Mike O. Karl

Prof. Dr. Mike O. Karl serves as Group Leader at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Technische Universität Dresden, Germany.

Research Focus: The Karl Group (MOKALAB) investigates neurodegenerative mechanisms in the human retina, with primary emphasis on age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Utilizing human retinal organoids and stem cell-derived models, they study retinal cell fate regulation, neuronal degeneration, and regenerative potential of Müller glia to develop novel therapeutic strategies for vision restoration.

Grants and Training: Research is supported by European and German funding agencies. The group actively recruits PhD students through the Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering (DIGS-BB) and collaborates with institutional partners for translational research.

Laboratory: MOKALAB specializes in advanced 3D retinal organoid development, photoreceptor and Müller glia pathology modeling, and high-resolution imaging of retinal degeneration/regeneration processes.