Robert is a developmental biologist and received training in stem cell research and bioprocessing in academia and biotechnology companies in Germany and Singapore. Since 2009, he is Principal Investigator at the “Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine“ (REBIRTH) and the “Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs” (LEBAO) at Hannover Medical School (MHH). His group aims at adapting industry-compliant stirred tank bioreactor technologies for the efficient production of Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and their progenies to promote the clinical translation of advanced cell therapies with particular focus on heart repair.
Moreover, his group is establishing hPSC-derived vascularized multi-tissue organoids – such as heart forming organoids (HFOs) and blood-generating HFOs (BF-HFOs) – to provide advanced in vitro models for investigating mechanisms of human development and teratogenicity, focused on human gastrulation, mesendoderm development and early organogenesis.
