The In vivo Organ Generation by Stem Cells Group, led by Dr. Xabier Aranguren at CIMA – University of Navarra (Pamplona, Spain), is looking for a highly motivated PhD student to join our team.

What if we could grow a human organ inside an animal using the patient’s own stem cells?
Organ transplantation is one of the most effective treatments for end-stage organ failure. However, the number of organs available for transplantation remains severely limited, resulting in long waiting lists and significant mortality among patients awaiting transplantation. This unmet clinical need has driven the search for alternative sources of organs, including approaches based on pluripotent stem cells (PSCs).

Our research focuses on developing a radically different approach: generating organs in vivo from pluripotent stem cells using blastocyst complementation. In this strategy, pluripotent stem cells are introduced into genetically modified embryos that are unable to develop a specific organ.



The donor stem cells can then occupy the developmental niche and contribute to the formation of the missing organ. Our ultimate goal is to develop the scientific basis for the generation of humanized organs in large-animal models, with a long-term vision of providing new sources of organs for transplantation.

The successful candidate will work at the intersection of stem cell biology, developmental biology, interspecies chimerism and biomedical engineering. Depending on the candidate's interests and background, the PhD project may involve:
- Understanding the mechanisms that limit the contribution of human stem cells to animal embryos.
- Developing strategies to improve human–animal interspecies chimerism.
- Studying cell competition and selective elimination between donor and host cells.
- Investigating the developmental requirements for generating specific organs, including the heart.
- Applying advanced genomic and single-cell approaches to characterize chimeric embryos and tissues.
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📌 PhD Position: Generating Human Organs from Stem Cells for Transplantation (España)
🏢 FUNDACION PARA LA INVESTIGACION MEDICA APLICADA
📍 España