Welcome to the Mayer Lab
Systemic Cellular Neurobiology
The mammalian brain is a highly complex and spatially heterogeneous structure, which has changed significantly during the evolution of modern humans.
Recent progress in stem cell biology has allowed us to model human brain development in a dish using so-called brain organoids, 3-dimensional tissue cultures deriving from stem cells. Organoids provide us with unprecedented access to study human-specific features of brain development, which are normally hidden in utero.
We use organoid models to understand how brain diseases emerge at the cellular and molecular level. To do so, we either expose organoids to adverse environmental factors or genetically modify them so they represent genetically caused neurodevelopmental disorders. Our goal is to develop prevention and treatment strategies for neurodevelopmental disorders.
In addition to Zoology, we are affiliated with the Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems – Functional Molecular Systems (IBCS-FMS).
We are proud to share our latest publication that identifies additional structural variants in KOLF2.1J iPSCs. We showed that, despite preserved forebrain organoid cell-type composition, gene expression and synapse-related processes were altered, highlighting the importance of genetic characterization and multi-line validation.
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Branco L, Yentür Z, Yang MJ, Balachandran P, Sedov K, Kumar G, Zafar F, Kagermeier T, Sarieva K, Becker K, Skarnes WC, Schüle B, Mayer S, Beck CR. Characterization of structural variants in KOLF2.1J iPSCs and their potential impact on forebrain organoid differentiation. Stem Cell Reports. 2026
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