Ali Ertürk

Research Director Institute for Intelligent Biotechnologies, iBIO

+49 89 3187 43234 erturk@helmholtz-munich.de

Campus Neuherberg

Gebäude / Raum: 3620

We use cell-level imaging and AI to understand disease mechanisms and guide targeted therapies

Dr. Ali Ertürk is a distinguished neuroscientist with a strong academic and research background in neurobiology. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Bilkent University in Ankara in 2003, followed by a Ph.D. from LMU Munich. His early research career at the Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology was marked by significant contributions to the field of axon regeneration in the injured spinal cord. In 2009, Dr. Ertürk advanced his research at Genentech in San Francisco, where he completed a postdoctoral fellowship. During this time, he focused on pioneering studies related to non-apoptotic caspase-3 actions in spine degeneration, traumatic brain injury, and whole brain tissue clearing for neurodegeneration assessment

Currently, Dr. Ertürk leads research as the Director of the Institute for Intelligent Biotechnologies (iBIO) at Helmholtz Munich. He also holds a Professorship from the Medical Faculty of Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität Munich, where he continues to push the boundaries of neuroscience and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Ertürk's research interests lie at the intersection of neuroscience, tissue engineering, and artificial intelligence.

Neuroscience Tissue Engineering Artificial Intelligence

AI-Driven Imaging & Analysis

Digital Twins of Human Organs

Personalized Medicine

Ali Ertürks vision is to revolutionize our understanding of complex biological systems and diseases through innovative imaging and analysis techniques. By combining advanced tissue clearing methods with AI-driven analysis, Dr. Ertürk aims to create comprehensive, high-resolution maps of entire organs and organisms at the cellular level. This approach not only enhances our ability to study disease mechanisms but also paves the way for more ethical and efficient research practices.

Ali Ertürks long-term goal is to develop "digital twins" of human organs, which could dramatically reduce the need for animal testing, accelerate drug discovery, and enable truly personalized medicine. Dr. Ertürk envisions a future where these digital models can simulate disease progression and treatment responses, allowing researchers to conduct virtual experiments and clinicians to tailor treatments to individual patients with unprecedented precision. Through his work, Dr. Ertürk strives to break down the walls between traditional scientific disciplines, fostering collaborations that will drive the next generation of breakthroughs in life sciences and medicine.

Chayama, Y. ; Rao, N.R. ; Perla, D. ; Zhang, Z. ; Reid, M. ; Nelson, S. ; Wen, X. ; Ding, B. ; Blumenfeld, J. ; Apolonio, A. ; Doddipalli, S. ; Zhou, H. ; Turhan, S.G. ; Shih, P.Y. ; Brendel, M. ; Fu, Y.H. ; Ertürk, A. ; Kolabas, Z.I. ; Huang, Y. ; Yang, A.C.

Physiological brain clearance architecture revealed by neuronal protein tracing.

Kaltenecker, D. ; Horvath, I. ; Al-Maskari, R. ; Chen, Y. ; Kolabas, Z.I. ; Höher, L. ; Todorov, M.I. ; Minde, D.-P. ; Kapoor, S. ; Turhan, S.G. ; Kuemmerle, L. ; Steinke, H. ; Wohlgemuth, T. ; Ali, M. ; Kofler, F. ; Morigny, P. ; Geppert, J. ; Jeridi, D. ; Wittmann, B. ; Luo ; Shit, S. ; Cigankova, C. ; Kolenic, V.M. ; Gür, N. ; Aydeniz, E. ; Yücecan, A. ; Ertürk, M. ; Simons, L.H.A. ; Pan, C. ; Piraud, M. ; Rueckert, D. ; Rohm, M. ; Hellal, F. ; Elsner, M. ; Bhatia, H.S. ; Bechmann, I. ; Menze, B. ; Herzig, S. ; Paetzold, J.C. ; Diaz, M.B. ; Ertürk, A.

A deep-learning framework reveals whole-body perturbations at cell level.

Mai, H. ; Wang, Y. ; Zhu, Y. ; Zhao, Y. ; Chen, Y. ; Höher, L. ; Al-Maskari, R. ; Luo, J. ; Ertürk, A.

Whole-mouse immunolabeling at cellular resolution for comprehensive 3D atlases.

Bessler, N. ; Wezenaar, A.K.L. ; Ariese, H.C.R. ; Honhoff, C. ; Dommann, N. ; Wehrens, E.J. ; Ruiz Moreno, C. ; van den Broek, T.J.M. ; Collot, R.V.U. ; Kloosterman, D.J. ; Keramati, F. ; Roosen, M. ; de Blank, S. ; van Vliet, E. ; Barrera Román, M. ; Gatti, L.C.D.E. ; Ertürk, A. ; Kuball, J. ; Sebestyén, Z. ; Kool, M. ; Patrizi, S. ; Miele, E. ; Künkele, A. ; Kranendonk, M.E.G. ; Cornel, A.M. ; Nierkens, S. ; Mayer, C. ; Stunnenberg, H.G. ; Alemany, A. ; Alieva, M. ; Rios, A.C.

De novo H3.3K27M-altered diffuse midline glioma in human brainstem organoids to dissect GD2 CAR T cell function.

González-Gallego, J. ; Todorov-Völgyi, K. ; Müller, S.A. ; Antesberger, S. ; Todorov, M.I. ; Malik, R. ; Grimalt-Mirada, R. ; Gonçalves, C.C. ; Schifferer, M. ; Kislinger, G. ; Weisheit, I. ; Lindner, B. ; Crusius, D. ; Kroeger, J. ; Borri, M. ; Ertürk, A. ; Nelson, M.C. ; Misgeld, T. ; Lichtenthaler, S.F. ; Dichgans, M. ; Paquet, D.

A fully iPS-cell-derived 3D model of the human blood-brain barrier for exploring neurovascular disease mechanisms and therapeutic interventions.

Todorov-Völgyi, K. ; González-Gallego, J. ; Müller, S.A. ; Todorov, M.I. ; Seker, F.B. ; Frerich, S. ; Cernilogar, F.M. ; Schröger, L. ; Malik, R. ; Cao, J. ; Llovera, G. ; Roth, S. ; Schillinger, U. ; Schifferer, M. ; Reyahi, A. ; Crusius, D. ; Pedro, L.D. ; Simons, M. ; Carlsson, P. ; Ertürk, A. ; Liesz, A. ; Schotta, G. ; Plesnila, N. ; Lichtenthaler, S.F. ; Paquet, D. ; Dichgans, M.

The stroke risk gene Foxf2 maintains brain endothelial cell function via Tie2 signaling.