Burcin Ekser

Biography

Burcin Ekser, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM). He is an active multi-organ transplant surgeon and is the Director of Transplant Research and Transplant Immunology and Xenotransplantation Research Laboratories at IUSM. Despite his busy clinical service, his laboratory is funded by NIH and other extramural agencies and is involved in genetic engineering, xenoimmunology, identification of new xeno-antigens, tissue engineering, 3D-organ bioprints, and 3D-organ models (organoids) with a main focus in 3D liver (normal and disease) models. He is a good-standing and active member of many societies including, TTS, IXA, AST, ASTS, ESOT, ILTS, and AASLD. He served as a member and chair of many committees in the abovementioned societies. He currently serves as a co-chair of the ISLS Deceased Donor Liver transplantation-Basic Science Study Group, as a council member of the IXA representing North America, and as a vice-chair of the Vanguard Committee of the ASTS. He is involved in program development and scientific program committees as a co-chair for TTS, IXA, ILTS, ATC, and ASTS Winter Symposium. He has published >190 peer-reviewed scientific articles and holds several patents in 3D-bioprinting, 3D organoids, and xenoantigen discovery. He was the recipient of the 2022 Rising Star in Transplantation Surgery Award of the ASTS and the 2022 TTS International Transplantation Science Mentor Award. He previously won several young investigator and rising star awards from many different societies (ASTS, AST, ATC, ILTS, IXA, TTS).