Dr. Clemens Sauter

Postdoc

Clemens studied Biological Sciences (B.Sc. and M.Sc.) at the University of Konstanz, including a semester abroad at the University of Connecticut, USA. After early work on learning and memory in Drosophila, he turned to human in vitro models for his Master's thesis, generating and characterizing human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-derived neuronal networks in 3D-printed hydrogel scaffolds.
In 2020 he began his PhD at the University of Tübingen on axonal vulnerability in hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG4). Working with compartmentalized iPSC-derived cortical neuron cultures, he combined axon-resolved data independent acquisition (DIA) proteomics, microelectrode array (MEA)-based electrophysiology and quantitative outgrowth analysis to resolve disease mechanisms at the level of the axon.

Clemens joined the MicroOrganoLab in 2026 as a postdoctoral researcher, working on neuro microphysiological systems (NeuroMPS) in collaboration with Dr. Julia Rogal's group at the Institute of Neuroanatomy and Developmental Biology, University of Tübingen. His work centers on 3D neuronal-glial cultures on chip with integrated MEAs, which enables testing viral vector tools for cell type-specific gene perturbation in Parkinson's disease, linking gene modulation to electrophysiological, imaging and molecular readouts.

Outside the lab, Clemens can be found hiking in the mountains, on the hunt for good food or at a music festival with friends.