EASD Annual Meeting 2025

Burcak Yesildag obtained her master’s degree in Biochemistry and her PhD degree in Translational Biomedicine from ETH Zurich, where she specialized in pancreatic islet biology. In 2015, Dr. Yesildag joined the InSphero team to establish the company as a strong contender in the field of diabetes research. Her team is facilitating the adoption of InSphero’s innovative platforms, based on primary or stem-cell derived human cells, by a broad scientific community around the world, aiming to support translation of new discoveries into much needed therapeutic interventions.

Ben Kodiyan holds a Master of Science in Biology with a major in Molecular Health Sciences from ETH Zurich and now applies his expertise as a Research Associate at InSphero. As part of the islet team, his work contributes to advancing innovative research solutions in the field of diabetes by leveraging InSphero’s 3D in vitro models. He is particularly involved in projects focused on beta cell proliferation and type 2 diabetes, with the goal of better understanding pancreatic islet biology and supporting the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Sayro Jawurek earned his master’s degree in Immunology at ETH Zurich and is currently pursuing his PhD at InSphero. His research is part of a Breakthrough T1D-funded project, conducted under the joint supervision of Dr. Burcak Yesildag (InSphero) and Prof. Decio L. Eizirik, MD (Université Libre de Bruxelles). His work focuses on elucidating the interplay between HLA-ABC and PD-L1 in Type 1 diabetes, aiming to uncover novel therapeutic strategies and contribute valuable insights to the broader scientific community.

Dr. Bärbel Ulmer, Director of Business Development for Europe at InSphero, Zürich, strives to blend scientific innovation in the field of 3D culture and stem cell research with commercial applications in drug discovery and toxicology. In her previous role as the Head of Tissue Engineering at DiNAQOR AG, she fast-tracked gene therapy solutions through human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and engineered heart tissue platforms. Her academic journey includes a PhD in Developmental Biology from the University of Hohenheim and Hebrew University, a postdoc at Cornell University and a lecturer position at the Institue of experimental Toxicology and Pharmakology at the Medical University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf.