As regulatory momentum accelerates globally to reduce reliance on animal testing, leading experts in microphysiological systems (MPS), complex in vitro models (CIVMs), organoids, and organ‑on‑chip technologies are preparing to gather at the 11th 3D Tissue Models Summit, taking place April 28–30, 2026 in Boston. The summit serves as the only industry‑led meeting dedicated entirely to advancing physiologically relevant in vitro systems and scaling their adoption across drug discovery and development.
Image Credit: Hanson Wade Group - 11th 3D Tissue Models Summit 2026
As part of the event’s speaker interview series, Rachelle Prantil‑Baun, Principal Scientist at Novo Nordisk, sat down to discuss why this year’s meeting is particularly pivotal for the community working on modernizing preclinical science.
Regulatory and government pressure is accelerating innovation
In the interview, Prantil‑Baun emphasized the increasing urgency around transitioning away from animal models, noting the rapid growth of legislative and regulatory action in the U.S. and Europe focused on advancing human‑relevant alternatives. This aligns strongly with the summit’s broader agenda, which explores how the FDA Modernization Acts 2.0 and 3.0 and international policy shifts are reshaping expectations for model robustness, reproducibility, and translational relevance.
A unique venue for cross‑sector collaboration
When asked why experts focused on complex in vitro models should participate in the summit, Prantil-Baun highlighted the rare cross-disciplinary mix the meeting provides:
“It’s a smaller meeting but it’s a great meeting to really meet everybody from all walks of life that touch MPS – industry, academia, and government. It’s a great place to come together and discuss the gaps, both political and scientific, and we can also create solutions. I just can’t think of a better place to meet people, be open‑minded, talk about experiences, and come up with solutions.”
Her perspective echoes the summit’s mission to bring together biopharma R&D leaders, regulatory specialists, model developers, and academic innovators to align on standards, share case studies, and accelerate real-world adoption of next generation systems.
Reflecting on progress & looking ahead
Reflecting on her experience at the previous summit, Prantil-Baun noted the rapid evolution in the field:
“Last year I attended, and the Modernisation Act 3.0 had just come out so people didn't have a lot of time to discuss it. I'm really looking forward to seeing how everyone's thought process has developed and what experiences they've had… It’s really just a great place to see where we are – have we moved that needle at all in a year.”
Her comments reinforce a key theme of the 2026 agenda: assessing progress made in the past 12 months and understanding what is still needed to ensure scalability, regulatory buy-in, and translatability across therapeutic areas.
Watch the full interview
The full interview with Rachelle Prantil-Baun is now available and offers deeper insights into her 20 year career in advanced 3D model development, as well as her predictions for the future of preclinical testing.
Watch the full speaker interview here.
Download the 2026 event guide
To explore Rachelle’s planned session, review the full speaker faculty, and discover the complete agenda – including themes such as regulatory science, model validation, co‑culture systems, organoids, scalability, and translational relevance – you can access the comprehensive 11th 3D Tissue Models Summit Event Guide.
Download the full event guide to view all speakers, sessions, and content shaping this year’s meeting, and learn how your team can stay ahead of rapidly evolving expectations in preclinical modelling.