Christoph Englert

Christoph Englert is a Group Leader at the Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI), focusing on molecular and developmental biology, genetics, and aging research using short-lived vertebrates like Nothobranchius furzeri (turquoise killifish). His team investigates the role of Wilms tumor proteins (Wt1, Wtx) in tissue development, kidney regeneration, and aging pathways, employing zebrafish and killifish models.

• Research Interests: Wt1 target genes, Wnt signaling, kidney regeneration, sex determination, age-dependent gene expression, and mutation rate analysis.
• Team Members: Includes doctoral candidates (Carolin Albertz, Hanna Mörl), master's students (Abhishek Pragnesh Patel, Annika Herfurth), and technical staff.

Article Trends: Recent publications (2023–2025) explore Wt1/Wtx functions in fibrosis, Wnt pathway roles in zebrafish kidney repair, evolutionary genetics of killifish sex determination, and mutation rates in nonaging organisms. Earlier work (2008–2013) established foundational insights into urogenital development, aging biomarkers, and CRISPR/Cas9 tools.

• Key Collaborations: Projects with DFG Excellence Clusters, Carl Zeiss Foundation, and Leibniz Research Alliance on aging and regeneration.
• Infrastructure: Utilizes core facilities like functional genomics, proteomics, and small animal CT at FLI.