Heiko Wurdak

Dr. Heiko Wurdak is a Lecturer and Group Leader at the School of Medicine, University of Leeds. His research focuses on high-grade brain tumors, particularly glioblastoma, aiming to develop novel therapeutic approaches through interdisciplinary strategies in stem cell biology, chemical biology, and systems biology. He leads the Stem Cell and Brain Tumour Group, integrating preclinical modeling with real-time cellular monitoring.

• Education: Diploma in Biology from Technical University, Darmstadt; PhD in Neural Developmental Biology from ETH Zurich
• Appointments: Senior Translational Research Fellow (2011-2016) at Leeds; EMBO/AACR Postdoctoral Fellow at The Scripps Research Institute

Research Interests:

• Elucidating molecular links between metabolism and chaperone function in cancer cells
• Understanding differentiation blockage and cell-fate plasticity in brain tumor progression
• Developing patient-specific organoid models and assembloids
• Targeting mitochondrial proteins (e.g., HSPD1) for metabolic disruption
• Chemical screens for small molecules regulating stem cell fate
• Overcoming blood-brain barrier limitations via focused ultrasound

Awards and Funding:

• ETH Zurich Outstanding Dissertation Award (2006)
• EMBO and AACR Postdoctoral Fellowships (2006)
• MRC New Investigator Grant (2012)
• EU/FP7 Marie Curie Career Reintegration Award (2012)

Teaching: Lectures and experimental modules on brain cancer, stem cell biology, and organoid technology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Labs: Leads the Stem Cell and Brain Tumour Group at the Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's.