Pierfrancesco Pagella

Associate Professor, Docent

Docent in Biotechnology

Organ (re)generation and genome engineering

My research interests involve the study of the mechanisms underlying organ and cell diversity, and using this knowledge to generate bio-engineered 3D human organs, complete with innervation, vascularization, and immune compartments. To this end, I combine stem cell biology, tissue engineering, organ-on-chip, genomics and proteomics approaches. Strong attention is dedicated to the oro/craniofacial complex, using models such as teeth and cancers of the oral cavity.

Research

Bioengineering human oral tissues and disease models

In our team, we strive to understand how tissue-resident cells, extracellular matrices, innervation, vasculature and immune cells cooperate and modulate each other鈥檚 responses to ensure organ-level functions and topographies.

Video lecture

Title: The Time-Resolved Genomic Impact of Wnt/尾-catenin Signaling

Watch my lecture from the webinar series "Cell Biology Scandinavia".

Lectures and teaching

Talk on Regenerative Medicine

Invited talk at the MRCRM 3rd International Meeting on Regenerative Medicine 2025, in Bergen, Norway.

showcased groundbreaking research and clinical trials utilizing advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) for various diseases and wound healing. The conference further featured bio-engineered human organs and explored strategies to advance and accelerate the development of ATMPs in Norway.

Pierfrancesco Pagella was invited as international speaker and delivered a talk, titled "Imitate to Understand, Understand to Imitate: Biomimetic Approaches for Bioengineering Oral Tissues & Disease Models.

Production of Biopharmaceuticals, 6 credits

Design of Biotechnical Processes, Project Course, 6 credits

News

Two male researchers in front of a computer.

Mechanism in embryonic development makes cancer aggressive

Tumour cells in colorectal cancer exploit an important signalling pathway that normally controls embryo development. Researchers have now shown how a protein that controls limb development make colorectal cancer cells more likely to spread.

Discovery reveals how cells respond to each other

The same message can be interpreted differently by different individuals 鈥� also among cells. This is shown in a study by researchers at 福利姬 who studied cell communication.

Publications

2025

Alessandro Cordiale, Deborah Stanco, Roberta Visone, Bernd Stadlinger, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Marco Rasponi, Thimios A. Mitsiadis (2025) Advanced Healthcare Materials, Article e02080 (Article in journal)

Philip Lifwergren, Viktoria Schoen, Sajjad Naeimipour, Lalit Pramod Khare, Anna Wunder, Hanna Blom, Jose Gabriel Martinez Gil, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Anders Fridberger, Johan Junker, Daniel Aili (2025) Advanced Healthcare Materials, Vol. 14, Article 2502262 (Article in journal)

Anna Nordin, Chaitali Chakraborty, Mattias Jonasson, Orgena Dano, Gianluca Zambanini, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Silvia Remeseiro, Claudio Cantù (2025) Genome Research, Vol. 35, p. 1701-1716 (Article in journal)

Amaia Jauregi Miguel, Simon Söderholm, Tamina Weiss, Anna Nordin, Valeria Ghezzi, Salome M. Brutsch, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Yorick van de Grift, Gianluca Zambanini, Jacopo Ulisse, Alessandro Mattia, Ruslan Deviatiiarov, Elena Faustini, Lavanya Moparthi, Wenjing Zhong, Bergthor Björnsson, Per A Sandström, Erik Lundqvist, Francisca Lottersberger, Stefan Koch, Andreas E. Moor, Xiao-Feng Sun, Eleonore von Castelmur, Guojun Shengo, Claudio Cantù (2025) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 122, Article 2419691122 (Article in journal)

Anna Nordin, Gianluca Zambanini, Mattias Enar Jonasson, Tamina Weiss, Yorick van de Grift, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Claudio Cantù (2025) Development, Vol. 152, Article dev204311 (Article in journal)

2024

Pierfrancesco Pagella, Chai Foong Lai, Laurence Pirenne, Claudio Cantù, Martin E. Schwab, Thimios A. Mitsiadis (2024) International Journal of Oral Science, Vol. 16, Article 60 (Article in journal)

Anna Nordin, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Gianluca Zambanini, Claudio Cantù (2024) Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 52, Article e40 (Article in journal)

Giulia Pizzolato, Lavanya Moparthi, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Claudio Cantù, Padraig D´arcy, Stefan Koch (2024) Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 300, Article 107126 (Article in journal)

2023

Anamaria Balic, Dilara Perver, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Hubert Rehrauer, Bernd Stadlinger, Andreas E. Moor, Viola Vogel, Thimios A. Mitsiadis (2023) International Journal of Oral Science, Vol. 15 (Article in journal)

Thimios A. Mitsiadis, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Terence D. Capellini, Moya Meredith Smith (2023) Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (CMLS), Vol. 80, Article 182 (Article in journal)

Pierfrancesco Pagella, Simon Söderholm, Anna Nordin, Gianluca Zambanini, Valeria Ghezzi, Amaia Jauregi Miguel, Claudio Cantù (2023) CELL SYSTEMS, Vol. 14, p. 563-581.e7 (Article in journal)

Anna Nordin, Gianluca Zambanini, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Claudio Cantù (2023) Genome Biology, Vol. 24, Article 185 (Article in journal)

Simon Söderholm, Amaia Jauregi Miguel, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Valeria Ghezzi, Gianluca Zambanini, Anna Nordin, Claudio Cantù (2023) Experimental Cell Research, Vol. 429, Article 113646 (Article in journal)

2022

Thimios A. Mitsiadis, Lucia Jimenez-Rojo, Anamaria Balic, Silvio Weber, Paul Saftig, Pierfrancesco Pagella (2022) iScience, Vol. 25, p. 105154-105154, Article 105154 (Article in journal)

Gianluca Zambanini, Anna Nordin, Mattias Jonasson, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Claudio Cantù (2022) Development, Vol. 149, Article dev201124 (Article in journal)

Chai Foong Lai, Juliet Shen, Anamaria Balic, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Martin E. Schwab, Thimios A. Mitsiadis (2022) Cells, Vol. 11, Article 3415 (Article in journal)

2021

Pierfrancesco Pagella, Laura de Vargas Roditi, Bernd Stadlinger, Andreas E. Moor, Thimios A. Mitsiadis (2021) iScience, Vol. 24, p. 102405-102405, Article 102405 (Article in journal)

2020

Pierfrancesco Pagella, Shayee Miran, Estrela Neto, Ivan Martin, Meriem Lamghari, Thimios A. Mitsiadis (2020) The FASEB Journal, Vol. 34, p. 5499-5511 (Article in journal)

CV

2024-present
Associate professor, Department of physics, chemistry and biology, Division of biophysics and bioengineering, Link枚ping University, Link枚ping, Sweden

2021-2023
Postdoctoral research Fellow, Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine (WCMM) and Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Division of Molecular Medicine and Virology, Link枚pings University, Link枚ping, Sweden

2017-2021
Lecturer/Senior Scientist (Oberassistent), Institute of Oral Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

04/2018
Visiting scientist, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, NY, U.S.A.

2015-2017
Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Oral Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

10/2012
Visiting student, Center of Biomedical Engineering (INEB), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.

2011-2015
PhD. Molecular Life Sciences PhD Program, ETH/University of Zurich. Institute of Oral Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

07-11/2011
Research Associate, Group Prof. S. K. Nicolis, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.

2010-2011
Visiting Student, Institute for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.

2008-2011
MSc. In Biology (110/110 cum laude), Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy.

2005-2008
BSc. In Biological Sciences (110/110), Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.

Organisation

Laboratory of molecular materials

We are a multidisciplinary team with a passion for science. Our research is focused on design and development of molecules, soft materials and hybrid nanoscale components and devices for a wide range of biomedical applications.

Biophysics and bioengineering (BBIOBIO)

We use and develop concepts and tools from physics and chemistry to solve problems of biological and biomedical relevance, and the activities span from basic to applied research.

Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM)

Excellent undergraduate teaching and research in the areas of biology, chemistry, materials and applied physics and theory and modelling are conducted at this department.

福利姬