Dr. Karim Hamesch is a senior physician and clinician
scientist at the Clinic for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Diseases, and Intensive
Care at RWTH Aachen University Hospital in Germany. He studied medicine at RWTH
Aachen (Aachen, Germany), University College London (London, UK), and Brown
University (Providence, RI, USA). He further broadened his clinical experience
at Maastricht University Medical Center (Maastricht University; Maastricht, The
Netherlands) and Brigham & Women’s Hospital (Harvard University; Boston,
MA, USA). He earned his M.D. in experimental research (e.g., transgenic animal
studies). Since 2015, he has been instrumental in establishing and expanding a
multinational study group on liver disease in α1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD).
In 2021, he received the “Venia Legendi” for internal medicine (German term:
“Habilitation”) for his work on characterizing the liver phenotypes in adults
with the Pi*ZZ and Pi*MZ genotypes. His current clinical and research focuses
are AATD, metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease (MAFLD), and
ultrasound.
Dr. Ralf Weiskirchen is a full professor and head of the Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC) at the RWTH University Aachen. He earned his PhD at the Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne in 1994. Based on his academic training and research experience, he has an excellent background in multiple biological disciplines, including molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and genetics. His research focus is the analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of hepatic disease. Particularly, he explores the immunobiology of the liver from its native state to chronic inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and cancer, with special emphasis on cytokine/chemokine activities and the identification of novel laboratory biomarkers for individual conditions.
Dr. Theresa Wirtz is a senior physician and clinician scientist at the Medical Department III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen in Germany. She studied medicine at RWTH Aachen University (Aachen, Germany) and Yale School of Medicine (New Haven, USA). During her medical studies, Dr. Wirtz performed her medical thesis in experimental research at the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology on platelet-derived chemokines. She started her residency in internal medicine with a main emphasis on hepatology in 2015 at the Medical Department III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany. Since 2019, Dr. Wirtz has been PI of the study group on translational hepatology, mainly focusing on inflammation and infection in patients with chronic liver diseases. In 2022, she received the “Venia Legendi” for internal medicine (German term: “Habilitation”) for her work on characterizing the Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and its role in the progression and prognosis of chronic liver diseases. Nowadays, Dr. Wirtz focuses on comprehensive single-cell analysis in chronic liver diseases as well as the relevance of fecal microbiota during the progression of chronic liver diseases.
