Inaugural University of Nebraska Tissue and Organ Engineering Conference
Schedule
Friday, April 17, 2026
Time
Activity
Notes
8:30-9:00 AM
Registration & Breakfast
Coffee, tea, light breakfast
9:00-9:15 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Host - Dr. Amanda Brinkworth
Sponsor- Great Plains IDEA CTR, Dr. Ted Mikuls
Sponsor- Great Plains IDEA CTR, Dr. Ted Mikuls
9:15-10:15 AM
Keynote Address
Dr. Kevin Healy (UC-Berkeley)
Exploiting new approach methodologies (NAMs) for discovery and optimization of heart therapeutics
50 min + 10 min Q&A
10:15-10:45 AM
Internal Speakers - Resources
10:15 am - Dr. Kurt Fisher - Director of Institutional Biospecimen Bank (UNMC, Medicine)
Organoids modeling of metastatic colorectal cancer
10:30 am - Dr. Adrian Black - Organoid core (UNMC, Medicine)
The Nebraska Center for Molecular Target Discovery and Development Organoids Core
10 min + 5 min Q&A
10:45-10:50
Morning Break
10:50-12:00
Scientific Session I
10:50 am - Dr. Angie Pannier (UNL)
Using Tissue Engineering to Understand Mechanisms of Embryonic Development
11:10 am - Dr. Sangamesh Kumbar (UNMC, Dentistry)
Engineered Polymeric Materials and Micro/Nano Structures for Hard and Soft Tissue Repair and Regeneration
11:30 am - Dr. Sukumaran Sunil (UNL)
New Approach Methodologies to Study Taste Signaling and Regeneration
11:50 am - Dr. Sowmya Yelamanchili (UNMC, Anesthesiology)
Modeling HIV-associated neuropathology in novel human microglia-containing brain organoids.
15 min + 3 min Q&A
12:00-12:45 PM
Lunch
12:45-1:30 PM
Scientific Session II
12:45 pm - Dr. Surinder Batra (UNMC, Medicine)
Organoid Platforms for Modeling Tumor Progression and Advancing Therapeutic Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer
1:05 pm - Dr. Sama Abdulmalik (UNMC, Dentistry)
Scar Reduction and Soft Tissue Regeneration: Novel Methodology.
1:20 pm - Lightning talks/Poster previews from Jaxon Kramer, Mohammed Hafiz, and David Hansen
15 min + 3 min Q&A
Lightning- 3 min
1:30-2:45 PM
Poster Session
2:45-3:45 PM
Keynote - NIH Organoid Initiative
Dr. Srivatsan Kidambi, NCI/NIAID
Co-Chair of the NIH Standardized Organoid Modeling Center (SOMC)
Co-Chair of the NIH Standardized Organoid Modeling Center (SOMC)
45 min + 15 min Q&A
3:45-4:15 PM
Networking
Small Groups based on Tissue/Organ, Disease or Application
Get a snack
Find new collaborators
Start new initiatives
Find new collaborators
Start new initiatives
4:15-4:30 PM
Follow-up discussion/Closing remarks
Summary and survey