The McKinsey & Company Scientific Award recognizes research in the field of tissue engineering
Julia Siminska-Stanny is an FNRS Aspirant at ULB. She is awarded for her thesis in tissue engineering, a field that involves developing biological tissues in the laboratory, primarily for research and the development of new drugs.
The McKinsey & Company Scientific Award, awarded by the FNRS, annually honors a researcher whose doctoral thesis demonstrates a strong societal and economic relevance, or a particularly remarkable practical applicability.
Julia Siminska-Stanny answers our questions.
Your thesis is in the field of tissue engineering. Could you explain what your research consists of and what the main discoveries you have made are?
My thesis focuses on a major limitation of tissue engineering: the absence of reliable and perfusable vascular networks. My research is focused on designing realistic in vitro models capable of reproducing certain essential vascular functions under controlled conditions. I have studied several biofabrication strategies as well as hydrogel-based biomaterial inks, ranging from coaxial extrusion to light-assisted printing and volumetric printing, to create flexible, mechanically stable, perfusable structures compatible with human cells.
This work allows us to better understand that the geometry of structures and flow conditions are not just simple technical parameters: they actively influence cell behavior. From this perspective, engineered structures can not only serve as support for cells but also allow the study of biological mechanisms that regulate the formation and functioning of tissues.
What practical applications could result from your research?
My research, from my doctoral studies to my current postdoctoral work, aims to develop a new generation of in vitro models to study tissue and organ-specific mechanisms under more controlled conditions that are closer to human physiology.
For example, these models can be used to study drug delivery and their diffusion through a 3D-printed vascular interface, in order to better understand the influence of blood flow and tissue architecture on these processes. These platforms can also be applied to disease modeling, particularly to analyze how the proximity of blood vessels or oxygen gradients can influence the behavior of cancer cells and potentially metastatic processes.
The McKinsey & Company Scientific Award honors projects that demonstrate strong scientific, societal, and economic relevance. How do your research meet these criteria?
My doctoral project contributes to a better understanding of how vascularized tissue models can be designed and manufactured through new 3D printing and structuring strategies, including branched channel networks of different diameters, both mechanically robust and rich in biological information.
On a societal level, this research addresses the need to develop evaluation systems that are more representative of human physiology and aligns with the broader transition towards alternative research approaches to animal models.
On the economic front, they address a real inefficiency in preclinical development: current testing platforms still require significant resources and time, as many drugs that seem promising in the early stages later fail during clinical trials. These new models allow for earlier and more relevant evaluation of drug behavior in environments close to human soft tissues, containing human cell lines or patient-derived cells, thus contributing to more reliable preclinical decision-making.
What does this Prize mean to you, both personally and for the continuation of your research and your scientific career?
For me, this award represents significant recognition of research at the interface of biomaterials, biofabrication, and translational tissue engineering. It also encourages me to continue my work on developing predictive preclinical models. I continue working on this theme within Professor Stride's group at the University of Oxford, where I study ultrasound-assisted drug delivery in vascular platforms subjected to physiologically relevant flow conditions. This setup allows us to observe tissue-mimicking samples under a microscope while precisely adjusting the ultrasonic parameters, thus offering a level of control that is difficult to achieve with animal studies. Linking treatment parameters to measurable in vitro responses could help make therapeutic optimization more rational and personalized. Receiving this award is also valuable recognition of the work, perseverance, and scientific commitment that made this project possible.
