Department Seminar Series: Mandy Esch, Ph.D.
Monday, April 6, 2026 · 12 - 1 PM
This event is part of the CBEE DEPARTMENT SEMINAR SERIES
SAVE THE DATE -
CBEE Department Seminar Series
Mandy Esch, Ph.D.
Project Leader, National Institute of Technology and Standards
Title: Development of Single-Organ and Multi-Organ Microphysiological Cell Culture Systems
Abstract:
Single-organ and multi-organ microphysiological cell culture systems that operate with minimal volumes of recirculating cell culture medium enable experimentation under near-physiological fluid volumes. These platforms are engineered to be sufficiently robust and reliable to model human drug metabolism in vitro and to detect both primary and secondary drug-induced toxicities.
My research focuses on pumpless microphysiological systems that reproduce in vivo organ-volume ratios and use physiologically relevant quantities of blood surrogate recirculating between tissue compartments to better mimic human physiology. Using this approach, my group has established amicrovasculature-on-a-chip platform, an integrated gastrointestinal tract–liver system that captures oral absorption and first-pass metabolism, and a four-organ system representing approximately1/73,000 of the human body volume while maintaining near-physiological blood surrogate levels.
These experimental systems are coupled with physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK)models to quantitatively link in vitro measurements to in vivo exposure and response, thereby informing microphysiological system design and parameterization. This combined framework issued to improve prediction of human drug disposition and toxicity from microphysiological system data, supporting more translationally relevant safety and efficacy assessments.
Biography:
Mandy B. Esch, PhD, is a project leader at the National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) with experience in nanofabrication, organ-on-chip platforms, and microphysiological systems (MPS). She holds an M.S. in Biology and a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Julius Maximilians University in Germany, where she developed microfluidic biosensors for detecting pathogens. Dr. Esch’s career includes pivotal roles at Cornell’s Nanoscale Science and Technology Facility as a process engineer and at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, where she engineered devices such as microelectrode arrays, porous membranes, and patented multi-organ microphysiological devices. Her groundbreaking work has earned her multiple patents and the2015 Lush Science Prize for the development of an organ-on-chip system that simulates oral nanoparticle uptake in the human gut-liver axis (as part of a team of recipients). Since joining NIST in 2016, she has integrated nanofabrication and 3D tissue engineering to produce advanced drug screening devices and invented the multi-tissue body cube, all aimed at reducing animal testing and improving the physiological relevance of in vitro models. Additionally, Dr. Esch contributes to establishing international standards for drug screening technologies through her work with the OECD, ISO, and ICCVAM, and mentors emerging scientists in organs-on-chips, MPS, and pharmacokinetic modeling.
Participation:
We offer the seminars to a hybrid audience.
Please join in-person (see meeting location at the top of this event listing) or via WEBEX
