Burbulla Lab

Translational Disease Modeling

Landscape portrait of Lena Burbulla.

© Jan Greune / LMU

Prof. Dr. Lena Burbulla

Translational Disease Modeling
Division of Biochemistry

+49 89 4400 46493
lena.burbulla@med.uni-muenchen.de

Research Topics

  • Neurodegeneration
  • Parkinson's disease and Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA) disorders
  • Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), dopaminergic neurons, astrocytes and microglia
  • Dopamine metabolism and oxidative stress

The Burbulla lab aims to investigate underlying mechanisms of dopaminergic neuron degeneration in Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. We are interested in understanding the complexity of dopamine metabolism in pathology, specifically interactions between dopamine, iron and (mitochondrial) oxidant stress. Our work combines a portfolio of diverse techniques including iPSC culture, subsequent differentiation into disease-relevant cell types (midbrain dopaminergic neurons, astrocytes, microglia), biochemical and cellular assays, integrated multi-omics analyses, and HPLC-ECD. Our ultimate goal is to unravel novel targets for therapeutic intervention. Read more...

Scientific vita

since 2021
Associate Professor (since 02/2022 Heisenberg Professor) of the Dept. Metabolic Biochemistry, Biomedical Center, LMU Munich
since 2021
Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA
2018-2021
Research Assistant Professor at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA
2013-2018
Postdoctoral researcher at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA
2012-2013
Postdoctoral researcher at the MGH, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA (lab relocated to Chicago)
2012
PhD in Biology at the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen