Mar 05, 2026
New Junior Research Group: Dr. Anna Czarkwiani Explores the Regeneration of the Sense of Gravity
Dr. Anna Czarkwiani
Dr. Anna Czarkwiani is launching a new junior research group at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) at TU Dresden. Her team will investigate the sense of gravity and regeneration in the inner ear, focusing on the Mexican salamander, the axolotl. Her research is supported by a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC).
The sense of gravity is one of our oldest senses, yet at the cellular level it remains one of the least understood. It enables us to maintain balance and orient ourselves in space. This ability depends on tiny biomineral crystals in the inner ear known as otoconia. Loss of these crystals due to aging or disease can lead to vertigo and balance disorders. The Czarkwiani group aims to understand how sensory cells and otoconia regenerate in axolotls – an ability that humans largely lack – with the long-term goal of understanding this ancient sense better and ultimately, informing treatments for balance disorders.
“I am super excited to start my own research group here at CRTD. With unique expertise in regeneration biology and state-of-the-art facilities, it is really the right environment to dig into the questions that really interest me,” says Dr. Czarkwiani. “The CRTD, CMCB, and the life science campus in Dresden offer ideal conditions for a young group leader to begin.”
A Major Win for the CRTD
Dr. Czarkwiani, who previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the CRTD and received the L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women in Science” award, among others, was selected through the highly competitive process of the European Research Council.
“It is an outstanding achievement for our institute to retain such a talented scientist as Dr. Czarkwiani,” says Prof. Marius Ader, Director of the CRTD. “Launching her group with an ERC Starting Grant highlights the international quality of her research, and we are delighted that she will continue her work here.”
About Dr. Anna Czarkwiani
Anna Czarkwiani completed her Bachelor of Science in Human Genetics and her Master of Research in Stem Cells and Development at University College London. In 2012, she was awarded a Wellcome Trust PhD Studentship to pursue her doctorate in developmental and stem cell biology, working with Prof. Paola Oliveri on skeletal regeneration in the brittle star. In 2018, she received a Humboldt Research Fellowship to join the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), where she worked with Dr. Maximina H. Yun on thymus regeneration in axolotls. During her postdoctoral years, she also welcomed two children.
Her achievements have been widely recognized. In 2022, she received the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science award. In 2023, Dr. Czarkwiani was awarded a Maria Reiche Postdoctoral Fellowship from TU Dresden to support the development of her independent research. In 2025, she received a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) to launch her research group studying regeneration of the gravisensation organ in the axolotl.