Laboratory of Bioengineering and Reconstructive Urology
Urology Department of Urology
Faculty of Medicine
ABOUT US
UroNEXT is a state-of-the-art research and development unit of the Department of Urology of the Medical University of Gdansk operating under the ‘Initiative of Excellence – Research University’ (IDUB) programme. The laboratory focuses on the development and implementation of innovative solutions in tissue bioengineering, regenerative therapies and translational medicine in urology.
Our main goal is to improve the quality and effectiveness of treatment of genitourinary diseases by utilising advances in biomaterials engineering, cell biology and 3D technology in reconstructive, functional and oncological urology.
Platelet rich plasma patch
Current projects:
1. Use of autologous PRF membrane in urethral reconstruction
- Use of autologous PRF (Platelet-Rich Fibrin) membranes as bioactive implants to promote healing after urethral reconstructive surgery using oral mucosal graft.
2. 3D printing technologies and biomaterials
- 3D printing of surgical models in pre-operative diagnosis and as training models.
- Collaboration in the development of composite scaffold technology and the use of 3D models of organs, such as the urethra, as tools to study the physical and mechanical properties of the biomaterials under investigation.
Virtual urethra model
Research directions:
Tissue engineering of the urinary system
1. Regeneration of the urothelium after radiotherapy:
- Natural scaffolds (e.g. PRF) under ischaemic and fibrotic conditions.
2. Treatment of fistulas and tissue defects:
- Bioactive implants and cells with regenerative potential to support fistula closure.
3. Reconstruction of the ureter:
- Scaffolds populated with epithelial cells in the treatment of iatrogenic ureteral strictures.
3D printer
Research facilities:
UroNEXT benefits from the advanced research facilities of the GUMed in close collaboration with the Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine of the Department of Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk (MEDREG):
- Laminar chambers and CO₂ incubators for cell culture.
- Flow cytometer (CytoFLEX) for phenotype, viability and cell cycle analysis.
- Platforms for cytokine and molecular marker assays (Luminex, ELISA).
- 3D printers for hydrogel structures and surgical implants.
- Confocal microscopy and histological analysis in the evaluation of tissue regeneration.
International cooperation:
The UroNEXT laboratory has active collaborations with leading research centres in Europe and the United States:
- UMC Utrecht (The Netherlands) – As part of the STRONG-UR consortium, research on the development of in vitro models reflecting urethral physiology and pathology, focusing on cellular interactions and the effects of mechanical stimuli (urine flow, stretching, artificial urine) on urothelial and myometrial function. (Prof Petra de Graaf, Prof Laetitia de Kort)
- University of California, San Francisco (USA) – translational research on novel tissue-engineered therapies in reconstructive urology for male urinary incontinence (Prof Benjamin Breyer)
- Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg (Sweden) – development of bioactive 3D cellular scaffolds for urethral engineering, using a bio-ink containing urothelial and muscle cells and biodegradable polymer carriers (PCL) (Dr Teresa Olsen Ekerhult).
- Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (Germany) – application of biomaterials and 3D printing technology in reconstructive surgery (Prof Margit Fisch, Prof Malte Vetterlein).
In addition, the laboratory actively participates in the multi-centre scientific activities of the Young Academic Urologists (YAU) of the European Urological Association, conducting international research and training projects on innovative therapies in reconstructive and traumatic urology.
The UroNEXT team aims to implement innovative, personalised urological treatments that integrate advances in basic science, material technology and reconstructive surgery. Through our scientific and clinical activities, we want to create a new quality of treatment for patients with complications after oncological treatment, after trauma in the urinary tract and also related to congenital malformations requiring advanced reconstructive urology techniques.
PUBLICATIONS
2025
1. Chierigo F, Frankiewicz M, Mantica G, Drocchi G, Madec F, Verla W, Białek Ł, et al. Complicaciones estéticas de la cirugía de uretra anterior: revisión exploratoria y galería de imágenes. Actas Urol Esp. 2025;49(1):42–62. doi:10.1016/j.acuro.2024.11.002
2. Madec F, Frankiewicz M, Neuville P, Chierigo F, Adamowicz J, Białek Ł, Cocci A, et al. Historia de la cirugía uretral: lecciones aprendidas del pasado. Actas Urol Esp. 2025;49(1):63–71. doi:10.1016/j.acuro.2024.12.001
3. Bohane E, Frankiewicz M, Murphy M, Chierigo F, Mantica G, Adamowicz J, Campos-Juanatey F, et al. Resultados a largo plazo de hipospadias no intervenidos: una revisión exploratoria. Actas Urol Esp. 2025;49(1):1–10. doi:10.1016/j.acuro.2024.10.002
4. Verla W, Frankiewicz M, Lumen N, Waterloos M, Adamowicz J, Campos-Juanatey F, Cocci A, et al. Tratamiento de la estenosis anastomótica tras faloplastia: una revisión actualizada de la literatura. Actas Urol Esp. 2025;49(1):35–41. doi:10.1016/j.acuro.2024.10.005
5. Mantica G, Chierigo F, Białek Ł, Madec F, Frankiewicz M, Verla W, et al. El uso de la cirugía robótica para el tratamiento de estenosis uretrales y contracturas del cuello vesical: una revisión sistemática. Actas Urol Esp. 2025;49(1):11–19. doi:10.1016/j.acuro.2024.10.003
6. Frankiewicz M, Adamowicz J, Białek Ł, Campos-Juanatey F, Chierigo F, Cocci A, et al. Vías clínicas para el cuidado oral en pacientes sometidos a extracción de injerto de mucosa oral: una revisión sistemática. Actas Urol Esp. 2025;49(1):20–34. doi:10.1016/j.acuro.2024.10.004
7. Wnętrzak I, Didkowska J, Sosnowski R, Czajkowski M, Sigorski D, Małkiewicz B, et al. Urogenital cancer epidemiology in Poland (1980–2020): a narrative review. Cancers (Basel). 2025;17(2):316. doi:10.3390/cancers17020316
8. Skrobisz K, Miszewski K, Miszewska L, Bieńkowski M, Matuszewski M, Studniarek M. Pleural metastasis as an initial presentation of prostate cancer: case report and literature review Diagnostics (Basel). 2025;15(6):666. doi:10.3390/diagnostics15060666
9. Czajkowski M, Wierzbicki P, Dolny M, Matuszewski M, Hakenberg O. Inflammation in penile squamous cell carcinoma: a comprehensive review. Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(6):2785. doi:10.3390/ijms26062785
10. Frankiewicz M, Białek Ł, Rydzińska M, Skrzypczyk M, Pęksa R, Folwarski M, et al. Impact of urethroplasty on erectile function: a multicenter analysis of the international index of erectile function score changes across different etiologies of urethral stricture. J Clin Med. 2025;14(9):2936. doi:10.3390/jcm14092936
11. Sternau M, Czajkowski M, Wierzbicki P, Kogut-Wierzbicka M, Zarzyka K, Milewczyk M, et al. Bariatric surgery has a long-term beneficial impact on urinary incontinence in women with obesity. Medicina (Kaunas). 2025;61(4):564. doi:10.3390/medicina61040564
12. Czajkowski M, Małkiewicz B, Czajkowska K, Wierzbicki P, Poterek A, Sosnowski R, et al. Partial penectomy with reconstruction using a split-thickness skin graft: a multicenter experience. Minerva Urol Nephrol. 2025;77(2):262–70. doi:10.23736/S2724-6051.24.05924-X
2024
1. Wnętrzak I, Czajkowski M, Barańska K, Miklewska M, Wojciechowska U, Sosnowski R, et al. Epidemiology of penile cancer in Poland compared to other European countries. Cancer Med. 2024;13(16):e70092. doi:10.1002/cam4.70092
2. Stańkowska W, Sarkisyan D, Bruhn-Olszewska B, Duzowska K, Bieńkowski M, Jąkalski M, et al. Tumor predisposing post-zygotic chromosomal alterations in bladder cancer – insights from histologically normal urothelium. Cancers (Basel). 2024;16(5):961. doi:10.3390/cancers16050961
3. Czajkowski M, Falis M, Żawrocki A, Sternau M, Lubiewski A, Rytlewska M, et al. Correlation between BMI and kidney tumor lateralization: insights into survival and risk factors. Cancers (Basel). 2024;16(24):4139. doi:10.3390/cancers16244139
4. Frankiewicz M, Matuszewska K, Dziadziuszko R, Matuszewski M. Optimizing functional outcomes in prostate cancer: a new perspective on early artificial urinary sphincter implantation before salvage radiotherapy in prostate cancer treatment. Cent Eur J Urol. 2024;77(4):661–7. doi:10.5173/ceju.2024.0181
5. Wenta R, Richert J, Muchlińska A, Senkus E, Suchodolska G, Łapińska-Szumczyk S, et al. Measurable morphological features of single circulating tumor cells in selected solid tumors – a pilot study. Cytometry A. 2024;105(12):883–92. doi:10.1002/cyto.a.24906
6. Miszewski K, Skrobisz K, Miszewska L, Matuszewski M. Interpreting prostate MRI reports in the era of increasing prostate MRI utilization: a urologist’s perspective. Diagnostics (Basel). 2024;14(10):1060. doi:10.3390/diagnostics14101060
7. Popęda M, Kowalski K, Wenta T, Beznoussenko G, Rychłowski M, Mironov A, et al. Emerin mislocalization during chromatin bridge resolution can drive prostate cancer cell invasiveness in a collagen-rich microenvironment. Exp Mol Med. 2024;56(9):2016–32. doi:10.1038/s12276-024-01308-w
8. Lammers R, Tsachouridis G, Andersson M, Dormeus S, Ekerhult T, Frankiewicz M, et al. What should be next in lifelong posterior hypospadias: conclusions from the 2023 ERN eUROGEN and EJP-RD networking meeting. Neurourol Urodyn. 2024;43(5):1097–103. doi:10.1002/nau.25305
9. Frankiewicz M, Vetterlein M, Markiet K, Adamowicz J, Campos-Juanatey F, Cocci A, et al. Ultrasound imaging of male urethral stricture disease: a narrative review of the available evidence, focusing on selected prospective studies. World J Urol. 2024;43(1):32. doi:10.1007/s00345-023-04760-x
10. Pęksa R, Sharma S, Kunc M, Popęda M, Qu L, Frankiewicz M, et al. P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 is diversely expressed in the primary tumour and venous thrombus of clear cell renal cancer and correlates with poor overall survival. Współcz Onkol. 2024;28(3):253–9. doi:10.5114/wo.2024.144225
2023
1. Lizakowski S, Dębska-Ślizień A, Kurnatowska I, Zaucha M, Matuszewski M, Naumnik B, et al. Nephro-oncology: clinical and biochemical aspects of kidney disease and cancer. Acta Biochim Pol. 2023;70(2):347–61. doi:10.18388/abp.2020_6588
2. Artymowicz M, Struck-Lewicka W, Wiczling P, Markuszewski M, Siluk D. Targeted quantitative metabolomics with a linear mixed-effect model for analysis of urinary nucleosides and deoxynucleosides from bladder cancer patients before and after tumor resection. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2023;415(22):5511–28. doi:10.1007/s00216-023-04826-0
3. Kotulak-Chrząższcz A, Kiezun J, Czajkowski M, Matuszewski M, Kłącz J, Krazinski B, et al. The immunoreactivity of GLI1 and VEGFA is a potential prognostic factor in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma. BMC Cancer. 2023;23:1110. doi:10.1186/s12885-023-11622-7
4. Żurowska A, Pęksa R, Bieńkowski M, Skrobisz K, Sowa M, Matuszewski M, et al. Prostate cancer and its mimics – a pictorial review. Cancers (Basel). 2023;15(14):3682. doi:10.3390/cancers15143682
5. Białek Ł, Frankiewicz M, Adamowicz J, Campos-Juanatey F, Cocci A, Mantica G, et al. Urethral management after artificial urinary sphincter explantation due to cuff erosion. Cent Eur J Urol. 2023;76(4):322–4. doi:10.5173/ceju.2023.132
6. Żurowska A, Pęksa R, Grzywińska M, Panas D, Sowa M, Skrobisz K, et al. Comparison of diffusion kurtosis imaging and standard mono-exponential apparent diffusion coefficient in diagnosis of significant prostate cancer – a correlation with Gleason score assessed on whole-mount histopathology specimens. Diagnostics (Basel). 2023;13(2):173. doi:10.3390/diagnostics13020173
7. Verla W, Mantica G, Waterloos M, Adamowicz J, Frankiewicz M, Cocci A, et al. Treatment success after urethroplasty: the ongoing quest for a pragmatic and universal definition. Eur Urol Focus. 2023;9(4):617–20. doi:10.1016/j.euf.2023.01.017
8. Czajkowski M, Wierzbicki P, Kotulak-Chrząższcz A, Małkiewicz B, Sosnowski R, Kmieć Z, et al. Pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression in penile cancer: preliminary studies. Medicina (Kaunas). 2023;59(9):1623. doi:10.3390/medicina59091623
9. Chierigo F, Mantica G, Adamowicz J, Campos-Juanatey F, Cocci A, Frankiewicz M, et al. The impact of surgical volume on perioperative safety after urethroplasty: the EAU YAU Reconstructive Urology Working Party point of view. Minerva Urol Nephrol. 2023;75(4):537–9. doi:10.23736/S2724-6051.23.05432-0
10. Frankiewicz M, Vetterlein M, Matuszewski M. VR, reconstructive urology and the future of surgery education. Nat Rev Urol. 2023;20(6):325–6. doi:10.1038/s41585-022-00722-x
11. Markuszewski M, Buszewska-Forajta M, Artymowicz M, Połom W, Roslan M, Markuszewski M. Binding indocyanine green to human serum albumin potentially enhances the detection of sentinel lymph nodes. Arch Med Sci. 2022;18(3):719–25. doi:10.5114/aoms/113237
2022
1. Kordalewska M, Wawrzyniak R, Jacyna J, Godzień J, López Gonzálves Á, Raczak-Gutknecht J, et al. Molecular signature of renal cell carcinoma by means of a multiplatform metabolomics analysis. Biochem Biophys Rep. 2022;31:101318. doi:10.1016/j.bbrep.2022.101318
2. Jacyna J, Kordalewska M, Artymowicz M, Markuszewski M, Matuszewski M, Markuszewski M. Pre- and post-resection urine metabolic profiles of bladder cancer patients: results of preliminary studies on time series metabolomics analysis. Cancers (Basel). 2022;14(5):1210. doi:10.3390/cancers14051210
3. Cytawa W, Kircher S, Kübler H, Werner R, Weber S, Hartrampf P, et al. Diverse PSMA expression in primary prostate cancer: reason for negative [68Ga]Ga-PSMA PET/CT scans? Immunohistochemical validation in 40 surgical specimens. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2022;49(11):3938–49. doi:10.1007/s00259-022-05831-8
4. Buszewska-Forajta M, Raczak-Gutknecht J, Struck-Lewicka W, Nizioł M, Artymowicz M, Markuszewski M, et al. Untargeted metabolomics study of three matrices: seminal fluid, urine, and serum to search the potential indicators of prostate cancer. Front Mol Biosci. 2022;9:849966. doi:10.3389/fmolb.2022.849966
5. Kotulak-Chrząszcz A, Rybarczyk A, Kłacz J, Matuszewski M, Kmieć Z, Wierzbicki P. Expression levels of sonic hedgehog pathway genes and their targets are upregulated in early clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Int J Mol Med. 2022;49(5):58. doi:10.3892/ijmm.2022.5114
6. Pawlaczyk A, Wąż P, Matuszewski M. Comparison of retropubic tension-free vaginal tape inserted on two different height positions. Int Urogynecol J. 2022;33:931–7. doi:10.1007/s00192-021-05056-7
7. Czajkowski M, Wierzbicki P, Kotulak-Chrząszcz A, Czajkowska K, Bolcewicz M, Kłącz J, et al. The role of occlusion and micro-incontinence in the pathogenesis of penile lichen sclerosus: an observational study of pro-inflammatory cytokines’ gene expression. Int Urol Nephrol. 2022;54(4):763–72. doi:10.1007/s11255-022-03130-7
8. Frankiewicz M, Markiet K, Kozak O, Krukowski J, Kałużny A, Belka M, et al. Response to: “Letter to the Editor, International Urology and Nephrology: Retrograde urethrography, sonouretrography and magnetic resonance urethrography in evaluation of male urethral strictures: should the novel methods become the new standard in radiological diagnosis of urethral stricture disease?” Int Urol Nephrol. 2022;54(4):813–4. doi:10.1007/s11255-022-03132-5
9. Wierzbicki P, Czajkowski M, Kotulak-Chrząszcz A, Bukowicz J, Dzieciuch K, Sokołowska-Wojdyło M, et al. Altered mRNA expression of NFKB1 and NFKB2 genes in penile lichen sclerosus, penile cancer and zoon balanitis. J Clin Med. 2022;11(24):7254. doi:10.3390/jcm11247254
CONTACT
Mikołaj Frankiewicz, Ph.D.
E-mail mfrankiewicz@gumed.edu.pl
Phone 668 608 010
Prof. Marcin Matuszewski
E-mail marcin.matuszewski@gumed.edu.pl
Phone 58 349 31 60