Structural Regeneration
Why can some animals regrow a lost limb while humans cannot?
How do cells organize and coordinate to rebuild a complex body part?
Can we engineer regeneration in humans?
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Structural Regeneration Lab
We seek to uncover the fundamental principles that enable complex tissues to regenerate. Our research focuses on why some vertebrates, such as salamanders and frog tadpoles, regenerate entire limbs while mammals cannot. By combining molecular and cellular biology, synthetic developmental biology, and evolutionary biology, we aim to understand—and ultimately engineer—the biological programs that restore complex tissues.
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Our approach
We believe that understanding regeneration requires a deconstructive yet holistic approach. Rather than studying regeneration as a single biological phenomenon, we dissect it into fundamental cellular programs—including cell–cell communication, cell–environment interactions, signaling center formation, tissue mechanics, epigenetic regulation, and cell-state transitions. We investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing each program while developing new experimental models and quantitative approaches that bridge biological scales, from molecules and cells to tissues and organisms. By combining synthetic developmental biology with evolutionary comparisons, we aim to reconstruct regenerative programs. Our long-term goal is to define the principles required to engineer tissue regeneration.
To achieve this, we combine:
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Molecular and cellular biology to uncover the mechanisms controlling regenerative cell behaviours.
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Synthetic developmental biology, including explants, organoids, and stem cell–based systems, to reconstruct regenerative processes in experimentally controllable settings.
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Single-cell genomics, imaging, and quantitative biology to characterize regeneration across multiple biological scales.
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Comparative and evolutionary genomics to identify conserved and species-specific mechanisms underlying regenerative ability.
Our experimental work primarily uses Xenopus laevis, mouse, and mouse and human stem cell–based systems. These studies are complemented by computational analyses across a broad range of vertebrate species to understand how regenerative capacity evolved.
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Where we are
Our laboratory is based at the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society (FML), located on the Max Planck Campus Tübingen. The campus hosts four research institutes and supports a vibrant, interdisciplinary scientific environment.
The FML is physically embedded within the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, enabling close collaboration and shared access to their facilities, technology platforms, and seminar series. Together, the institutes provide an exceptionally diverse research ecosystem, with work spanning more than 60 species. For more information, you can explore the official institute websites (Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society & Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen).
Tsissios G, Leleu M¹, Hu K¹, Demirtas AE¹, Hu H¹, Vinzens S¹, Kawanishi T, Skoufa E, Valente A, Noseda L, Ochi H, Herrera A, Sakar S, Tanaka M, Wickström S, Zenk F, Aztekin C*
¹Equal contribution and *Corresponding author
2025
Specialized signaling centers direct cell fate and spatial organization a mesodermal organoid model
Science Advances
Skoufa E¹, Zhong J¹, Hu K, Kahre O, Tsissios G, Carrao L, Herrera T, Dominquoz-Mantes A, Leleu M, Ibeas A, Jang H, Lutolf M, Weigert M, La Manno G, Ros M, Aztekin C*
¹Co-first authors and *Corresponding author
2023
Multi-species atlas resolves an axolotl limb development and regeneration paradox
Nature Communications
Zhong J¹, Aires R¹, Tsissios G, Skoufa E, Brandt K, Sandoval-Guzmán T*, and Aztekin C*
¹Co-first authors and *Co-corresponding authors
Aztekin C*, Hiscock TW*, Gurdon JB, Jullien J, Marioni JC, Simons BD
*Co-first authors
Aztekin C*, Hiscock TW*, Marioni JC, Gurdon JB, Simons BD and Jullien J
*Co-first authors
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (Previous and current lab members are listed in bold italics)
Kelly Hu
PhD Student
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Jamie Kussmaul
Technician
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Atharva Valanju
PhD Student
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Karol Tchorz
PhD Student
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Silvia Da Pra
Postdoctoral Fellow
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Amor II Damatac
Postdoctoral Fellow
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Marion Leleu
Bioinformatician (Honorary member from EPFL/UNIL BICC)
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Can Aztekin
Max Planck Research Group Leader
Branco Weiss Fellow
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Since 2025, Can Aztekin has been a Max Planck Research Group Leader and head of the Structural Regeneration Laboratory at the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society in Tübingen, Germany. He joined the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) as an ELISIR Scholar in 2021, where he established his first independent research group.
He received his BSc in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering (minor in Chemistry) from Sabanci University, Turkey, during which he was selected for the Harvard Stem Cell Institute Internship Program. He subsequently earned an MSc in Biomedical Sciences and Engineering from Koc University, working with Prof. Tamer Onder. He obtained his PhD in 2021 through the Wellcome Trust Developmental Mechanisms Programme at the University of Cambridge, UK, working with Professor Sir John Gurdon, jointly with Prof. Ben Simons and Dr. Jerome Jullien at the Gurdon Institute, where he initiated studies in regeneration. He has received multiple prestigious awards, including the Branco Weiss Fellowship 2022, the International Society of Regenerative Biology Rising Star Award 2025, an ERC Starting Grant 2025, and the Schering Young Investigator Award 2026.
His laboratory investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying limb regeneration across species. The group develops new model systems and integrates single-cell technologies with quantitative biology approaches to understand how complex tissues restore form and function, with the long-term goal of informing regenerative medicine.
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Team
FUNDING
Past Funding
APPLICATIONS
Join our lab
We welcome outstanding candidates at all career stages who are eager to contribute to our research mission. Our lab values individual responsibility, passion, and creativity.
We are happy to support the next generation of scientists. If you are interested in an internship in our lab, please contact can.aztekin@tuebingen.mpg.de, including:
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Your CV.
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A motivation letter explaining why you wish to do an internship with us.
We generally accept interns who can commit to at least 4 months. Shorter internships are only considered under exceptional circumstances.
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We welcome motivated MSc students interested in conducting their thesis work in our group. If you would like to apply, please contact can.aztekin@tuebingen.mpg.de, including:
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Your CV.
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A motivation letter explaining why you wish to pursue your MSc thesis with us.
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We encourage direct enquiries from prospective PhD students. To officially join the lab, you must apply through the IMPRS program, which admits students once per year.
To initiate a conversation, please send:
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Your CV.
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A motivation letter explaining why you wish to pursue your PhD in our lab.
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The names and email addresses of 1–2 referees who have agreed to provide recommendation letters.
Please reach out to can.aztekin@tuebingen.mpg.de.
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We are a highly interdisciplinary lab, and we are excited to welcome new team members who bring fresh perspectives and expertise.
We are happy to provide initial support, but candidates are expected to apply for external fellowships (e.g., EMBO, HFSP) to fund a significant portion of their salary. Laboratory research costs will be supported by the lab.
Applicants should:
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Have an excellent track record from their PhD or previous postdoctoral work.
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Have a first-author publication or preprint, or a manuscript close to submission.
Interested candidates should contact can.aztekin@tuebingen.mpg.de, including:
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Your CV.
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A motivation letter explaining why you would like to join our lab and proposing potential project ideas to initiate a conversation. (Project ideas are not binding and are expected to evolve during the application process.)
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The names and email addresses of 2–3 referees who have agreed to provide recommendation letters.
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Important Note
Please ensure that your application includes all requested documents. Incomplete applications will not be considered.