Alptekin Aksan

Alptekin Aksan is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, College of Science and Engineering. His research focuses on advanced technologies for the preservation of biological systems (ATP-BIO) and cellular mechanisms of cancer. He is a Key Personnel in the NSF Engineering Research Center for Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-BIO) and leads his own NIH-funded project on natural killer cell immunotherapy.

His research interests include biopreservation, vitrification, cryopreservation, desiccation, dormancy in cancer cells, and biofilm engineering. He explores how encapsulation and stress mitigation techniques can preserve mammalian and microbial cells for medical and environmental applications. His recent work emphasizes mechanical stress in bacterial systems, stabilization of desiccated bacteria, and isolation of dormant cancer cells.

The recent publications show a strong trend in using physical and chemical encapsulation methods to protect biological systems from environmental and thermal stress, with applications in immunotherapy, agriculture, and cancer treatment. His research bridges mechanical engineering with cellular biology and biotechnology.

Alptekin Aksan has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, including as Principal Investigator on an NIH National Cancer Institute grant for developing cytocompatible vitrification methods for natural killer cell immunotherapy and as Co-Investigator on multiple NSF projects related to engineered biofilms and bioremediation.

He is actively involved in collaborative research, as evidenced by his role in multi-investigator projects such as the ATP-BIO center and synthetic biofilm consortia for biodegradation and biomining. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and sustainable innovation.