Mike O. Karl

Prof. Dr. Mike O. Karl serves as a Group Leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Dresden, where he investigates neurodegenerative retinal diseases—a leading cause of vision loss affecting over 280 million people globally by 2040. His research targets age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and inherited retinal dystrophies through mechanistic studies of degeneration and regeneration.

His core research interests include:

• Deciphering inflammation, scar formation, and tissue remodeling as drivers of vision loss
• Developing human iPSC-derived retinal organoid models for disease study
• Stimulating glia-derived neuronal regeneration to overcome age-dependent limitations
• Creating cell-based therapies for retinal degenerative conditions

Karl's laboratory utilizes mouse retina ex vivo assays and stem cell organoids to model disease processes, test regenerative interventions, and identify therapeutic targets. Current projects focus on modeling AMD pathology, validating regeneration regulators, and optimizing organoid systems for drug/gene therapy screening.

No scientific awards were documented in the source material. Details regarding student supervision, grant funding, or collaborative networks remain unspecified in the provided text.