Anna Falk
Director at Lund University Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Lund University
Reprogramming somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and directed differentiation opens up for studies on neural cells from patients. The Falk group is focusing on fundamental questions in early human neurogenesis. We build cellular models of the healthy and diseased human brain using reprogrammed patient cells. We derive patient specific iPS cells that are further differentiated into patient specific neuroepithelial stem (NES) cells or into 3D brain organoids. We use the cellular models to study proliferation, self-renewal, and differentiation potential as well as the maturation and function of derived neurons to uncover disease mechanisms. The Neural Stem Cells lab is also driving translational projects investigating the regenerative potential of iPS cell derived neural cells in preclinical models with the aim to create ATMPs to take iPS derived cell to clinic. We have derived one of few clinical compliant GMP iPS cell lines that we have banked in a master bank.
Seminars
- Leveraging multi‑year, multi‑site quality assessment rounds to generate empirical evidence that regulators can trust
- Identifying OCT3/4, TRA‑1‑60 and SSEA5 as robust, reproducible markers to support consistent release criteria
- Laying the foundation for interoperable iPSC banks that enable regulatory alignment, manufacturing scale‑up, and equitable global access
