Emmy Noether award for LMU stroke researcher

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Stroke and other blood vessel disorders in the brain can lead to huge impairments in the quality of life of patients and are one of the most common causes of death worldwide.

Dr. Marios Georgakis is a research group leader and clinician-scientist at the Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has awarded him two million euros in funding for his research through its Emmy Noether Programme. With the funds, Georgakis will investigate inflammation processes in blood vessels, which lead to the buildup of deposits, called atherosclerotic plaques, and thus to vascular constriction. The goal is to identify new approaches against such inflammatory processes and for fighting cardiovascular diseases.

“Our work is motivated by the urgent need to optimize cerebrovascular health through the development of precise and personalized prevention strategies,” says Georgakis. “We draw on extensive multidimensional data from epidemiological studies and human biobanks to develop such strategies with bioinformatic tools.”

This includes a comprehensive molecular and cellular description of clinical pathologies, the identification of possible biomarkers for diagnosis, the development of personalized instruments for patient risk assessment, and the discovery of new drug targets for therapeutic approaches.

The Emmy Noether Programme supports exceptionally qualified early career researchers and gives them the chance to qualify for the post of professor at a university by leading an independent junior research group.