NATURWISSENSCHAFTLICHES UND MEDIZINISCHES INSTITUT AN DER UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN

Their core work

NMI is a research institute affiliated with the University of Tübingen, specializing in biomedical engineering at the intersection of cell biology, biomaterials, and microsystems technology. They develop organ-on-a-chip platforms, stem cell-based therapies, and advanced in vitro toxicology systems that replace animal testing. Their work spans from iPSC-derived disease models and tissue engineering to biosensor development for drug safety screening, serving both pharmaceutical R&D and regenerative medicine applications.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earlier H2020 projects (2015–2018), NMI focused on foundational bioengineering — organ-on-a-chip platforms, iPSC-based disease modelling, biomaterials for tissue engineering, and retinal neuroscience. From 2019 onward, their work shifted toward translational and therapeutic applications: immunomodulation with engineered regulatory T cells (CRISPR/Cas9, CAR-Treg), bone pain research, in vivo models using humanized rodents, and applied toxicology with biosensor electrodes. There is a clear trajectory from building biological platforms toward deploying them for therapy development and safety testing.

NMI is moving from platform development toward therapeutic application, particularly in cell and gene therapy (CRISPR-engineered T cells) and regulatory-grade in vitro safety testing — positioning them for pharma partnerships.

How they like to work

NMI operates primarily as a specialist partner within mid-to-large consortia, having coordinated only one project (EUROoC, a training network) while contributing expertise in seven others. With 91 unique partners across 24 countries, they maintain a broad and diverse European network rather than clustering around a few repeat collaborators. This pattern suggests they are valued for specific technical capabilities — particularly in bioengineering and cell-based assays — that different consortia recruit them for, making them a reliable and flexible project partner.

NMI has collaborated with 91 distinct partners across 24 countries, indicating deep integration into pan-European biomedical research networks. Their partnerships span academic, clinical, and industry actors across Western and Southern Europe, with no narrow geographic clustering.

What sets them apart

NMI sits at a rare intersection of microsystems engineering and biomedical cell science — they don't just grow cells, they build the chip platforms and biosensors to test them. This dual capability in hardware (sensors, microfluidics) and biology (iPSC, immune cells, neurons) makes them a bridge between device engineering and pharmaceutical R&D. For consortium builders, they offer the kind of integrated bioengineering expertise that is hard to find in a single partner — from fabricating tissue chips to running disease models on them.

Highlights from their portfolio

• iPSpine
  Largest single grant (EUR 867K) — a major regenerative medicine project using iPSC-based therapy for spinal disc degeneration, signaling deep trust in NMI's stem cell capabilities.
• EUROoC
  NMI's only coordinator role — an EU-wide training network for organ-on-a-chip technology, establishing them as a recognized leader in microphysiological systems education.
• RESHAPE
  Combines CRISPR gene editing, CAR-Treg cell engineering, and human-on-the-chip technology — representing NMI's most advanced and therapeutically ambitious project.