Aitor Aguirre

Aitor Aguirre is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan State University (MSU), affiliated with the Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineering (IQ) and the Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology. His research focuses on stem cell and tissue engineering approaches to improve cardiovascular health, including heart organoid development and cardiac regeneration.

Education: B.S. in Biology (University of the Basque Country, 2002), M.Sc. in Biochemistry (2005) and Tissue Engineering (Technical University of Catalonia, 2008), Ph.D. in Tissue Engineering (2010). Postdoctoral training at the Salk Institute (2011).

Research interests include:

• Engineering human heart models for disease study and therapy
• Pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids
• In vivo cellular reprogramming
• Cardiac regeneration mechanisms

Lab collaborations span MSU and global institutions. Current work emphasizes fetal/adult heart models and translational applications for cardiovascular conditions. The lab uses advanced microscopy, optogenetic systems, and in vivo imaging for organoid analysis.

Key technical advancements include:

• Self-organizing heart assembloids
• Bioengineered cardiac neural crest tissues
• Sex-specific nanomedicine efficacy studies