JOS MALDA

Professor in Biofabrication in Regenerative Medicine

Prof. Jos Malda is a pioneering scientist in the regenerative medicine field of biofabrication. His ground-breaking work on the convergence of biofabrication technologies, such as extrusion-based and volumetric printing with melt electrowriting, laid the foundation for the creation of functional living implants with extraordinary/bioinspired structural complexity and high resolutions. With this, he has transformed the field of osteochondral regenerative medicine, and durable fibre-reinforced composite implants are now progressing towards the human and veterinary clinics. Malda leads and mentors an international and interdisciplinary team at the Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht. He is also a leading educator and initiated the world’s first international master's degree in biofabrication (2015), as well as the first annual summer course in 3D printing and biofabrication (2013), and continues to direct both. He has received multiple international awards from the biofabrication and regenerative medicine communities. He was elected Presiden of the International Society for Biofabrication (ISBF) from 2014 to 2018. He currently serves as 2nd Vice President (2023-2025) of the International Cartilage Regeneration and Jointt Preservation Society (ICRS).

RESEARCH TEAM

Postdoctoral RESEARCHERS

  • Assistant Professor

    Dr. Mylène de Ruijter (ORCID: 0000-0002-8685-8379) is assistant professor at the department of Orthopedics (UMC Utrecht) and the department of Clinical Sciences, faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Utrecht University). She received her PhD cum laude from Utrecht University based on her thesis entitled: “Diarthrodial joint resurfacing: Multi-scale biofabrication of mechanically stable implants. Osteochondral tissue regeneration in the knee joint.” for which she also won the “Anna Fonds Proefschriftprijs 2021”. She developed osteochondral implants that were mechanically stable enough to withstand the challenging in vivo joint environment, through the convergence of various 3D bioprinting technologies, including melt electrowriting (as fibre reinforcing technology), and translates this towards patient-specific implants. Mylène leads workpackages in (inter)national consortia and is co-promotor of multiple PhD-candidates in the group. While her main focus is in the osteochondral field, she also closely collaborates with researchers on other technologies and tissue types, including cardiac and kidney tissue.

  • Aylin received her PhD in Bioengineering from İzmir Institute of Technology in Turkey following her master’s degree in Biomechanics from Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey. During her master's thesis, she focused on studying decellularization and recellularization methods for meniscus and cartilage tissue to obtain functional tissue-like biomaterials that mimic the native tissue architecture better. Her PhD thesis, entitled “Development and characterization of novel bioinks using decellularized extracellular matrix for bone tissue engineering applications” focused on decellularization of the bone tissue and combine decellularized bone extracellular matrix with different polymers and cells to find better bioink composition that can be used in 3D bioprinting technology for bone tissue engineering applications. During her PhD thesis study, she worked as a guest researcher at Institute of Biomaterials, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany and Centre for Translational Bone, Joint, and Soft Tissue Research, Technical University of Dresden in Germany regarding the different projects on bioink development. Currently, she works as a postdoctoral researcher based on cartilage regeneration focuses on developing large-scale implants utilizing various 3D bioprinting technologies in the Malda lab.

  • Ardalan's enthusiasm for biofabrication technologies and 3D disease models was sparked by learning about different 3D-bioprinting methods during his double master of science in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine in Germany (and China). During his PhD at Erasmus Medical Center (Rotterdam, Netherlands), he worked on developing tools and assays to quantify and manipulate cancerous extracellular vesicles (EVs) in 2D/3D models and employed various artificial intelligence (AI) methods, such as machine learning and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) models, to investigate the uptake processes of EVs. Drawing upon his interdisciplinary knowledge, his postdoctoral project is centered on the optimization and automation of 3D-bioprinting platforms using AI, with the final aim of generating personalized bone structures.

Phd candidates

  • After completion of his BSc in Applied Biological Sciences with a focus on alternative DNA structures, Ary went on to obtain an MSc in Regenerative Medicine and Technology from Utrecht University. In 2020, he started his PhD, where he focuses on liver tissue engineering for regenerative medicine applications. His research explores the convergence of 3D bioprinting and organoid technologies to generate functional liver tissue for transplantation purposes.

    Co-supervisor: Dr. Bart Spee, Utrecht University

  • Gerardo is originally from Mexico City, Mexico. He received a BSE from the University of Pennsylvania and an MSc from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in materials science and engineering. He started his PhD in 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Miguel Castilho as part of the BRAVE consortium. His work focuses on melt electrowriting and 3D printing of responsive fiber-reinforced hydrogels for the repair of infarcted myocardial tissue

    Co-supervisor: Dr. M. Castilho, UMC Utrecht

  • Martina is originally from Rome (Italy), she studied industrial chemistry (University of Rome). Her PhD work focuses primarily on combining synthetic and natural polymers, predominantly polycaprolactone and silk fibroin derivatives, with biofabrication techniques to create scaffolds with optimal mechanical properties and biocompatibility to drive the regeneration of different tissues.

    Supervisors: Prof. Jos Malda and Prof. Tina Vermonden (Utrecht University)

    Co-supervisors: Dr. M. Castilho

  • Alba obtained her BSc in Biotechnology from the University of Zaragoza (Spain), with a specialization in liver tissue engineering and vascularization. She went on to obtain a MSc in Regenerative Medicine and Technology from Utrecht University, with a focus on organoids, co-culture systems, 3D bioprinting and ex vivo organ perfusion. Her current PhD work focuses mainly on articular cartilage, with a focus on collagen architecture and development, to generate functional in vitro tissue for joint treatment and transplantation.

    Co-supervisor: Dr. M. de Ruijter, UMC Utrecht

  • Marc is a Dutch synthetic chemist from Rotterdam; he holds an MSc in chemistry, with a specialisation in synthetic organic chemistry and research from the university of Leiden. He worked on the design of various stimuli responsive supramolecular polymers for hydrogel applications. He started his PhD in 2021 in Biofabrication and Regenerative Medicine. His project is focussed on the development of new materials for the volumetric bioprinting process and its applications. With the aim to build physiological-scale cell-laden constructs with his new materials replicating human functionality.

    Co-supervisor: Dr. R. Levato, Utrecht University

  • Michał attained a Bachelor's degree in Molecular Science and Technology from TU Delft, followed by the successful completion of his master's degree in Medicine at the UvA. He now works on a research project that focuses on the clinical translation of bone regenerative personalized 3D printed implants. His pioneering bench-to-bedside project endeavors to restore the original anatomy of bones in clinical patients, exemplifying his commitment to advancing medical surgery and technology.

    Co-supervisors: Dr. Koen Willemsen, UMC Utrecht and Dr. Bart van der Wal, UMC Utrecht

  • Antonia is a Greek biotechnologist, with an MSc in Reproductive-Regenerative Medicine from the University of Athens, Greece. Upon graduation, Antonia worked in the field of human clinical embryology and assisted reproduction. In 2023, she embarked on her PhD journey in Regenerative Medicine. Her PhD is focused on the development of patient-specific 3D implants for addressing significant cartilage defects. She primarily works on 3D aggregate-based culture systems and convergence of bioprinting technologies to enable the formation of cartilage-like tissue.

    Co-supervisor: Dr. M. de Ruijter, UMC Utrecht

  • Alasdair is from Edinburgh, Scotland. He studied biomedical science, then went on to an MSc in stratified medicine and pharmacological innovation. His PhD focuses on the validation of novel models and methodology being developed within the Utrecht advanced in vitro models hub. He aims to identify and position these in vitro models as alternatives for animal experimentation in collaboration with key stakeholders (regulatory, industry, scientists) and develop a pathway for other researchers to validate their models.

    Co-supervisor: Prof Roos Masereeuw, Utrecht University

  • Gabriel is an Austrian computer scientist and he holds an MSc in Biofabrication (Utrecht University). He started his PhD in 2022. He has a background in software engineering and ample experience with different 3D printing systems. His PhD focuses on the convergence of printing technologies with a focus on machine learning as a tool to automate and enhance state of the art approaches in regenerative medicine

    Co-supervisor: Dr. R. Levato, UMC Utrecht

  • Sammy is an Australian researcher from Brisbane. He holds a BSc in Physics from The University of Queensland; as well as a dual MSc in Biofabrication from both the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Wurzburg. With prior experience in experimental optics and extensive work with melt-electrowriting, his interests have now turned towards volumetric bioprinting. As such, his project is focused on improving this technique to enable for the fabrication of both accurate and highly complex multicellular tissue engineering scaffolds within a matter of seconds.

    Co-supervisor: Dr. R. Levato, UMC Utrecht

  • Davide is an Italian biomedical engineer from Milan; he holds an MSc in Biomechanics and Biomaterials from Politecnico di Milano. He is strongly engaged by med-tech sector and spurred by challenges related to biofabrication combined to cell bioengineering. With previous experiences in 3D bioprinters and bio-inks development and 3D cell cultures, he started a PhD in Biofabrication and Regenerative Medicine. His project focuses on the development of a new volumetric bioprinting process, capable of optogenetic stimulation to instruct cell fate, with the aim to build physiological-scale pancreas organoids that replicate human organ-level functionality

    Co-supervisor: Dr. R. Levato, UMC Utrecht

  • Lennard is a Dutch mechanical engineer from the Utrecht region. As of 2022, he started a PhD in biofabrication pursuing research on large-scale osteochondral implants. Using his engineering expertise, Lennard is working on optimizing, scaling, and convergent 3D bioprinting techniques. The purpose of his PhD is to create personalized 3D-bioprinted implants for deep cartilage defects.

    Co-supervisor: Dr. Mylène de Ruijter, UMC Utrecht and Patrick van Veenendaal, Hogeschool Utrecht

  • Meng is from China and holds a master`s degree in Optical Engineering∣3D Printing (Beijing University of Technology). After graduation, she worked as a research assistant at Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), mainly focusing on the development of resilient, cell-inducive composite hydrogel for cartilage repair and regeneration. The purpose of her PhD work is to stimulate maturation of functional articular cartilage tissue via spatiotemporal 3D bioprinting of algae

    Co-supervisor: Dr. Mylène de Ruijter, UMC Utrecht

  • Marlena is originally from Poland, and she holds an MSc in Veterinary Medicine from University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland. She is enthusiastic about veterinary orthopedics and has experience with veterinary anatomy and small animal surgery.

    She started her PhD in 2022, under the supervision of Prof. Jos Malda. Her PhD work focuses primarily on evaluation of the microarchitecture-function relationship of cartilage tissue of the musculoskeletal system of terrestrial and aquatic mammals.

    Co-supervisor: Prof. René van Weeren, UU – Utrecht University

  • Núria is originally from Barcelona where she obtained a BSc in Biotechnology with a specialization in Biomaterials where she developed novel ECM-like materials for electrospinning. Once graduated, Núria moved to Business Development in collaboration with the European Commission writing project proposals and building consortia for Horizon 2020, ERC and EiTHealth initiatives. During that stage, she obtained a post-graduate degree in IP protection and technology transfer. Núria holds an MSc in Biofabrication (Utrecht University) and started her PhD in 2022 in the development of smart Organs on Chip. Her expertise ranges from optimization and development of printing technologies to tissue engineering and micro-perfused systems

    Co-supervisor: Dr. R. Levato, UMC Utrecht

Research Technicians

  • Mattie is a research technician and labmanager. His main areas of expertise are histology and microscopy. Mattie’s histological focus is on bone and cartilage tissue, with special attention to 3D cultured in vitro and in vivo constructs. Other techniques Mattie uses are cryo and paraffin histology, but also hard tissue (including metal implants) histology. Mattie also specialises in microscopical techniques, including brightfield, fluorescence and confocal microscopy

  • Anneloes’ work focuses on the cell-biology part of cartilage regeneration using equine cell types in various casted and printed hydrogels. Besides continuing projects of former Master students as a personal side project, Anneloes helps out PhD students with their tissue culture experiments. Anneloes obtained her bachelor degree in biochemistry, and worked mainly in cancer research before switching fields.

  • Eva attained her master’s degree in biomedical engineering at the technical University of Twente and previously worked in R&D of micro particles and capsules for biomedical applications. She is currently working as a Bio fabrication Engineer for the Innovation Centre of Advanced Therapies(ICAT). At ICAT she focuses on the clinical translation of 3D(bio)printed constructs for regenerative purposes.

Research SUPPORT

  • Adriana hails from Brazil and earned her PhD in health economics and evidence-based medicine from the Department of Clinical Medicine at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). Driven by a desire to further her career, she embarked on a postdoctoral period in epidemiology and pharmacoeconomics at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands. Subsequently, she has occupied diverse roles in research support and management in both The Netherlands and Portugal. Presently, she holds the position of project manager for Professor Jos Malda's team in Regenerative Medicine at UMC Utrecht.

  • Secretary

  • Joost holds an MSc in Product Development and Business Engineering. Since 2017, he has been part of the Malda Lab in a part-time position. Supporting the Biofabrication facility in developing advanced robotic Biofabrication platforms and expanding the EHD laboratory facilities.

    Next, he ran his first company in systems engineering and sensor technology and had a leading position in a fast-growing engineering start-up in Robotics and Artificial intelligence.

    In 2023, he fully joined the ICAT Team as project manager of the Biofabrication pilot facility and as the ICAT business developer, combining his industrial and entrepreneurial expertise in the translational field of regenerative medicines.

Visiting RESEARCHERS

  • Assistant Professor / University of Eastern Finland/University of Calgary

    Dr Eng Kuan Moo is a trained scientist in biomedical engineering interested in understanding the structure- composition-function relationships and cell-tissue interactions in soft connective tissues. He has worked with biological tissues such as articular cartilage and skeletal muscles. Dr Eng Kuan Moo answers his research questions through carefully designed experiments and theoretical modelling. By understanding how mechanical forces are transduced through multi-scales to the cells, and how cells interact with the surrounding structural network in their native environment, he hopes to apply this knowledge in the field of tissue engineering with the ultimate goal of bio-fabricating a viable and functional tissue substitute for patients who suffer from soft tissue injuries/diseases.

  • Professorship for Bioprinting Technologies / Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU)

    Tomasz Jungst is a Junior Professor at the University Hospital Wuerzburg focusing his research on bioprinting techniques and biofabrication of biomimetic vascular grafts and cardiovascular tissues. He studied nanostructural engineering at the University of Wuerzburg. Tomasz did his Ph.D. at the Department for Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry where he already dived into the field of biofabrication and developed new 3D-printing methods for biofabrication and regenerative medicine.

MALDA LAB ALUMNI