Farrell Lab

The Bone Tissue Engineering Research Laboratory at Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam conducts basic and translational research into bone formation and the cellular interactions that shape tissue repair. Led by Prof. Eric Farrell and Dr. Andrea Lolli, the laboratory is part of the Connective Tissue Repair group within the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Its work focuses on endochondral ossification as a potential approach to producing clinically relevant quantities of bone to repair large defects. The team also investigates immune-cell roles in bone healing and how cancer metastasizes to the bone.

The laboratory develops research models and methods rather than commercial products or clinical services. Its expertise includes three-dimensional cell and co-culture systems, scaffold-based tissue engineering, in vitro bone models, in vivo generation of engineered bone, neovascularisation, and osteoimmunology. These capabilities support projects on bone regeneration, joint and osteochondral injuries, osteoarthritis, and bone metastasis, including models of breast cancer spread.