Dr Emile van den Akker graduated as a molecular biologist in 1999 (University of Groningen) and obtained his PhD in 2004 at Erasmus University Rotterdam on Epo and SCF signaling in erythropoiesis. After postdoctoral research in Paris and Bristol on transcriptional regulation and erythroblast differentiation, he became a principal investigator at Sanquin Research through an LSBR fellowship (2014). His work focuses on producing hematopoietic transplantation and transfusion products from iPSC and HSPC, including establishing an iPSC facility for disease modeling, gene editing, and advanced red blood cell production. His research supports donor‑independent cellular therapies, novel bioreactor‑based manufacturing methods, and clinical translation toward transfusing cultured RBCs into healthy volunteers as well as novel gene therapy curative modalities for inherited erythroid defects, like SCD or Thalassemia.
