Research group leader Dr. med. Mike O. Karl appointed as W2-Professor for Retinal Stem Cell Research and Neurogenesis

Effective May 1^st, 2020, Mike O. Karl has been appointed as Professor for ‘Retinal Stem Cell Research and Neurogenesis’ at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), via the Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB) and the Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus of the TU Dresden. His research group is part of the CRTD and also affiliated with the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Dresden, part of the Helmholtz Association.

Mike O. Karl is investigating the mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease in the retina and its regenerative potential. He and his team are particularly interested in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), one of the most common causes of vision loss worldwide. With the help of human retinal organoids and cell systems generated from stem cells in the laboratory, the Karl group hopes to contribute to new therapeutic strategies to prevent vision loss and to restore visual acuity.

In teaching, Prof. Karl is engaged in the International Master's program 'Regenerative Biology and Medicine', at the Medical Faculty and at the Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering (DIGS-BB). "I am enthusiastic about interacting with clinicians and research fellows in training, and provide insight into stem cell-based retinal research and organoid technology. In regenerative medicine, the close link between basic and clinical research, bench and bedside, is particularly important," he says.

Mike O. Karl has long been associated with the CRTD as well as the DZNE: At both institutes he is a research group leader since 2012. Prior to that, he went to Seattle and Philadelphia, USA, for research studies. Mike O. Karl studied Human Medicine at the University of Hamburg, where he earned his doctorate and medical degree.

Further information:
http://www.crt-dresden.de/research/research-groups/core-groups/crtd-core-groups/karl-retinal-development-and-regeneration/
www.dzne.de/karl