Kobi Koffler

Dr. Koffler is an assistant professor of neurosciences and the head of the Neural Engineering lab at the Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego.

His lab study axonal regeneration after traumatic injury such as spinal cord or peripheral nerve injuries. His team is using interdisciplinary approaches to promote and enhance regeneration such as systems neuroscience, tissue engineering, 3D-printing, biomaterials, stem cells, and drug delivery to create biomimetic devices that are implanted in the injury site and integrate with the host to guide regeneration.

Dr. Koffler is interested in understanding basic mechanisms that support regeneration, e.g. the role of Schwann cells in peripheral nerve regeneration, angiogenesis and regeneration, or axons response to various biomaterials. Those insights are then used when fabricating bioengineered scaffolds to enhance their functionality.

The research programs in Dr. Koffler’s lab range from feasibility studies in rodents to preclinical studies in large animal models aiming to improve patients’ lives.