Ali Maximilian Erturk
@erturklab.bsky.social
AI and tissue clearing-based technologies for health.
Director at Helmholtz Munich, Full professor at LMU Munich, and CEO of Deep Piction (@deeppiction.bsky.social)
We’re🇩🇪🇹🇷🇭🇷🇨🇳🇮🇹🇮🇳🇸🇮🇴🇲🇨🇱🇭🇺🇧🇬🇺🇦🇷🇴🇦🇹🇹🇼🏳🌈
Director at Helmholtz Munich, Full professor at LMU Munich, and CEO of Deep Piction (@deeppiction.bsky.social)
We’re🇩🇪🇹🇷🇭🇷🇨🇳🇮🇹🇮🇳🇸🇮🇴🇲🇨🇱🇭🇺🇧🇬🇺🇦🇷🇴🇦🇹🇹🇼🏳🌈
We are introducing LipiGo 🤗
A programmable DNA–lipid nanocarrier 🧬 with built-in targeting logic. It de-targets the liver and redirects mRNA delivery into lymphoid organs, enhancing therapies requiring the immune system. Precision delivery at the cell level isn't far! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A programmable DNA–lipid nanocarrier 🧬 with built-in targeting logic. It de-targets the liver and redirects mRNA delivery into lymphoid organs, enhancing therapies requiring the immune system. Precision delivery at the cell level isn't far! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 4, 2025 at 1:55 PM
We are introducing LipiGo 🤗
A programmable DNA–lipid nanocarrier 🧬 with built-in targeting logic. It de-targets the liver and redirects mRNA delivery into lymphoid organs, enhancing therapies requiring the immune system. Precision delivery at the cell level isn't far! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A programmable DNA–lipid nanocarrier 🧬 with built-in targeting logic. It de-targets the liver and redirects mRNA delivery into lymphoid organs, enhancing therapies requiring the immune system. Precision delivery at the cell level isn't far! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Ali Maximilian Erturk
New pre-print from our lab (@erturklab.bsky.social)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Skeetorial to follow, but check it out now if you are interested in targeted drug delivery
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Skeetorial to follow, but check it out now if you are interested in targeted drug delivery
LipiGo: A Versatile DNA-Lipid Nanoparticle Hybrid for Precision Drug Delivery
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are established carriers for nucleic acid delivery, however, achieving efficient delivery to non-hepatic tissues remains a major challenge. Here, we present LipiGo, a nanoca...
www.biorxiv.org
September 19, 2025 at 9:25 AM
New pre-print from our lab (@erturklab.bsky.social)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Skeetorial to follow, but check it out now if you are interested in targeted drug delivery
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Skeetorial to follow, but check it out now if you are interested in targeted drug delivery
Your Brilliant Idea Won't Get You a PI Position
As scientists, we are passionate about our research and great ideas. But this is a dream that rarely gets you hired.
1/9
As scientists, we are passionate about our research and great ideas. But this is a dream that rarely gets you hired.
1/9
September 17, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Your Brilliant Idea Won't Get You a PI Position
As scientists, we are passionate about our research and great ideas. But this is a dream that rarely gets you hired.
1/9
As scientists, we are passionate about our research and great ideas. But this is a dream that rarely gets you hired.
1/9
We discovered that the skull bone marrow has direct connections to the brain surface & mirrors brain inflammation, making it a new site for diagnosing & monitoring brain pathologies.
Kolabas…Ertürk, Cell (2023):
www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S00...
Our Tech: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
bit.ly/3PQuymm
Kolabas…Ertürk, Cell (2023):
www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S00...
Our Tech: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
bit.ly/3PQuymm
August 13, 2025 at 11:04 AM
We discovered that the skull bone marrow has direct connections to the brain surface & mirrors brain inflammation, making it a new site for diagnosing & monitoring brain pathologies.
Kolabas…Ertürk, Cell (2023):
www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S00...
Our Tech: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
bit.ly/3PQuymm
Kolabas…Ertürk, Cell (2023):
www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S00...
Our Tech: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
bit.ly/3PQuymm
We developed MouseMapper AI, a deep learning ensemble for the analysis of whole-body systems, including the nervous and immune systems, to map disease/drug perturbations tissue by tissue, organ by organ, at the cellular level in 3D.
biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
July 30, 2025 at 9:15 PM
We developed MouseMapper AI, a deep learning ensemble for the analysis of whole-body systems, including the nervous and immune systems, to map disease/drug perturbations tissue by tissue, organ by organ, at the cellular level in 3D.
biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Don’t Be Afraid to Use AI Tools: Learn How to Utilize Them to Drive Innovation
Many people are concerned about using AI tools in science. They say it hallucinates or that using it is cheating.
I disagree. I think these fears focus on the wrong thing and discourage many.
1/10
Many people are concerned about using AI tools in science. They say it hallucinates or that using it is cheating.
I disagree. I think these fears focus on the wrong thing and discourage many.
1/10
July 1, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Don’t Be Afraid to Use AI Tools: Learn How to Utilize Them to Drive Innovation
Many people are concerned about using AI tools in science. They say it hallucinates or that using it is cheating.
I disagree. I think these fears focus on the wrong thing and discourage many.
1/10
Many people are concerned about using AI tools in science. They say it hallucinates or that using it is cheating.
I disagree. I think these fears focus on the wrong thing and discourage many.
1/10
BIG NEWS:
As the CEO, I am thrilled to announce the closure of our seed financing round for Deep Piction.
👉🏻https://bit.ly/3TnFpXq
Our vision is to bring the fastest and most precise therapeutics to millions using our transparency and AI technology platform.
As the CEO, I am thrilled to announce the closure of our seed financing round for Deep Piction.
👉🏻https://bit.ly/3TnFpXq
Our vision is to bring the fastest and most precise therapeutics to millions using our transparency and AI technology platform.
June 12, 2025 at 8:15 PM
BIG NEWS:
As the CEO, I am thrilled to announce the closure of our seed financing round for Deep Piction.
👉🏻https://bit.ly/3TnFpXq
Our vision is to bring the fastest and most precise therapeutics to millions using our transparency and AI technology platform.
As the CEO, I am thrilled to announce the closure of our seed financing round for Deep Piction.
👉🏻https://bit.ly/3TnFpXq
Our vision is to bring the fastest and most precise therapeutics to millions using our transparency and AI technology platform.
Failure is Inevitable: How to Build a Resilient Lab Culture
In my last posts, I shared my experiences with building a team and focusing. When you look from the outside, you might see a story of quick, impactful papers and major grants.
But that’s only half the story.
1/11
In my last posts, I shared my experiences with building a team and focusing. When you look from the outside, you might see a story of quick, impactful papers and major grants.
But that’s only half the story.
1/11
June 11, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Failure is Inevitable: How to Build a Resilient Lab Culture
In my last posts, I shared my experiences with building a team and focusing. When you look from the outside, you might see a story of quick, impactful papers and major grants.
But that’s only half the story.
1/11
In my last posts, I shared my experiences with building a team and focusing. When you look from the outside, you might see a story of quick, impactful papers and major grants.
But that’s only half the story.
1/11
The importance of focusing on 1-2 projects as a starting PI.
Something that might sound crazy: when I finished my postdoc, I didn't have a job lined up. No position, no safety net.
As the academic job market is brutal, taking time off before securing my next position felt like career suicide.
1/10
Something that might sound crazy: when I finished my postdoc, I didn't have a job lined up. No position, no safety net.
As the academic job market is brutal, taking time off before securing my next position felt like career suicide.
1/10
June 9, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The importance of focusing on 1-2 projects as a starting PI.
Something that might sound crazy: when I finished my postdoc, I didn't have a job lined up. No position, no safety net.
As the academic job market is brutal, taking time off before securing my next position felt like career suicide.
1/10
Something that might sound crazy: when I finished my postdoc, I didn't have a job lined up. No position, no safety net.
As the academic job market is brutal, taking time off before securing my next position felt like career suicide.
1/10
Post 1:
𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐨.
When I posted my first position, not surprisingly, I wasn't known as a young PI. Yet I received over 250 applications for that single position.
How? 🧵
𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐨.
When I posted my first position, not surprisingly, I wasn't known as a young PI. Yet I received over 250 applications for that single position.
How? 🧵
June 2, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Post 1:
𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐨.
When I posted my first position, not surprisingly, I wasn't known as a young PI. Yet I received over 250 applications for that single position.
How? 🧵
𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐨.
When I posted my first position, not surprisingly, I wasn't known as a young PI. Yet I received over 250 applications for that single position.
How? 🧵
Our Nature Biotech paper hit 225K+ accesses in 3 months! 🤩
7 first authors from computer science, biology & chemistry prove that great science is teamwork. We combined AI & imaging to visualize single cells across whole organisms.
Team synergy > individual brilliance. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
7 first authors from computer science, biology & chemistry prove that great science is teamwork. We combined AI & imaging to visualize single cells across whole organisms.
Team synergy > individual brilliance. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
April 22, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Our Nature Biotech paper hit 225K+ accesses in 3 months! 🤩
7 first authors from computer science, biology & chemistry prove that great science is teamwork. We combined AI & imaging to visualize single cells across whole organisms.
Team synergy > individual brilliance. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
7 first authors from computer science, biology & chemistry prove that great science is teamwork. We combined AI & imaging to visualize single cells across whole organisms.
Team synergy > individual brilliance. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We build some of the most advanced AI for biomedical research, leveraging unique data and algorithms to drive precision medicine at scale. People ask if AI will replace humans. It isn’t about idea generation—it’s about selecting and implementing the right ideas with minimal effort & maximum impact.
March 18, 2025 at 3:27 PM
We build some of the most advanced AI for biomedical research, leveraging unique data and algorithms to drive precision medicine at scale. People ask if AI will replace humans. It isn’t about idea generation—it’s about selecting and implementing the right ideas with minimal effort & maximum impact.
Germany’s Science Minister @cem_oezdemir is spot on—we must welcome top scientific talent, especially as the US’s political attitude toward scientists shifts. Many exciting AI & biotech roles opening soon at our biotech @deeppiction.bsky.social. @danyalbayaz.bsky.social www.n-tv.de/politik/Grue...
"Ziel der Trump-Regierung ist ein Regime Change - auch in Deutschland"
Die Trump-Regierung streicht Forschungsmittel, die Stimmung in den USA kippt. "Sollten die Amerikaner ihre besten Wissenschaftler verprellen, müssen wir das für uns nutzen", appelliert Cem Özdemir, Bu...
www.n-tv.de
March 1, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Germany’s Science Minister @cem_oezdemir is spot on—we must welcome top scientific talent, especially as the US’s political attitude toward scientists shifts. Many exciting AI & biotech roles opening soon at our biotech @deeppiction.bsky.social. @danyalbayaz.bsky.social www.n-tv.de/politik/Grue...
Reposted by Ali Maximilian Erturk
Want to know what we do at our startup Deep Piction? Check out our paper with Denali Therapeutics. Using our proprietary clearing & imaging technologies, we mapped the full targeting profile of brain-penetrating transport vehicles (ATVs) in whole mouse bodies and monkey brains. go.nature.com/3Xifva2
February 26, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Want to know what we do at our startup Deep Piction? Check out our paper with Denali Therapeutics. Using our proprietary clearing & imaging technologies, we mapped the full targeting profile of brain-penetrating transport vehicles (ATVs) in whole mouse bodies and monkey brains. go.nature.com/3Xifva2
Excited to share our latest work with Denali Therapeutics as Deep Piction. Using our proprietary clearing & imaging, we’ve mapped the full targeting profile of brain-penetrating transport vehicles (ATVs) in both whole mouse bodies and monkey brains. nature.com/articles/s41...
February 26, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Excited to share our latest work with Denali Therapeutics as Deep Piction. Using our proprietary clearing & imaging, we’ve mapped the full targeting profile of brain-penetrating transport vehicles (ATVs) in both whole mouse bodies and monkey brains. nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Ali Maximilian Erturk
Single Cell Precision Nanocarrier Identification tracks & quantifies targeted drug-delivery by nanocarriers at single-cell resolution
📹: @erturklab.bsky.social lab @www.helmholtz-munich.de
in @naturebiotech.bsky.social
➡️: bpod.org.uk/archive/2025...
📹: @erturklab.bsky.social lab @www.helmholtz-munich.de
in @naturebiotech.bsky.social
➡️: bpod.org.uk/archive/2025...
February 19, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Single Cell Precision Nanocarrier Identification tracks & quantifies targeted drug-delivery by nanocarriers at single-cell resolution
📹: @erturklab.bsky.social lab @www.helmholtz-munich.de
in @naturebiotech.bsky.social
➡️: bpod.org.uk/archive/2025...
📹: @erturklab.bsky.social lab @www.helmholtz-munich.de
in @naturebiotech.bsky.social
➡️: bpod.org.uk/archive/2025...
Reposted by Ali Maximilian Erturk
🌟Check out more about "SCP-Nano: A New Technology to Visualize Nanocarriers in Cells and Tissues" in our news:
t1p.de/muluc
@erturklab.bsky.social @naturebiotech.bsky.social @bpodaily.bsky.social
#HelmholtzMunich
t1p.de/muluc
@erturklab.bsky.social @naturebiotech.bsky.social @bpodaily.bsky.social
#HelmholtzMunich
Single Cell Precision Nanocarrier Identification tracks & quantifies targeted drug-delivery by nanocarriers at single-cell resolution
📹: @erturklab.bsky.social lab @www.helmholtz-munich.de
in @naturebiotech.bsky.social
➡️: bpod.org.uk/archive/2025...
📹: @erturklab.bsky.social lab @www.helmholtz-munich.de
in @naturebiotech.bsky.social
➡️: bpod.org.uk/archive/2025...
February 19, 2025 at 1:13 PM
🌟Check out more about "SCP-Nano: A New Technology to Visualize Nanocarriers in Cells and Tissues" in our news:
t1p.de/muluc
@erturklab.bsky.social @naturebiotech.bsky.social @bpodaily.bsky.social
#HelmholtzMunich
t1p.de/muluc
@erturklab.bsky.social @naturebiotech.bsky.social @bpodaily.bsky.social
#HelmholtzMunich
Reposted by Ali Maximilian Erturk
A fantastic new study in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social led by @erturklab.bsky.social reveals that SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein can accumulate in the brain for years, potentially contributing to #LongCOVID symptoms. Happy to see our 🦙 #sdAb ( #nanobody) as a key reagent here: doi.org/10.1016/j.ch...
February 7, 2025 at 11:04 AM
A fantastic new study in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social led by @erturklab.bsky.social reveals that SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein can accumulate in the brain for years, potentially contributing to #LongCOVID symptoms. Happy to see our 🦙 #sdAb ( #nanobody) as a key reagent here: doi.org/10.1016/j.ch...
See our recent @naturebiotech.bsky.social study SCP-Nano in flow! Mapping LNPs, AAVs, and DNA nanostructures to track targeting & unseen toxicity before clinical trials 🤩. Already >190K access, the most in recent years! 👇🏼 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 30, 2025 at 4:43 PM
See our recent @naturebiotech.bsky.social study SCP-Nano in flow! Mapping LNPs, AAVs, and DNA nanostructures to track targeting & unseen toxicity before clinical trials 🤩. Already >190K access, the most in recent years! 👇🏼 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Ali Maximilian Erturk
Ali Ertürk’s Journey in Transformative Biomedical Imaging
Prof. Ali Ertürk’s pioneering research is opening up new possibilities for #medicine & transforming how we understand & treat #diseases.
t1p.de/56w3i
@erturklab.bsky.social
Prof. Ali Ertürk’s pioneering research is opening up new possibilities for #medicine & transforming how we understand & treat #diseases.
t1p.de/56w3i
@erturklab.bsky.social
January 21, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Ali Ertürk’s Journey in Transformative Biomedical Imaging
Prof. Ali Ertürk’s pioneering research is opening up new possibilities for #medicine & transforming how we understand & treat #diseases.
t1p.de/56w3i
@erturklab.bsky.social
Prof. Ali Ertürk’s pioneering research is opening up new possibilities for #medicine & transforming how we understand & treat #diseases.
t1p.de/56w3i
@erturklab.bsky.social
🚀 Excited to share my journey in transformative tissue clearing for biomedical imaging! Our research at @HelmholtzMunich is making the invisible visible, unlocking new possibilities for medicine and AI-driven discoveries.
Ali Ertürk’s Journey in Transformative Biomedical Imaging
Prof. Ali Ertürk’s pioneering research is opening up new possibilities for #medicine & transforming how we understand & treat #diseases.
t1p.de/56w3i
@erturklab.bsky.social
Prof. Ali Ertürk’s pioneering research is opening up new possibilities for #medicine & transforming how we understand & treat #diseases.
t1p.de/56w3i
@erturklab.bsky.social
January 21, 2025 at 9:56 AM
🚀 Excited to share my journey in transformative tissue clearing for biomedical imaging! Our research at @HelmholtzMunich is making the invisible visible, unlocking new possibilities for medicine and AI-driven discoveries.
Reposted by Ali Maximilian Erturk
Imagine being able to visualize life-saving drugs or genetic therapies being delivered to the target cells without causing harmful side effects? Another amazing study from
@erturklab.bsky.social at @naturebiotech.bsky.social 🤩
@erturklab.bsky.social at @naturebiotech.bsky.social 🤩
January 15, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Imagine being able to visualize life-saving drugs or genetic therapies being delivered to the target cells without causing harmful side effects? Another amazing study from
@erturklab.bsky.social at @naturebiotech.bsky.social 🤩
@erturklab.bsky.social at @naturebiotech.bsky.social 🤩
Reposted by Ali Maximilian Erturk
As of today, the main finding of my PhD is published in the European Journal for Neuroscience! 🥳🥳
Together with Gesine Müller, we looked at hemispheric asymmetries in the mouse auditory cortex. We find layer, sex, and hemispheric differences: doi.org/10.1111/ejn....
🧵
Together with Gesine Müller, we looked at hemispheric asymmetries in the mouse auditory cortex. We find layer, sex, and hemispheric differences: doi.org/10.1111/ejn....
🧵
Hemispheric Asymmetry of Intracortical Myelin Orientation in the Mouse Auditory Cortex
We find that the right and left auditory cortex in mice are both organised in cortical columns, with asymmetric myelination in the different layers and differences between the sexes. In addition, the...
doi.org
January 20, 2025 at 3:40 PM
As of today, the main finding of my PhD is published in the European Journal for Neuroscience! 🥳🥳
Together with Gesine Müller, we looked at hemispheric asymmetries in the mouse auditory cortex. We find layer, sex, and hemispheric differences: doi.org/10.1111/ejn....
🧵
Together with Gesine Müller, we looked at hemispheric asymmetries in the mouse auditory cortex. We find layer, sex, and hemispheric differences: doi.org/10.1111/ejn....
🧵
Reposted by Ali Maximilian Erturk
Congratulations to the @erturklab.bsky.social lab for another big paper on nanoparticles, with some nice manual ground-truth segmentation created in syGlass.
Some pretty nice movies in supplemental materials, too! (Video speed set to 2X to accommodate Bluesky's 1 min limit)
Some pretty nice movies in supplemental materials, too! (Video speed set to 2X to accommodate Bluesky's 1 min limit)
January 14, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Congratulations to the @erturklab.bsky.social lab for another big paper on nanoparticles, with some nice manual ground-truth segmentation created in syGlass.
Some pretty nice movies in supplemental materials, too! (Video speed set to 2X to accommodate Bluesky's 1 min limit)
Some pretty nice movies in supplemental materials, too! (Video speed set to 2X to accommodate Bluesky's 1 min limit)
Reposted by Ali Maximilian Erturk
Very excited that this study led by @erturklab.bsky.social is finally out. Among deep insight into in vivo distribution of LNP and AAV (together with some unexpected effects), it shows how DNA origami nanoparticles distribute in organisms and can be targeted to cells. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Nanocarrier imaging at single-cell resolution across entire mouse bodies with deep learning - Nature Biotechnology
An integrated experimental and deep learning pipeline reveals cell-level targeting of nanocarriers in whole bodies.
www.nature.com
January 14, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Very excited that this study led by @erturklab.bsky.social is finally out. Among deep insight into in vivo distribution of LNP and AAV (together with some unexpected effects), it shows how DNA origami nanoparticles distribute in organisms and can be targeted to cells. www.nature.com/articles/s41...