The Tissue Engineering Technol­ogies Group’s ultimate goal is to generate grafts to repair cartilage and bone tissues, as well as osteochondral lesions. The projects are at the interface between fundamental research and clinical translation.

Beyond a potential clinical use as implants, the engineered con­structs represent invaluable 3D model systems to study pro­genitor cell differentiation and tis­sue development. Our research in the context of the DBE therefore focuses on the engineering of 3D cell culture systems. We develop models to investigate tissue development and homeostasis (e.g. bone, hematopoietic and/or vascular niches) as well as pathologic conditions, such as tumor models and models to study metastasis of ovarian cancer cells into omentum or of myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms into bone. To establish and maintain such complex 3D cell cultures, we implement innova­tive bioreactor systems to increase mass transport throughout the developing tissue, monitor and control key culture parameters, and standardize bioprocesses.

The laboratory is located at the University Hospital Basel, the project page can be found here. The research is funded through public (SNF) or industrial programmes and in the context of European consortia that favor strong international networking of the group.