June 3
We had the honor to host
Dr. Michael Gotthardt from MDC who gave a talk on
“Unraveling and treating the Complexities of Heart Failure – Connecting Splicing, Sarcomere and Systems Biology”
and Dr. Margarida Serra from iBET, who gave a talk on
“Nature-inspired bioprocesses to accelerate the manufacture of hiPSC-derived cell therapy products: bridging engineering and biology”
Dr Michael Gotthardt Short Bio
Michael Gotthardt is a cardiology researcher at the Max Delbrück Center and Charité in Berlin, specializing in experimental and translational cardiology. His research focuses on the interplay between the sarcomere and spliceosome in cardiovascular disease, with the goal of developing novel therapies for heart failure.
He studied medicine in Heidelberg, Berlin, and Harvard, and conducted postdoctoral work at UT Southwestern before establishing his lab at Washington State University. Since returning to Germany in 2002 as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, he has received major grants, including ERC Consolidator and Advanced Grants. He is also a professor at Charité and leads several major research initiatives, including a DFG collaborative research center on HFpEF and a Leducq Transatlantic Network.
Dr Margarida Serra Short Bio
Margarida Serra is Head of the Stem Cell Bioengineering Lab at iBET and Invited Assistant Professor at FCT-NOVA. She holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and iBET, and has been working at iBET since 2004. Her research bridges engineering and stem cell biology to accelerate the development of next-generation cell-based therapies.
Her team develops innovative bioprocesses using 3D culture systems and bioreactor technologies, integrating omics and PAT tools to optimize cell manufacturing. She has led projects funded by the EU, FCT, and industry partners such as Takeda and Tigenix, securing over €8.5 million in the past five years. In 2023, she received the ACTIP award for her contributions to advanced therapy production.