Christian Herder has headed the Inflammation working group at the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) in Düsseldorf since 2007. A key focus of his work is the search for biomarkers in the blood that indicate an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and its complications at an early stage. These findings are intended to enable a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms and help to predict the individual risk of the disease more precisely.
Herder has already received numerous awards in recognition of his research achievements. In 2007 he received the Jühling Prize from the Anna Wunderlich and Ernst Jühling Foundation, in 2009 he was honored as a Rising Star by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), and in 2013 he was awarded the Ferdinand Bertram Prize. The German Diabetes Association (DDG) honored Herder with the Hans Christian Hagedorn project grant in 2016 and the Menarini grant in 2019. In 2024, Herder became a Collaborative Professor at Kanazawa University in Japan.
Matthias Schulze is head of the Department of “Molecular Epidemiology” at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE). His research focuses on nutritional epidemiology and the epidemiology of cardiometabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). Among other things, he is investigating diet-related risk factors for T2D, biomarkers for the absorption of nutrients, the interaction of genes and diet as well as risk prediction models. The DIfE ─ DEUTSCHER DIABETES-RISIKO-TEST® (German Diabetes Risk Test) and the risk test for cardiovascular diseases were developed under his leadership. With these tests, adults can determine their individual risk of developing T2D or suffering a heart attack or stroke within the next ten years without having to see a doctor.
Schulze is the principal investigator of the EPIC Potsdam Study and the Berlin-South/Brandenburg sub-cohort of the NAKO Health Study, two large population-based long-term studies in Germany. Schulze is a member of the scientific committees of the German Nutrition Society and is a spokesperson for the “Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases” expert group of the NAKO Health Study. He is also one of the coordinators of the DZD research focus (Academy) “Prevention of type 2 diabetes.”
Admission only after Invitation and Examination
The Academia Europaea was founded in 1988 and is the pan-European academy of humanities, literature and natural sciences. Membership is by invitation only, following nomination by peers and careful examination and confirmation of the person’s scientific achievements and standing in the respective field. The election is confirmed by the Academia Board of Directors.
The purpose of the Academia Europaea is to promote and disseminate scientific excellence in the humanities, law, economics, social and political sciences, mathematics, medicine and all areas of natural and technical sciences worldwide – for the benefit of the general public and for promoting the education of the population of all age groups in the aforementioned disciplines in Europe.
Today, its members include more than 5,500 researchers, including 88 Nobel laureates, who share the goal of promoting learning, education and research. They come from all over Europe. In addition, the Academia Europaea includes European researchers based in other regions of the world and foreign members outside Europe.
The German Diabetes Center (DDZ) serves as the German reference center for diabetes. Its objective is to contribute to the improvement of prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus. At the same time, the research center aims at improving the epidemiological data situation in Germany. The DDZ coordinates the multicenter German Diabetes Study and is a point of contact for all players in the health sector. In addition, it prepares scientific information on diabetes mellitus and makes it available to the public. The DDZ is part of the Leibniz Association (Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, WGL) and is a partner of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.). www.ddz.de/en
German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke
The DIfE is a member of the Leibniz Association. It investigates the causes of diet-related diseases in order to develop new strategies for prevention and therapy and to provide dietary recommendations. Its research focus includes the causes and consequences of the metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and lipid metabolism disorder, as well as the role of diet in healthy aging and the biological basis of food choices and eating habits. www.dife.de/en
The German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) is a national association that brings together experts in the field of diabetes research and combines basic research, translational research, epidemiology and clinical applications. The aim is to develop novel strategies for personalized prevention and treatment of diabetes. Members are Helmholtz Munich – German Research Center for Environmental Health, the German Diabetes Center in Düsseldorf, the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam-Rehbrücke, the Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden of Helmholtz Munich at the University Medical Center Carl Gustav Carus of the TU Dresden and the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of Helmholtz Munich at the Eberhard-Karls-University of Tuebingen together with associated partners at the Universities in Heidelberg, Cologne, Leipzig, Lübeck and Munich. www.dzd-ev.de/en
