Monica Thukkaram

Biography
Monica is a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University and co-founder of VivaJoint, an early-stage biotech spinout developing next-generation human joint models. Her work focuses on engineering AI-enabled, patient-derived 3D joint organoids that replicate disease-relevant architecture, cellular interactions, and drug responses to enable more predictive and human-relevant therapeutic testing. Trained as a materials scientist, she has developed advanced materials for biomedical applications and brings a multidisciplinary approach spanning joint biology, biomaterials engineering, translational research, and clinical collaboration. She has led multidisciplinary research efforts, secured competitive international funding, and advanced innovative platforms designed to reduce reliance on animal models and improve clinical success rates in drug development. Through her work, she aims to accelerate the discovery of effective treatments for degenerative joint diseases and improve long-term mobility and quality of life for patients worldwide.

---

Talk
Next-Generation Human Joint Organoids for Drug Discovery
Drug development in musculoskeletal disease is limited by non-predictive models. This talk presents patient-derived 3D human joint organoids integrated with advanced data analytics to generate high-content drug response profiles. By combining biological fidelity with computational insights, VivaJoint enables more predictive, human-relevant therapeutic development.

Clinical & Research Tools Showcase:
VivaJoint
VivaJoint develops proprietary AI-enabled 3D human joint organoids built from patient-derived cells to model disease-relevant biology and therapeutic response. The platform combines automated workflows and AI-driven analysis to enable predictive drug discovery, reduce attrition rates, and improve translational success in musculoskeletal diseases.