by costs. This has so far impeded equitable healthcare as most of the world does not have access to the technology or healthcare coverage. Understanding the relevance of international partnerships for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, feeling specially committed to the promotion of the Goal on “Good Health and Well-Being”, and convinced about the role that open-source biomedical engineering approaches may play in the future of medical technology, we commit ourselves, through the Kahawa Declaration, to enlighten the transformation of the biomedical engineering field, towards the democratization of medical technology as a key for achieving universal equitable health care. This paper presents the content of the Kahawa Declaration, which was signed in Nairobi in December 2017.

Biomedical engineering (BME) has the potential of transforming medical care towards universal healthcare by means of the democratization of medical technology. To this end, innovative holistic approaches and multidisciplinary teams, built upon the gathering of international talent, should be encouraged within the medical industry. However, these transformations can only be accomplished if BME education also continuously evolves and focuses on the internationalization of students, the promotion of collaborative design strategies and the orientation towards context relevant medical needs. In this study we describe an international teaching-learning experience, the ‘‘UBORA (Swahili for ‘excellence’) Design School’’. During an intensive week of training and collaboration 39 engineering students lived through the complete development process for creating innovative open-source medical devices following the CDIO (‘‘conceivedesign-implement-operate’’) approach and using the UBORA e-infrastructure as a co-design platform. Our post-school survey and analyses showed that this integral teaching-learning experience helped to promote professional skills and could nurture the future generation of biomedical engineers, who could transform healthcare technology through collaborative design oriented to open source medical devices.

Objectives: The principal motivation for regulating medical devices is to protect patients and users. Complying with regulations may result in an increase in development, manufacturing and service costs for medical companies and ultimately for healthcare providers and patients, limiting the access to adequate medical equipment. On the other hand, poor regulatory control has resulted in the use of substandard devices. This study aims at comparing the certification route that manufactures have to respect for marketing a medical device in some African Countries and in European Union. Methods: We examined and compared the current and future regulations on medical devices in the European Union and in some countries in Africa. Contextually we proposed future approaches to open design strategies supported by emerging technologies as a means to enhance economically sustainable healthcare system driven by innovation. Results: African medical device regulations have an affinity to European directives, despite the fact that the latter are particularly strict. Several states have also implemented or harmonized directives to medical device regulation, or have expressed interest in establishing them in their legislation. Open Source Medical Devices hold a great promise to reduce costs but do need a high level of supervision, to control their quality and to guarantee their respect for safety standards. Conclusion: Harmonization across the two continents could be leveraged to optimize the costs of device manufacture and sale. Regulated open design strategies can enhance economically sustainable innovation.

Most medical technology is employed and accepted passively by patients and doctors who have little or no influence in its design or usability. Patients are not involved in the development of medical technology, which is undertaken behind closed doors and whose global impact is hindered by proprietary know-how and by costs. This has so far impeded equitable healthcare as most of the world does not have access to the technology or healthcare coverage. Understanding the relevance of international partnerships for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, feeling specially committed to the promotion of the Goal on “Good Health and Well-Being”, and convinced about the role that open-source biomedical engineering approaches may play in the future of medical technology, we commit ourselves, through the Kahawa Declaration, to enlighten the transformation of the biomedical engineering field, towards the democratization of medical technology as a key for achieving universal equitable health care. This paper presents the content of the Kahawa Declaration, which was signed in Nairobi in December 2017.

Objectives: The principal motivation for regulating medical devices is to protect patients and users. Complying with regulations may result in an increase in development, manufacturing and service costs for medical companies and ultimately for healthcare providers and patients, limiting the access to adequate medical equipment. On the other hand, poor regulatory control has resulted in the use of substandard devices. This study aims at comparing the certification route that manufactures have to respect for marketing a medical device in some African Countries and in European Union. Methods: We examined and compared the current and future regulations on medical devices in the European Union and in some countries in Africa. Contextually we proposed future approaches to open design strategies supported by emerging technologies as a means to enhance economically sustainable healthcare system driven by innovation. Results: African medical device regulations have an affinity to European directives, despite the fact that the latter are particularly strict. Several states have also implemented or harmonized directives to medical device regulation, or have expressed interest in establishing them in their legislation. Open Source Medical Devices hold a great promise to reduce costs but do need a high level of supervision, to control their quality and to guarantee their respect for safety standards. Conclusion: Harmonization across the two continents could be leveraged to optimize the costs of device manufacture and sale. Regulated open design strategies can enhance economically sustainable innovation.

Biomedical engineering (BME) has the potential of transforming medical care towards universal healthcare by means of the democratization of medical technology. To this end, innovative holistic approaches and multidisciplinary teams, built upon the gathering of international talent, should be encouraged within the medical industry. However, these transformations can only be accomplished if BME education also continuously evolves and focuses on the internationalization of students, the promotion of collaborative design strategies and the orientation towards context relevant medical needs. In this study we describe an international teaching-learning experience, the ‘‘UBORA (Swahili for ‘excellence’) Design School’’. During an intensive week of training and collaboration 39 engineering students lived through the complete development process for creating innovative open-source medical devices following the CDIO (‘‘conceivedesign-implement-operate’’) approach and using the UBORA e-infrastructure as a co-design platform. Our post-school survey and analyses showed that this integral teaching-learning experience helped to promote professional skills and could nurture the future generation of biomedical engineers, who could transform healthcare technology through collaborative design oriented to open source medical devices.

In biological media, nanoparticles acquire a coating of biomolecules (proteins, lipids, polysaccharides) from their surroundings, which reduces their surface energy and confers a biological identity to the particles. This adsorbed layer is the interface between the nanomaterial and living systems and therefore plays a significant role in determining the fate and behaviour of the nanoparticles. This review summarises the state of the art in terms of understanding the bio-nano interface and provides direction for potential future research and recommendations for future priorities and strategies to support the safe implementation of nanotechnologies. The central premise is that nanomaterials must be studied as biological entities under the appropriate exposure conditions and that this should be implemented in study design and reporting for nanosafety assessment. The implications of the bio-nano interface for nanomaterials fate and behaviour are described in light of four interlinked perspectives: the Coating concept; the Translocation concept; the Signalling concept, and the Kinetics concept. A key conclusion is that nanoparticles cannot be viewed as non-interacting species, but rather must be thought of, and studied as, biological entities, where their interaction with the environment is mediated by the proteins and other biomolecules that adsorb to them, and the key parameter to characterise then becomes the nature, composition and evolution of the bio-nano interface

In biological media, nanoparticles acquire a coating of biomolecules (proteins, lipids, polysaccharides) from their surroundings, which reduces their surface energy and confers a biological identity to the particles. This adsorbed layer is the interface between the nanomaterial and living systems and therefore plays a significant role in determining the fate and behaviour of the nanoparticles. This review summarises the state of the art in terms of understanding the bio-nano interface and provides direction for potential future research and recommendations for future priorities and strategies to support the safe implementation of nanotechnologies. The central premise is that nanomaterials must be studied as biological entities under the appropriate exposure conditions and that this should be implemented in study design and reporting for nanosafety assessment. The implications of the bio-nano interface for nanomaterials fate and behaviour are described in light of four interlinked perspectives: the Coating concept; the Translocation concept; the Signalling concept, and the Kinetics concept. A key conclusion is that nanoparticles cannot be viewed as non-interacting species, but rather must be thought of, and studied as, biological entities, where their interaction with the environment is mediated by the proteins and other biomolecules that adsorb to them, and the key parameter to characterise then becomes the nature, composition and evolution of the bio-nano interface