Daniel Martin Messerschmidt

Daniel Martin Messerschmidt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, where he leads research within the Morphogenesis and Differentiation Program. His laboratory investigates epigenetic and transcriptional regulators involved in mammalian germ cell formation, oocyte-to-embryo transition, and early embryogenesis.

His primary research focuses on mammalian developmental epigenetics, particularly examining how epigenetic features are inherited across generations and impact development and health. His work explores how chemical modifications regulate access to genetic information without altering the DNA code itself, and how defects in this epigenome can be equally damaging to health as DNA mutations. His research specifically targets maternal factors that convey functional epigenetic inheritance from germline to soma across multiple generations.

Dr. Messerschmidt's recent publications demonstrate his focus on maternal factors in embryonic development and genomic imprinting in neural cells. His research employs both in vitro and in vivo models ranging from pluripotent stem cells to genetic mouse models and human models, combined with next-generation sequencing approaches to study epigenetic and transcriptional dynamics.

He actively participates in the scientific community, having recently organized and participated in the EMBO Young Investigator Sectoral Meeting on Chromatin & Transcription in July 2023.