Hartmut Wekerle receives honorary doctorate of the University of Würzburg

Acknowledgement for lifelong studies on the mechanisms of Multiple Sclerosis

Prof. Dr. Dr. (h.c.) Hartmut Wekerle, emeritus director at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried, receives the honorary doctorate of the University of Würzburg. The honor is bestowed for his groundbreaking work for the understanding of the errant immune reactions that underlie Multiple Sclerosis. The honorary degree will be awarded on May 24 during the graduation ceremony of the University's Medical Faculty in the "Neubaukirche" of Würzburg.

The focus of Hartmut Wekerle’s scientific work lies on unraveling the underlying mechanisms of the autoimmune disease Multiple Sclerosis. In Germany alone, approximately 120,000 people are afflicted by this disease. In all these people, misdirected cells of the immune system attack the body's own nervous system. Once the immune cells have entered the brain and the spinal cord they start their attack on the nerve cells. Depending on the place of this attack, the results can be paralysis, sensory dysfunctions or visual impairments. Despite decades of research, the cause for this attack is still mostly unknown.

By using the latest methods and techniques, Hartmut Wekerle and his group made numerous groundbreaking findings. For instance, they discovered new targets of the immune cells, showed how immune cells enter the nervous system, or that inflammatory diseases of the brain are possibly preceded by infections of the bowel. In an outstanding cooperation with the Clinical Neuroimmunology of the University Clinic of Großhadern (LMU), research results contribute to a better understanding of the disease and help to develop new and more effective therapies.

Hartmut Wekerle studied medicine at the Freiburg University, where he achieved his PhD in 1971. Subsequently he worked at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel. Starting in 1973, Hartmut Wekerle worked at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg. From 1982 on, he led the clinical research group for multiple sclerosis of the Max Planck Society in Würzburg. In 1988, Hartmut Wekerle was appointed director of the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology.

Numerous prices were awarded to Hartmut Wekerle for his scientific merit, among them the Ernst Young Award for Science and Research, the Louis D. Award – the highest scientific award in France, and the Reinhard Koselleck-Project by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. In June 2011 he received a Hertie-Senior-Research professorship in the field of neurobiology. This professorship complements the financing by the Max Planck Society and enables Hartmut Wekerle to continue his work since his retirement in 2012. Last year, Hartmut Wekerle was awarded the honorary doctorate of the University of Hamburg.