Prof. Andreas L. Birkenfeld
Director of the Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) Helmholtz Munich at the University Hospital Tübingen“My vision is a life without type 2 diabetes (T2D). To even come close to that goal, we need to address T2D at a much earlier stage than is currently done in medical care. I aim to understand how T2D is caused and how to prevent, precisely and sustainably treat and reverse the disease.”
“My vision is life without type 2 diabetes (T2D). To come even near this goal, we have to address T2D in a much earlier stage as currently done in medical care. I aim to understanding how T2D is caused and how to prevent, precisely and sustainably treat and reverse the disease.”
Academic Career and Research Areas
After his clinical training at the Charité-Berlin with Friedrich Luft and Jens Jordan, Andreas became a fellow of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and joined Gerald I. Shulman at Yale University School of Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, were he studied the origins of insulin resistance. He then received a DFG funded research group at the Charité-Berlin in 2010, and was appointed “Hans A. Krebs Professor of Therapy & Pathophysiology of Diabetes” in 2014.
He moved on to the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus of the Technical University Dresden to become the Professor of Metabolic Vascular Medicine and Chair of the Dept. of Metabolic Vascular Medicine. Andreas also became “TransCampus Professor” within the Section of Diabetology at King’s College London, UK.
In 2019, Andreas was appointed Medical Director and Chairman of the Department of Diabetology, Endocrinology and Nephrology at the University Hospital Tübingen as well as Director of the Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM), Helmholtz Munich. He serves as one of five speakers of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD).
Andreas clinical and basic research intends to reverse the pathophysiology of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. He derives his experience from working with patients with metabolic diseases as a clinician. He identified a hormonal heart – adipose tissue axis regulating human metabolism (ANP), as well as the plasma membrane transporter INDY (I’m Not Dead Yet) as a regulator of lipid and glucose metabolism.
He currently works to bring these strategies to patients to treat diabetes. Andreas lead large international multicenter trials evaluating novel treatment options for diabetes and obesity which are now in clinical use (Semaglutide). He seeks to better understand which factors drive remission of (pre)diabetes in his patients.
Fields of Work and Expertise
Diabetology Endocrinology Translational Research (Molecular -, Cell based -, Clinical Studies)
Professional Background
Director, Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM), Helmholtz Munich
Speaker, German Center for Diabetes Research
Director, Clinic for Diabetology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, University Clinic Tübingen
TransCampus Professor, Dept. of Diabetology, King’s College London, UK
Professor and Chair of the Department of Metabolic Vascular Medicine, Technical University Dresden
Honors and Awards
Ferdinand Bertram Award, German Diabetes Association (DDG)
2015Schoeller-Junkmann-Award, German Society of Endocrinology (DGE)
2014“Rising Star” Award, European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)
2011Award of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for European Fellows
2010
Highlight Publications
See all2023 Nature Metabolism
Brain insulin action on peripheral insulin sensitivity in women depends on menstrual cycle phase
2021 Nature Medicine
Pathophysiology-based subphenotyping of individuals at elevated risk for type 2 diabetes
2019 PNAS
2019 The New England Journal Of Medicine
Oral Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
2018 The Lancet
