Professor Jeffrey Beekman leads the Cellular Disease Models group at UMC Utrecht, where he has served as principal investigator since 2010. He pioneers the use of patient-derived organoid models for discovery science, drug development, and precision medicine, with a particular focus on genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis. Current work focusses on professionalizing organoid based models for drug screening and patient selection using AI and automation technologies, in dialogue with regulatory agencies such as EMA. Beekman holds several leadership roles: Scientific Director of UMC Utrecht's Regenerative Medicine theme, Director of the AI Lab for Living Technologies, and Chair of the Biobanking Ethical Board.