Volker M. Lauschke (V.M.L.) is Associate Professor and group leader in Personalized Medicine and Drug Development (since 2017), as well as Director of the Micro- and Nanoengineering Facility at Karolinska Institutet (KI), Stockholm, Sweden and Deputy Head of the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology (IKP) in Stuttgart, Germany (since 2021).
His research group integrates 3D cell culture systems of primary human cells, microfluidics and comprehensive molecular profiling technologies to discover novel therapeutic strategies for inflammatory conditions (NASH), infectious diseases (COVID-19 and hemorrhagic fevers) and complex metabolic diseases (type 2 diabetes). In addition, the group uses population-scale genetics and machine learning tools to map the ethnogeographic variability in genes involved in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, as well as drug targets with a specific focus on the contribution that rare genetic variations play in drug response and toxicity and how this information can improve personalized medicine and precision public health.
V.M.L. has authored over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is the recipient of multiple awards in the area of genetics, pharmacology and drug discovery, including the Malin and Lennart Philipson Prize 2016 and the AAPS High Impact Award 2020. Besides his academic work, he is co-founder and CEO of HepaPredict AB, a biotech company offering 3D human liver models for drug discovery and development, as well as co-founder and CSO of PersoMedix AB, offering services for personalized drug response predictions.