Ivan Martin is Professor of Tissue Engineering at the Department of Biomedicine, the Department of Surgery and at the University Hospital Basel. His group combines interdisciplinary expertise in cell biology, biomedical engineering and materials science towards the generation of three-dimensional (3D) human cell-based tissues. The engineered constructs are being developed (i) as grafts for the treatment of traumas/diseases of the musculoskeletal system, and/or (ii) as 3D model systems to investigate fundamental aspects of cell differentiation and tissue development under controlled and defined conditions. With reference to stem/progenitor cells, the group is generally interested in the role of soluble factors, physical forces and culture substrate material on maintenance of stem cell properties and induction of lineage-specific differentiation. The group has developed a bioreactor-based technique to expand bone marrow- or adipose tissue-derived stem cells within 3D porous polymeric or ceramic-based scaffolds, under direct perfusion flow. The system supports the possibility to expand and co-culture different progenitors (e.g., mesenchymal, endothelial, hematopoietic) in 3D environments, thereby achieving a superior maintenance of the multilineage cell differentiation capacity as compared to conventional culture in dishes or flasks. From a clinical standpoint, the vision of the group lies in the development of safe, standardized, scaleable and possibly cost-effective therapeutical processes based on the 3D culture of stem cells within specialized, closed, controlled and automated bioreactor systems. The group has a tight link with the surgical disciplines of the University Hospital in Basel (e.g., plastic and reconstructive, orthopaedic) and is involved in different EC funded consortia (e.g. coordinator for Horizon 2020). Ivan Martin is a member of the ‘Mesenchymal Stem Cell’ Committee of the International Society for Cellular Therapy. He and his group have published more than 100 original papers.

 
For additional details, see https://biomedizin.unibas.ch/en/research/research-groups/martin-lab/