DR. MARLEN LAUFFER

Marlen Lauffer, MD, is a senior researcher at the Dutch Center for RNA Therapeutics.

Marlen obtained a medical degree as well as a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the Technical University Munich. She then went on to do a master’s degree in Human Molecular Genetics at Imperial College London.

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Afterward, she worked in research laboratories at the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam and the University Medical Center in Cologne. She further received clinical training in medical genetics at the Institute of Human Genetics in Cologne. Marlen has been studying rare neurological disorders for over a decade.

 

In autumn 2021, she joined the Dutch Center for RNA Therapeutics which is focused on developing individualized genetic therapies for patients with rare neurological disorders. At the DCRT, she is responsible for assessing patient cases and determining the eligibility towards a genetic therapy.

 

She further oversees the development of genetic treatments in the laboratory, supervising PhD candidates and research technicians. Marlen later became a member of the N=1 Collaborative, a global initiative to standardize N=1 therapy development globally and to deliver these therapies faster to individuals in need.

 

Within this collaborative, Marlen is leading the Patient Identification Working Group aimed at standardizing the identification of suitable candidates for genetic treatments and improving and accelerating the pathway from diagnosis to treatment.