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.





