Gerd Kempermann

Prof. Dr. Gerd Kempermann serves as Group Leader and Site Spokesperson at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Dresden and the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), both affiliated with Dresden University of Technology. His research focuses on adult neurogenesis—the formation of new neurons in the adult brain—and its critical role in hippocampal structural plasticity and memory function.

His work investigates how physical and cognitive activity builds "neurogenic reserve" to counteract age-related decline in neurogenesis, with specific emphasis on stem cell models from adult hippocampus, epigenetic regulation of neural stem cells, and translating findings to human neurodegenerative conditions. His group operates across two sites to bridge basic research on neuronal development with clinical applications for dementia and depression.

The DZNE branch concentrates on three translational pillars: optimizing neuronal stem cell cultures through biomaterial integration, decoding epigenetic mechanisms controlling gene expression in neural stem cells, and validating neurogenesis-related functions in human patients. No information on student advising, specific grants, or awards was provided in the source material.