Carsten Saft

Carsten Saft (born 26 October 1965 in Minden, West Germany) is a German neurologist and neuroscientist specializing in neurodegenerative diseases and neurogenetics, particularly Huntington's disease.

Early life and education Saft studied human medicine from 1988 to 1996 at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster, including a study period in Philadelphia in the United States. In 1997 Saft received his Doctor of Medicine (Dr. med.) degree at Münster under Prof. Erwin-Josef Speckmann with a dissertation on the anti-epileptic effects of inorganic calcium antagonists on guinea pig hippocampal slices; he graduated summa cum laude and was awarded the University of Münster's dissertation prize for this work. He continues to lead this center, which provides specialized inpatient and outpatient care for Huntington's disease patients and their families. In 2007, after completing his habilitation in neurology at Ruhr University Bochum, Saft has also served as specialist for movement disorders at St. Josef Hospital, overseeing clinical services for Parkinson's and other movement disorder patients alongside Huntington's disease care. functional MRI and event-related potentials as well as peripheral pathology, pathophysiology His lab mainly investigates the role of neuroimmunological prozesses in Huntington's disease. Moreover he is an expert in the differential diagnosis of different chorea forms. The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2019, were hailed as a milestone in Huntington's research, although Saft cautioned patients about maintaining realistic expectations until larger trials could prove clinical benefit. In addition, Saft was the lead author of the German clinical guidelines on Huntington's disease (Chorea Huntington) in 2010, and he oversaw their subsequent updates in 2017 and 2022 in conjunction with the German Neurological Society (DGN). These consensus guidelines provided recommendations on diagnosis and management of Huntington's disease, including genetic testing protocols and symptom-directed treatments, and have been disseminated to physicians in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Saft also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Huntington's Disease and has been an editorial reviewer for other neurology journals, He is also a member of the Huntington Foundation in Germany and has served on its Board of Trustees (Stiftungsrat) in 2013 to 2024, where he helps guide and fund research and support projects. In this capacity, he contributes to Europe-wide standards of care and case discussions for chorea and Huntington's disease patients.

Saft has also been active in scientific societies. He is a member of the German Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society (DPG), the German Society of Neurogenetics and the German Neurological Society (DGN), through which he was appointed to lead the guideline committees for Huntington's disease as noted above. His leadership in developing national guidelines and participating in expert panels has been recognized as helping to improve the quality of care for Huntington's disease in Germany.

Musical career Outside of medicine, Carsten Saft is a passionate jazz and fusion musician. He plays in a jazz-fusion ensemble named “You Probably”, a project he formed together with Irish-born blues musician Matt Walsh (sax, trompet, trombone), German drummer Bernd Rath, and the bassist known as “Andreoid”, followed by Max Willers. Saft contributed as a guitarist and composer to the group’s debut album Don’t, which was released in late 2023. The album, credited to “You Probably – A Matt Walsh, Bernd Rath, Andreoid and Carsten Saft Project,” features twelve tracks blending elements of jazz, blues, and progressive rock, and was made available on streaming platforms in December 2023. In October 2025 a second album entitled Dance followed. Saft had been active in music since his youth and often performed in local jazz bands during his university years, though 2023 and 2025 releases marked his first professional recordings. In interviews, he has mentioned music as an important creative outlet that complements his scientific work, providing balance and a different form of expression.

Personal life Saft lives in Bochum, Germany. He has one daughter (born c.2005). His father, Jürgen Saft (born 1943), was a public servant and later a trade union official. Jürgen Saft was also involved in local politics as a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD): he served on the district council (Kreistag) of Minden-Lübbecke from 1997 to 2009. He was also a member of the SPD Party Council ("SPD Parteirat") and a candidate for the first European Parliament in 1979. Carsten Saft credits his family background for instilling in him a strong sense of social responsibility; he has noted that seeing his father's community engagement influenced his own commitment to patient advocacy in his career.