Current positions:
Professor of Pharmacology
Chairman Department of Pharmacology and Personalised Medicine
Pharmacology and Personalised Medicine School for Mental Health & Neuroscience
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Education and Training:
- B.Pharm.Sci., University of Munich (1983).
- MBBS, Free University of Berlin (1987).
- Dr. med., University of Freiburg (1987).
- Habilitation in Pharmacology, University of Würzburg (1995).
- Board‑certified in pharmacology/toxicology and pharmaceutical analytics.
Work Experience:
- Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Würzburg.
- Professor and Head, Rudolf‑Buchheim‑Institute of Pharmacology, Justus‑Liebig University Gießen.
- Professor and Head, Department of Pharmacology, Monash University, Melbourne; Director, Centre for Vascular Health.
- Since 2010: Chair of Pharmacology and Personalized Medicine, Maastricht University; PI at the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht and board member of the Institute of Advanced Studies.
Scientific Expertise:
- Cardiovascular Pharmacology.
- Nitric oxide / cGMP signalling and soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC).
- NADPH oxidases and oxidative stress in vascular disease and stroke.
- Development of NO‑independent sGC stimulators and activators.
Methodological Expertise:
- Preclinical models of vascular and cerebrovascular disease.
- Translational research from mechanistic studies to advanced clinical trials.
Leadership and Entrepreneurship:
- Founder of a drug discovery CRO (TransMIT GmbH, Gießen).
- Co‑founder and early‑stage CEO of Vasopharm GmbH, advancing a first‑in‑class compound to phase III.
Research Activities
Main Research Areas:
1. NO/sGC/cGMP Signalling and Oxidative Stress
- Pathophysiological roles of NO and sGC in vascular disease and stroke.
2. Novel Pharmacological Targets
- Discovery and development of sGC stimulators/activators as new therapeutic options.
3. Personalized Medicine Approaches
- Biomarker‑based stratification of patients to optimise treatment benefit.
- Academic positions and collaborations across Germany, the USA and Australia; strong engagement in European and international societies.
Patents / Clinical Trials:
- Co‑inventor on 14 patents.
- Major competitive funding (ERC Advanced Grant, DFG collaborative centres, COST Actions, multi‑partner consortia).
- Direct involvement in clinical development programmes up to phase III.
- About 240 peer‑reviewed publications in leading journals (Cell, Science, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, PNAS).
- H‑index: 96; three books and many highly cited reviews.
- Multiple major awards and fellowships (Roche, Phoenix, Pro Scientia, German Society for Cell Biology, Stifterverband, DFG).