2003–2009 Ph.D., Max–Planck–Institute of Neurobiology, Munich
1998–2003 Bachelor of Science, Bilkent University, Ankara
Employer(s)
2019–current Director, Helmholtz Munich, Institute for Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine
Known for
Developing and combining unbiased & scalable technologies for better diagnostics and therapeutics, in particular DISCO whole organ/organism imaging.
Ali Maximilian Ertürk (born September 1980) is a neuroscientist, inventor, and artist living in Munich, Germany. He is the director of a new Helmholtz Institute on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM) in Munich since July 2019 and professor at the medical faculty.[1] After his undergraduate study at Bilkent University in Ankara, he joined Max-Planck-Institute for Neurobiology for his PhD and Genentech Inc. for postdoctoral research.
His is known for invention of DISCO tissue transparency technology and deep learning based analysis of large 3D images in biomedicine.[2][3][4][5][6][7] The methods collectively target to analyze cellular and molecular details of whole organs and bodies.[8][9][10] Ertürk is full (W3) Professor of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich[11] and affiliated also with the University of Rochester.[12] He also founded 2 biotechnology companies (Deep Piction and 1X1 Biotech) in 2022 with the aim of creating novel therapies to treat life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and heart conditions.
Honors and awards
1998–2003 Full education scholarship awarded by Bilkent University[13]
Ali Ertürk is founder of 2 biotechnology companies called Deep Piction and 1X1 Biotech. Deep Piction is a biotechnology company that combines biomedical research, artificial intelligence, engineering, and drug delivery methods to accelerate the development of new treatments for deadly diseases[26]
One of Deep Piction's primary aims is to develop new methods to deliver drugs directly to correct cellular targets. By using AI to identify specific targets and design drug delivery systems, the company hopes to improve the efficacy and safety of new treatments. Additionally, Deep Piction is committed to reducing the use of animals in research by moving towards in silico models.
1X1 Biotech is another biotechnology company that uses AI to accelerate drug development. The company's mission is to discover and develop new treatments for diseases with high unmet medical needs, such as cancer and rare genetic disorders. 1X1 Biotech's approach combines machine learning, network biology, and high-throughput screening to identify promising drug candidates and optimize their efficacy.[27][28]
One of 1X1 Biotech's primary aims is to improve the success rates of clinical trials by identifying biomarkers and patient subpopulations that are most likely to respond to a given treatment. By using AI to analyze large amounts of data from clinical trials, the company hopes to improve the precision of drug development and bring new treatments to patients faster.[citation needed]
Art life
Ali Ertürk is also known for his landscape and cityscapes photographs.[29][30][31] He had photo art 3 exhibitions (2008 Munich, 2012 San Francisco, 2015 Munich).[32]
