Sander Lab
Pancreatic Organoid Research and Disease Modeling
Profile
The goal of our research is to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie the formation and function of pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells, which are affected in diabetes. Our research leverages a human stem cell-based organoid model of pancreatic islets to identify causes of diabetes and develop innovative therapies.
Employing multi-omic approaches and computational modeling, we study the gene regulatory and metabolic mechanisms that govern beta cell differentiation and maintenance of a functional beta cell state. We validate computational predictions with targeted CRISPR-Cas9-based and small molecule screens in the human organoid model.
Team
Group Leader
Prof. Dr. Maike Sander
Prof. Dr. Maike Sander is a leading expert in diabetes research, focusing on the development and function of pancreatic islets. With a background in medicine and molecular biology, her groundbreaking work has advanced understanding of beta cell biology and diabetes pathogenesis. As a professor and director at MDC, Prof. Dr. Sander oversees innovative research using cutting-edge technologies like single-cell genomics and proteomics to unravel mechanisms of insulin production and beta cell failure.
Administrative Assistant
Eleonora Corrias
Contact:
eleonora.corrias@mdc-berlin.de | +49 30 9406-2496
Senior Scientist
Dr. Ulrika Beitnere
Contact: ulrika.beitnere@mdc-berlin.de | +49 30 9406-3180
Ulrika is a senior scientist and project lead in the group, specializing in CRISPR-based enhancement of stem cell-derived pancreatic islets. With a background in pharmacology, genome editing, and neuroscience, her work bridges fundamental research and translational science. She earned her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Latvia, focusing on neurodegenerative diseases, and completed a postdoc at UC Davis studying Angelman Syndrome. Her current goal is to integrate CRISPR advancements into organ-on-chip platforms to study cross-organ interaction. In her free time, Ulrika loves to explore new museums, restaurants and neighborhoods in Berlin and outside of it.
Postdocs
Dr. Alexis Shih
Contact: alexis.shih@mdc-berlin.de | +49 30 9406-1240
Alexis holds a B.Sc in Biochemistry from Imperial College London, UK and M.Sc in Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of British Columbia, Canada. In March 2024, she earned her PhD from Charité, where she investigated the trafficking pathways of the beta-cell hormone IAPP and islet amyloid formation using mouse models. Currently, as a postdoctoral researcher in the Sander lab, she focuses on modeling diabetes and islet amyloid pathology using human stem cell-derived islet organoids and contributes to projects that explore beta-cell heterogeneity and functional maturation. Outside the lab, she enjoys spending time with her family.
Dr. Somesh Sai
Contact: somesh.sai@mdc-berlin.de | +49 30 9406-1240
Somesh earned his PhD from Freie Universität Berlin in October 2024, focusing on β-cell responses to metabolic stress using scRNA-seq. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the group, working on single-cell projects and developing data analysis and management strategies. He holds an MSc in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics from ETH Zürich and a B.Tech in Bioinformatics from VIT University. Outside of the lab, he likes swimming, running and exploring the multitude of restaurants in Berlin.
Dr. Lennart Hoffmann
Contact: lennart.hoffmann@mdc-berlin.de
Lennart obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from Freie Universität Berlin in 2024. During his doctoral studies, he investigated the molecular connection between cancer cell migration and cancer cell metabolism, identifying signaling mechanisms that link glycolytic flux to cytoskeletal dynamics. He joined the Sander lab as a postdoctoral researcher in February 2025 to study β-cell metabolism and explore the role of β-cell subtypes in the pathogenesis of Type-2 Diabetes using stem cell-derived islet organoids. Outside the lab, he enjoys exploring culture, learning new languages, and staying active through sports.
PhD Students
Snigdha Nadagouda
Contact: snigdha.nadagouda@mdc-berlin.de
Snigdha is interested in exploring how the post-translational modifications linked to cellular metabolism of embryonic stem cell- derived pancreatic beta cells regulate their function. She studies these processes with the help of proteomics and metabolomics, live-cell imaging, and other experimental approaches. Snigdha pursued her BSc and MSc in Microbiology at the Pune University, India, followed by a brief Junior Research Fellowship at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India, before joining the MDC for her PhD. Outside work, you’ll find her reading fiction, walking around the city or trying new activities.
Dinc Yasat Hacibaloglu
Contact: yasat.hacibaloglu@mdc-berlin.de
Yasat has a Bachelor's Degree in Bioengineering from Marmara University, Turkey and a Master's Degree in Molecular Biosciences from Heidelberg University. He is interested in the molecular signatures of pancreatic islet cells. Using single-cell proteomics, he explores the functional identity of human and embryonic stem-cell derived islet cells, and benchmark the changes they go through during metabolic stress.
In his free time, Yasat enjoys swimming, reading about science history and gardening.
Till Janotte
Contact: till.janotte@mdc-berlin.de
Till holds a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and earned an MSc in Biomedicine from Hannover Medical School, with a focus on genetic modification and differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Currently pursuing a PhD, his research centers on developing a differentiation protocol for intestinal organoids. He aims to use stem cell-derived intestinal models to study organ-to-organ interactions with stem cell-derived pancreatic tissue in an organ-on-chip system. Outside the lab, he enjoys exploring Berlin, reading, playing volleyball, and connecting with new people—especially within the international community at MDC.
Malcolm Lennart Hain
Contact: MalcolmLennart.Hain@mdc-berlin.de
Malcolm is a trained Biochemist with a Bachelor's and Master's degree obtained from Freie Universität Berlin. Following up on his research on the optogenetic induction of protein expression in early-stage Parkinson's Disease models, he is continuing to work on Parkinson's Disease with a focus on microscopy and biochemistry: Studying interorgan crosstalk between the pancreas and the brain in a dual-pathology of Type-2 Diabetes and Parkinson's Disease, he is specifically interested in utilizing organoid models to monitor how disease-associated intrinsically disordered proteins contribute to disease onset and progression.
Technicians
Michael Schlichting
Contact: michael.schlichting@mdc-berlin.de | +49 30 9406-3182
Michael earned his bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Emory University in May 2000. After establishing a career in the finance and technology sectors, he transitioned to scientific research, joining the Sander Lab in 2017. He applies his technical expertise to study pancreatic beta cell development and dysfunction using stem cell models. Outside the lab, Michael enjoys swimming, cycling around Berlin, and playing the occasional video games.
Antje Susan Brouwer-Lehmitz
Contact: Antje.Brouwer@mdc-berlin.de | +49 30 9406-3182
After graduating in Biochemistry at HU Berlin, Antje got involved in the field of Developmental Biology at the Hubrecht Institute, The Netherlands (1991). At that time, she started working with embryonic stem cells, which were mainly used to knock out genes in mice. From her time at the MPI-MG in Berlin (2005), she gained first experience with culturing intestinal organoids and has been excited by the potential of stem cells ever since. At the MDC (2011), she continued working with these cells and differentiating them into organoids. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and like to be outside, working in her garden or cycling.
Madlen Kramer
Contact: Madlen.Kramer@mdc-berlin.de | +49 30 9406-3181
Madlen holds a B.Sc. in Biology and M.Sc in Developmental, Behavioral, Neuronal Biology from University of Göttingen. She has a passion for hands-on lab work and has been working at the MDC since 2016. During this time she gained a lot of experience in daily lab routines and animal experimental work. In her free time she likes to spend time with her family. She enjoys crafting, baking and other creative things.
Graduate & Undergraduate Students
Deborah-Elischeva Kogan
Contact: Deborah-Elischeva.Kogan@mdc-berlin.de
Deborah is a passionate and versatile person with a strong background in biotechnology and the arts. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology at the Technical University of Berlin, conducting her thesis at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment on intestinal organoids. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s in Medical Biotechnology at TU Berlin, focusing on enhancing the maturation of stem cell-derived pancreatic islets through a CRISPR-screen at the Sander Lab. For the past 13 years, she has immersed herself in analog photography, developing extensive darkroom and photo lab skills. Three years ago, she launched her own business specializing in analog photography. In her free time, she enjoys playing musical instruments, singing in a choir, and staying active through climbing, yoga, fitness, and much more.
Seif Elgewily
Contact: SeifeldinMohamed.Elgewily@mdc-berlin.de
Seif earned his Bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport (AAST), Alexandria, Egypt, in 2023. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Pharmaceutical Research at Freie Universität Berlin. He is undertaking his internship and thesis research in the Sander lab, focusing on gene editing techniques to induce mutations in differentiated beta cell like induced human pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). His research aims to establish diabetes models for deeper investigation and potential therapeutic advancements. Outside the lab, Seif is a football enthusiast who enjoys watching and playing the sport as well as exploring new destinations.
Alumni
Araceli Ramirez
Technician
Associate Scientist,
BrainXell Therapeutics,
San Diego, USA
BrainXell Therapeutics,
San Diego, USA
M.Sc. Satnam Singh
Graduate Student
PhD, Fraunhofer IZI,
Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig, Germany
M.Sc. Annika Wuddel
Graduate Student
Luka Ugulava
Undergraduate Student
M.Sc.,
International Master's Program Molecular Medicine
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
International Master's Program Molecular Medicine
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
Sheila Dos Santos Ramos
Graduate Student
Research
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronically elevated blood glucose levels due to insufficient insulin production, impaired insulin signaling, or both. Insulin, secreted by pancreatic β cells, regulates glucose uptake and promotes anabolic processes in key metabolic tissues such as muscle, adipose, and liver. Current treatments rely on exogenous insulin or pharmacological strategies to boost insulin secretion and signaling. Pancreatic islet transplantation can restore glucose-responsive insulin production and reduce dependence on external insulin, but its broader use is limited by donor scarcity and the need for lifelong immunosuppression. An emerging alternative is the generation of pancreatic islet-like clusters from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), which holds great promise both as a cell replacement therapy and as a model to study diabetes mechanisms in vitro.
Our lab aims to:
- improve the quality of stem cell-derived islet β cells for cell therapy &
- understand the mechanisms underlying diabetes with stem-cell derived islets.
We do this using a truly interdisciplinary approach, combining wet lab and computational approaches with islet organoids, primary human islets and genetic mouse models.
Our Research Themes
Publications
News
Socials
Lab Retreat 2025
Group Dinners & Outings
Opportunities
Post-doctoral Fellows
We welcome post-doctoral fellows who have a strong interest and/or prior training in stem cell, computational, beta cell or cancer biology.
To apply for a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory, please send the following information to Dr. Maike Sander (maike.sander (at) mdc-berlin.de):
- A detailed curriculum vitae
- Names and contact information of 3 references
PhD Candidates
Students interested in applying for a PhD position in our group should apply through the MDC Graduate Program:
Apply for a PhD
Next recruitment round: Spring 2026
/phd
We accept rolling applications for self funded PhD students (i.e. with scholarships). Please send the following information to Dr. Ulrika Beitnere (ulrika.beitnere (at) mdc-berlin.de):
- A detailed curriculum vitae
- Why you are interested in the lab and your training goals
Bachelor / Master students
To apply for an internship or a research stay, please e-mail Dr. Ulrika Beitnere (ulrika.beitnere (at) mdc-berlin.de) with a few sentences describing your background and research interest.