Andrea Barbero

Prof. Dr. Andrea Barbero leads the Cartilage Engineering Group at the Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel. His research focuses on three-dimensional culture systems to study cartilage development and regeneration, combining expertise in cell biology, engineering, and materials science.

• Established clinical trials for nasal chondrocyte-based grafts for cartilage repair
• Investigating molecular mechanisms of nasal chondrocyte plasticity (collaboration with Prof. F. Rijli, FMI)
• Developing GMP-compliant bioreactor systems for tissue engineering
• Exploring nasal chondrocytes for intervertebral disc repair (collaboration with Prof. S. Schären, Spine Surgery)

Current projects include CRISPR/dCas9 gene therapy to enhance cellular performance in degenerated tissues and collaborations with Prof. I. Martin (Tissue Engineering), Prof. M. Rasponi (Politecnico di Milano), and others. The group is actively involved in translational research bridging basic science with clinical applications in cartilage and disc regeneration.