Translational Regenerative Orthopedics

Translational Regenerative Orthopedics

Lizette Utomo, PhD – Assistant Professor

Grants & Honors
  • ReumaNederland and Health~Holland LSH PPS VHH-MARS project (2023-2027; main applicant and coordinator; total 650K€)
  • Bioengineering Travel Award for Researchers (2018)
  • Erasmus Trustfonds travel grant (2016)
  • AnnaFonds|NOREF personal research grant (2016)
  • First prize for Best Podium Presentation at TERMIS-EU, Uppsala, Sweden (2016)
  • Erasmus Trustfonds travel grant (2014)
PhD thesis

Lizette obtained her MSc degree in Technical Medicine from the University of Twente (Enschede, the Netherlands) in 2013, specializing in cartilage tissue engineering. She subsequently pursued a PhD at the Department of Orthopaedics, Erasmus MC (Rotterdam, the Netherlands), which she completed in 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Gerjo van Osch and Dr. Yvonne Bastiaansen-Jenniskens. Her doctoral research focused on the role of inflammation and macrophage phenotypes in degenerative joint diseases. During her PhD, she spent several months at the Galeazzi Orthopaedic Institute in Milan, Italy, working in the group of dr. Matteo Moretti and dr. Silvia Lopa, where she worked on microfluidic chip models for osteoarthritis research.

Following her PhD, Lizette joined the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery & Special Dental Care at UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands as a postdoctoral researcher (2018–2021) in the group of dr. Debby Gawlitta. Her research focused on tissue engineering of mandibular condylar cartilage. As part of this work, she collaborated with Prof. Martin Stoddart’s group at the AO Research Institute in Davos, Switzerland, where she gained experience in mechanobiology using a multi-axial bioreactor system.

In 2020, Lizette expanded her role by joining the Regenerative Orthopedics group at Utrecht University while continuing her postdoctoral research. As Scientific Project & Research Manager (2020–2024), she supported Prof. Marianna Tryfonidou in coordinating the Horizon 2020 iPSpine project. She transitioned fully to the Regenerative Orthopedics group in 2021, where her research focuses on developing innovative drug delivery strategies for osteoarthritis. Her current work explores lipid nanoparticles for targeted delivery of mRNA-based therapeutics to inflamed joints (VHH-MARS project) and the development of biodegradable microparticles for sustained local drug release. Both approaches aim to combat joint inflammation, a key driver of osteoarthritis progression.

Additionally, Lizette serves as work package leader within the Osteoarthritis & Rheumatoid Arthritis transition project of the Ombion CPBT programme, part of the Dutch National Growth Fund initiative to accelerate the transition towards animal-free biomedical innovation. More recently, she started collaborating together with Prof. Marianna Tryfonidou, Prof. Tina Vermonden, and dr. Bas van Ravensteijn, on the NWO Summit grant consortium DRIVE-RM on a project focussing on hydrogel-driven mechanotransduction.

Besides supervising BSc, MSc, and PhD students, Lizette is also actively involved in education as she setup and coordinates the course “Applied Lab Calculations for Life Sciences: theory and VR” (BMB618224) and is a regular guest lecturer for the course “Better Science With Less Animal Experimentation” (DM-P-BSLAE). As of 2026, together with Marianna Tryfonidou and Michelle Teunissen, she is the coordinator of the bachelor course “Regenerative Medicine” (BMW33113).

Furthermore, she was actively involved as a board member (2018-2023) of the Netherlands Society of Biomaterials (NBTE) and in the Student and Young Investigator Section (SYIS) of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society Europe (TERMIS-EU), where she served as chair-elect and chair (2018-2024) and continues as past chair advisor. As of 2023, she is an Early Career Investigator (ECI) organizer of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) Discussion Group on Regenerative Medicine in OA.

Other activities:

Current supervision:

  • Jordi Martens (PhD candidate; copromotor)
  • Mark van Voorst (PhD candidate; copromotor)
  • Eline Geerits (PhD candidate; copromotor)
  • Sophie Wiles (MSc student Bio Inspired Innovation)

Past supervision: (2020 – present)

  • Anneloes Mensinga (Technician)
  • Saskia Funk (UU; MSc Veterinary Medicine; Jr Researcher)
  • Iris Gill (PhD candidate; copromotor)
  • Anouk Haasnoot (UU; MSc Biology of Disease)
  • Carla Jorquera Cordero (PhD candidate dept of Orthopedics UMCU; copromotor)
  • Alessia Longoni (PhD candidate dept of Maxillofacial Surgery UMCU; copromotor)