Dr. Eva Maria (Lilli) Brandtner was born in Bregenz, Austria, studied biology at the University of Innsbruck and completed her doctorate in the laboratory of Vice Rector Univ.-Prof. Dr. Peter Loidl. The focus of her thesis was basic research in the field of chromatin, epigenetics, and in particular histone modification. After her graduation to Doctor of Natural Sciences with specialisation in Biochemical Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in 2001, she chose a career in science.
She joined Austrianova in Vienna and spent 5 years on the successful development of viral vectors for gene therapy. In 2007, she moved to Asia’s biotec hub Singapore and became project manager for cell-based therapy of liver cancer at Austrianova. Soon after, she was promoted to Senior Scientist and oversaw a number of cell encapsulation projects. In 2010, she became Chief Scientist of Austrianova and was in charge of all the company’s ongoing encapsulation projects in the area of medicine and biotechnology. During this time, she was involved in multiple pre-clinical studies, for instance the encapsulation of insulin producing cells for cell-based treatment of type 1 diabetes.
She made important contacts in a number of geographic as well as scientific areas and gained insight into the development of medical products including regulatory and business aspects.
Dr. Brandtner’s return to Austria in 2012 was supported by a Career Integration Grant, a Marie Curie Action and part of the 7thFramework Program of the European Commission. She spent several years leading an international consortium of scientists and industry partners from Europe, the US, Asia, and Australia who joined forces to develop a bio-artificial pancreas aimed at a functional cure of insulin-dependent diabetes.
Dr. Brandtner is author and co-author of a sizable number of publications in renowned scientific journals and has presented her results at national and international scientific conferences. Moreover, she was the editor and author of a book about the Bioencapsulation of Living Cells for Diverse Medical Applications. Her achievements as a scientist in a biotech company have materialised in two patents, one of which covers the encapsulation of beneficial gut bacteria. Dr. Brandtner is a member of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), the Austrian Diabetes Association (ÖDG), the European Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT), the European Pancreas and Islet Transplantation Association (EPITA) and its umbrella organisation, the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT), as well as the International Pancreas and Islet Transplantation Association (IPITA).
+4355723726582, lilli.brandtner@vivit.at