Organoids are mini-organs that can be obtained from stem cells or patient cells in 3D cell cultures. This allows organ-specific and disease-specific organoids to be derived and used for basic research.
What fascinates Anna Dowbaj most about her field?
“Organoids are still a relatively new and evolving field of research, which so far focused mostly on recapitulating biology and pathobiology in a dish. Now, I am excited not only to build the models but also to use the liver organoid models I helped developing to study cell-cell communication. I hope that by understanding the molecular mechanisms of how cells talk to one another can help us improve treatment of liver aging and disease.”
What does Anna Dowbaj particularly look forward to about her work at the TUM Campus in Freising?
“My position is an interesting one, because while I am appointed at the School of Life Sciences in Weihenstephan, my lab is going to be located exclusively at the new Center for Organoid Systems (COS) in Garching. I am looking forward to the collaborations between COS organoid groups and the different TUM schools”, says Anna Dowbaj.
“It will be very exciting to connect my research with the School of Natural Sciences on the Garching campus, with the School of Life Sciences in Freising and with the Klinikum ‘Rechts der Isar’ and TranslaTUM in the centre of Munich, in addition to national and international collaborations. I am curious what the research combination of all the faculties will bring. I am also very much looking forward to interacting with students both at lectures and when they join research in my lab.”
About Anna Dowbaj: She studied Molecular Genetics at the University of Edinburgh and later completed her PhD in cell biology at the Francis Crick Institute and UCL, London. Her postdoctoral research was conducted at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden. In June 2025, Anna Dowbaj was appointed to the professorship for Integrated Organoid Systems (IntOS) at TUM School of Life Sciences. The professorship is located at the Center for Organoid Systems (COS) in Garching.