Personal information
Blüher, Matthias, Prof. Dr. med.
Medical Department III – Endocrinology, Nephrology, Rheumatology
HI-MAG & UL
Current position
Professor for Clinical Obesity Research (since 2019)
Director of the Helmholtz Institute for Metabolism, Obesity and Vasculature research at the Helmholtz Center Munich and the University of Leipzig, Germany (since 2019)
Role within partner site
Transition to adult obesity; adult cohorts and tissue biobanks
Relevant work experience
Clinician scientist in translational obesity research
2005-19 Professor of Molecular Endocrinology, Faculty of Medicine, Leipzig University
2006-12 Head Clinical Research Group (KFO 152) “Atherobesity”
2004-05 Professor of Molecular Endocrinology, University of Cologne
2003-04 Head of the junior endocrine research group, Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research (IZKF), Leipzig
Professional background
2006-12 Board certifications in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetology
2000-03 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Joslin Diabetes Centre (C. R. Kahn), Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA with scholarship of the “Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina”
1998 Medical Thesis, Institute for Laboratory Medicine (“Circadian rhythms of circulating lipid parameters”), Advisor: Prof. Richter
1990-96 Medical School, Leipzig University
Main research focus
Obesity, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, adipose tissue biology
Publications
5 out of 555; Scopus h-index 84
Blüher M. Obesity: global epidemiology and pathogenesis. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2019;15:288-98. (~200 citations)
Blüher M. Metabolically Healthy Obesity. Endocr Rev 2020;41:405-20.
Klöting N, Blüher M, et al. Serum retinol-binding protein is more highly expressed in visceral than in subcutaneous adipose tissue and is a marker of intra-abdominal fat mass. Cell Metab 2007;6:79-87.
Blüher M, et al. Extended longevity in mice lacking the insulin receptor in adipose tissue. Science 2003;299:572-4. (~1000 citations)
Blüher M, et al. Adipose tissue selective insulin receptor knockout protects against obesity and obesity-related glucose intolerance. Dev Cell 2002;2:25-38.
Patents
Vaspin in health and disease (KR10-0875301)
Nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase as a treatment target (PCT/EP2015/063041)
Follistatin-like protein and human diabetes (USA: #8895011; EU: #2921562; Japan: #5422799 & #5286602; JPA2010122148)
Additional information
Speaker: Speaker of the Collaborative Research Center CRC 1052: “Obesity mechanisms” (since 2013); Awards: Minkowski Award of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (2015), Research Award of the Dr. mult. Bürger-Büsing-Stiftung (2009), Rising Star Award of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (2009), Ferdinand-Bertram-Prize of the German Diabetes Association (2008), Obesity Research Award of the German Society for the Study of Obesity (2003)
Committees: President German Obesity Assocation (2016-18), Vice President of the European Association of the Study of Diabetes (2018-19)
