# Matthias Lütolf

Matthias Lutolf (born in 1973, also known as Matthias Lütolf) is a bio-engineer and a professor at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) where he leads the Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering. He is specialised in biomaterials, and in combining stem cell biology and engineering to develop improved organoid models. In 2021, he became the scientific director for Roche's Institute for Translation Bioengineering in Basel.

## Career

Lutolf studied materials engineering at ETH Zurich where he graduated in 1998. In 2002, he received his PhD in biomedical engineering from ETH Zurich for his studies on cell-responsive hydrogels for tissue engineering and cell culture, in the group of Jeffrey Hubbell. He completed postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Helen Blau at Stanford University, where he worked on novel cell culture approaches for blood and muscle stem cells, so called synthetic niches. In 2007, he founded his own laboratory at EPFL, where he was promoted to associate professor in 2014 and full professor in 2018. From 2014 to 2018, he was director of EPFL's Institute of Bioengineering. In June 2021, Lutolf became scientific director of the newly established Roche Institute for Translational Bioengineering in Basel, Switzerland.

## Research

Lutolf's laboratory develops in vitro organoids mimicking healthy and diseased tissues and organs. Specifically, Lutolf uses bioengineering strategies to guide stem cell-based development to build novel organoids with improved reproducibility and physiological relevance for basic science and in vitro testing of drug candidates. His team has developed approaches to generate organoids in fully controllable 3D matrices, and has contributed to the understanding of how extrinsic biochemical and physical factors control stem cell fate and organogenesis. His team has developed concepts based on microfabrication, bioprinting, and microfluidics to improve the reproducibility, size, shape, and function of organoids.

## Distinctions

In 2007, Lutolf received the European Young Investigator (EURYI) Award by the European Science Foundation. Since 2018, he is elected as member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). He serves as associate editor of The Company of Biologists' journal Development.

## Publications

* Hofer M, Lutolf MP (May 2021). "Engineering organoids". Nature Reviews. Materials. 6 (5): 402–420. Bibcode:2021NatRM...6..402H. doi:10.1038/s41578-021-00279-y. PMC 7893133. PMID 33623712.
* Lutolf, M P; Hubbell, J A (January 2005). "Synthetic biomaterials as instructive extracellular microenvironments for morphogenesis in tissue engineering". Nature Biotechnology. 23 (1): 47–55. doi:10.1038/nbt1055. ISSN 1087-0156. PMID 15637621. S2CID 6706970.
* Lutolf, M. P.; Lauer-Fields, J. L.; Schmoekel, H. G.; Metters, A. T.; Weber, F. E.; Fields, G. B.; Hubbell, J. A. (2003-04-09). "Synthetic matrix metalloproteinase-sensitive hydrogels for the conduction of tissue regeneration: Engineering cell-invasion characteristics". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100 (9): 5413–5418. Bibcode:2003PNAS..100.5413L. doi:10.1073/pnas.0737381100. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 154359. PMID 12686696.
* Lutolf, Matthias P.; Gilbert, Penney M.; Blau, Helen M. (November 2009). "Designing materials to direct stem-cell fate". Nature. 462 (7272): 433–441. Bibcode:2009Natur.462..433L. doi:10.1038/nature08602. ISSN 0028-0836. PMC 2908011. PMID 19940913.
* Gilbert, P. M.; Havenstrite, K. L.; Magnusson, K. E. G.; Sacco, A.; Leonardi, N. A.; Kraft, P.; Nguyen, N. K.; Thrun, S.; Lutolf, M. P.; Blau, H. M. (2010-07-15). "Substrate Elasticity Regulates Skeletal Muscle Stem Cell Self-Renewal in Culture". Science. 329 (5995): 1078–1081. Bibcode:2010Sci...329.1078G. doi:10.1126/science.1191035. ISSN 0036-8075. PMC 2929271. PMID 20647425.
* Lutolf, Matthias P.; Weber, Franz E.; Schmoekel, Hugo G.; Schense, Jason C.; Kohler, Thomas; Müller, Ralph; Hubbell, Jeffrey A. (2003-04-21). "Repair of bone defects using synthetic mimetics of collagenous extracellular matrices". Nature Biotechnology. 21 (5): 513–518. doi:10.1038/nbt818. ISSN 1087-0156. PMID 12704396. S2CID 7144594.
* Lutolf, M. P.; Hubbell, J. A. (May 2003). "Synthesis and Physicochemical Characterization of End-Linked Poly(ethylene glycol)-co-peptide Hydrogels Formed by Michael-Type Addition". Biomacromolecules. 4 (3): 713–722. doi:10.1021/bm025744e. ISSN 1525-7797. PMID 12741789.
* Gjorevski, Nikolce; Sachs, Norman; Manfrin, Andrea; Giger, Sonja; Bragina, Maiia E.; Ordóñez-Morán, Paloma; Clevers, Hans; Lutolf, Matthias P. (2016-11-16). "Designer matrices for intestinal stem cell and organoid culture". Nature. 539 (7630): 560–564. doi:10.1038/nature20168. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 27851739. S2CID 4470849.
* Zhang, H.; Ryu, D.; Wu, Y.; Gariani, K.; Wang, X.; Luan, P.; DAmico, D.; Ropelle, E. R.; Lutolf, M. P.; Aebersold, R.; Schoonjans, K. (2016-06-17). "NAD+ repletion improves mitochondrial and stem cell function and enhances life span in mice". Science. 352 (6292): 1436–1443. Bibcode:2016Sci...352.1436Z. doi:10.1126/science.aaf2693. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 27127236.