Wikipedia

Draft:Thomas Thum

Thomas Thum
Born16 November 1974 (age 49)
Hildesheim, Germany
Alma materHannover Medical School
AwardsJulian-Desmond Award 2022 Paul-Martini Award 2021
Scientific career
FieldsMedicine, Cardiology
InstitutionsHannover Medical School Imperial College London

Early life and education

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Thomas Thum (born 16 November 1974) is a German professor, cardiologist, and entrepreneur. He attended Gymnasium Josephinum in Hildesheim. Thum completed his medical studies at Hannover Medical School between 1994 and 2001, where he also achieved his medical doctorate in 2001. He then pursued further education by obtaining a PhD from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London. This was under the supervision of Prof. Philip A. Poole-Wilson[1].

Academic Career

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In 2009, Thum became the Director of the Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS) at Hannover Medical School. Since 2013, he serves as a visiting professor at the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London.[2] From 2021 to 2023, he was the Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM) in Hannover.[3] Thum excelled in the Board Examinations for Internal Medicine and Cardiology in 2009 and became full professor (W3) at Hannover Medical School, where he founded the Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS).[4]

Entrepreneurial Ventures

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In 2016, Thum founded Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH, a biotechnology company focused on noncoding RNA-based therapeutics for heart failure.[5] Under his leadership as Managing Director, Chief Scientific (CSO) and later Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Cardior raised about €80 million through multiple financing rounds. In May 2024, Novo Nordisk acquired Cardior Pharmaceuticals in a deal valued at up to €1.025 billion.[6]

Research Contributions and Innovations

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Thum worked on oligonucleotide-based therapies for heart and pulmonary diseases, particularly in targeting microRNA-21 to combat fibrosis. Moreover, his team identified the miRNA-212/132 cluster, which plays a key role in cardiac remodeling and autophagy. He led the first clinical study testing an oligonucleotide inhibitor for heart failure. This work laid the foundation for the ongoing clinical phase 2 "HF-REVERT" trial, evaluating the therapy in post-myocardial infarction patients.[7]

Awards and Recognition

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  • 2021 Paul-Martini Award[8]
  • 2022 Desmond Julian Award[9]
  • 2022 ERC Advanced Grant[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Thomas Thum". profiles.imperial.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  2. ^ "National Heart and Lung Institute". Imperial College London. 2024-11-08. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  3. ^ "Departure of Professor Thomas Thum as Institute Director - Fraunhofer ITEM". Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  4. ^ "Medizinische Hochschule Hannover : Research Groups". www.mhh.de. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  5. ^ "Our Core". Cardior. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  6. ^ "News Details". Novo Nordisk. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  7. ^ Thum, Thomas; Gross, Carina; Fiedler, Jan; Fischer, Thomas; Kissler, Stephan; Bussen, Markus; Galuppo, Paolo; Just, Steffen; Rottbauer, Wolfgang; Frantz, Stefan; Castoldi, Mirco; Soutschek, Jürgen; Koteliansky, Victor; Rosenwald, Andreas; Basson, M. Albert (2008-12-18). "MicroRNA-21 contributes to myocardial disease by stimulating MAP kinase signalling in fibroblasts". Nature. 456 (7224): 980–984. Bibcode:2008Natur.456..980T. doi:10.1038/nature07511. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 19043405.
  8. ^ "Paul-Martini-Preis 2021". www.paul-martini-stiftung.de. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  9. ^ "Presentation of the best paper published in the EHJ in 2021". esc365.escardio.org. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  10. ^ "ERC Advanced Grant for Prof. Thomas Thum". train-heart.eu (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-11-06.
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