Heinz Wiendl

Heinz Wiendl (born 1968 in Rötz) is a German neurologist and professor at the University Hospital Freiburg.[1] He is known for his works in the field of nervous system inflammation and multiple sclerosis.

Early life and education

From 1989 to 1996, Wiendl studied psychology and medicine at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Duke University in North Carolina, and the University of Basel in Switzerland. He received his medical degree in 1996. He was a scholar of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried and subsequently worked as a clinical and research fellow at the Department of Neurology at the University of Tübingen. In 2004, he obtained board certification in neurology and completed his habilitation.[2]

Academic career

In 2005, Wiendl was appointed professor of neurology and head of the clinical research group for MS and neuroimmunology at the University of Würzburg, where he also served as vice-chair of the Department of Neurology.[3] In 2010, he became director of the Department of Neurology – Inflammatory Diseases of the Nervous System and Neurooncology at the University of Münster.[2] From 2013 to 2024, he headed the Department of Neurology at Münster University Hospital.[4] In October 2024, Wiendl was appointed director of the Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology at the University Hospital Freiburg.[5]

Research

Wiendl's research focuses on five main areas:

Precision neuroimmunology: He co-led a study using high-dimensional flow cytometry and serum proteomics to identify distinct immunological endophenotypes in early multiple sclerosis, advancing detailed patient stratification and personalized treatment approaches.[6][7][8]

Neurological immune therapy: Wiendl contributed to clinical and mechanistic insights into immune reconstitution therapies, laying foundational concepts for achieving durable remission in MS.[9][10]

Diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarkers: He was part of collaborative work that identified peripheral blood immune signatures predictive of MS disease course and treatment response.[11][12]

Rare but paradigmatic neuroimmunological diseases: Heinz Wiendl authored several reviews summarizing mechanistic insights from rare neuroimmunological diseases — such as Susac syndrome,[13] Rasmussen encephalitis,[14] and type 1 narcolepsy — which offer models for understanding broader disease mechanisms.[15]

Surrogates of disease progression: Wiendl has examined treatment effects on disability progression, including the use of confirmed disability progression (CDP) as a robust clinical measure in MS therapeutic trials.[16]

Professional memberships

Wiendl is a member of the German Society for Immunology (DGfI), the German Multiple Sclerosis Society (DMSG), the German Society for Muscular Diseases (DGM), the German Society of Neurology (DGN), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the International Society of Neuroimmunology (ISNI).[14] He is also a member of the editorial board of PLOS ONE.

Awards and monors

  • 2017: Honorary professor at Sydney Medical School
  • 2015: Sobek Prize for MS research, German Society of Multiple Sclerosis (DMSG)[17]
  • 2009: Heinrich-Pette Award, German Society for Neurology (DGN)[18]
  • 2004: Sobek Prize for MS research (young scientists' award), German Society of Multiple Sclerosis (DMSG)[19]
  • 2003: Felix Jerusalem Prize, German Society for Muscular Disease (DGM)

Funding

Wiendl has received research funding from the European Union, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the DFG, the Innovative Medical Research (IMF) program of the Medical Faculty Münster, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research (IZKF) Münster, the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation, and the RE Children's Foundation.

Publications

As of September 2025, Wiendl has authored or co-authored more than 650 research articles and reviews, as well as several books, and book chapters.

References

  1. ^ "Klinik für Neurologie und Neurophysiologie unter neuer Leitung". Universitätsklinikum Freiburg. 14 October 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Prof. Wiendl, Universitäätsklinikum Freiburg". Klinik für Neurologie und Neurophysiologie. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  3. ^ "Prof. Wiendl, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg". Klinik für Neurologie und Neurophysiologie Freiburg. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  4. ^ "Prof. Wiendl, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg". Klinik für Neurologie und Neurophysiologie Freiburg. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  5. ^ "Klinik für Neurologie und Neurophysiologie unter neuer Leitung". Universitätsklinikum Freiburg. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  6. ^ Gross CC* Schulte-Mecklenbeck A*, Steinberg OV*, Wirth T*, Lauks S*, Bittner S*, Schindler P, Baranzini SE, Groppa S, Bellmann-Strobl J, Bünger N, Chien C, Dawin E, Eveslage M, Fleischer V, Gonzalez-Escamilla G, Gisevius B, Haas J, Kerschensteiner M, Kirstein L, Korsukewitz C, Lohmann L, Lünemann JD, Luessi F, Meyer zu Hörste G, Motte J, Ruck T, Ruprecht K, Schwab N, Steffen F, Meuth SG, Paul F, Wildemann B, Kümpfel T, Gold R, Hahn T, Zipp F, Klotz L*, Wiendl H*, KKNMS (2024). "Multiple sclerosis endophenotypes identified by high-dimensional blood signatures are associated with distinct disease trajectories". Sci Transl Med. 16 (740) eade8560. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.ade8560. PMID 38536936.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Lublin FD, Häring DA, Ganjgahi H, Ocampo A, Hatami F, Čuklina J, Aarden P, Dahlke F, Arnold DL, Wiendl H, Chitnis T, Nichols TE, Kieseier BC, Bermel RA. (2022). "How patients with multiple sclerosis acquire disability". Brain. 145 (9): 3147–3161. doi:10.1093/brain/awac016. PMC 9536294. PMID 35104840.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Ostkamp P, Deffner M, Schulte-Mecklenbeck A, Wünsch C, Lu IN, Wu GF, Goelz S, De Jager PL, Kuhlmann T, Gross CC, Klotz L, Meyer Zu Hörste G, Wiendl H*, Schneider-Hohendorf T*, Schwab N* (2022). "A single-cell analysis framework allows for characterization of CSF leukocytes and their tissue of origin in multiple sclerosis". Science Translational Medicine. 14 (673) eadc9778. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.adc9778. PMID 36449599.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Gross CC*, Schulte-Mecklenbeck A*, Runzi A, Kuhlmann T, Posevitz-Fejfar A, Schwab N, Schneider-Hohendorf T, Herich S, Held K, Konjevic M, Hartwig M, Dornmair K, Hohlfeld R, Ziemssen T, Klotz L, Meuth SG, Wiendl H. (2016). "Impaired NK-mediated regulation of T-cell activity in multiple sclerosis is reconstituted by IL-2 receptor modulation". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 113 (21): 2973–82. Bibcode:2016PNAS..113E2973G. doi:10.1073/pnas.1524924113. PMC 4889377. PMID 27162345.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Schneider-Hohendorf T*, Gerdes LA*, Pignolet B*, Gittelman R, Ostkamp P, Rubelt F, Raposo C, Tackenberg B, Riepenhausen M, Janoschka C, Wünsch C, Bucciarelli F, Flierl-Hecht A, Beltrán E, Kümpfel T, Anslinger K, Gross CC, Chapman H, Kaplan I, Brassat D, Wekerle H, Kerschensteiner M, Klotz L, Lünemann JD, Hohlfeld R, Liblau R*, Wiendl H*, Schwab N* (2022). "Broader Epstein-Barr virus-specific T cell receptor repertoire in patients with multiple sclerosis". The Journal of Experimental Medicine. 219 (11) e20220650: 20220650. doi:10.1084/jem.20220650. PMC 9437111. PMID 36048016.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Schwab N, Schneider-Hohendorf T, Pignolet B, Spadaro M, Breuer J, Jacobi A, Comabella M, Bertolotto A, Brassat D, Wiendl H (2016). "PML risk stratification using anti-JCV antibody index and L-selectin (CD62L)". Multiple Sclerosis. 22 (8): 1048–60. doi:10.1177/1352458515607651. PMID 26432858.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Gross CC*, Schulte-Mecklenbeck A*, Madireddy L, Pawlitzki M, Strippel C, Räuber S, Krämer J, Rolfes L, Ruck T, Beuker C, Schmidt-Pogoda A, Lohmann L, Schneider-Hohendorf T, Hahn T, Schwab N, Minnerup J, Melzer N*, Klotz L, Meuth SG*, Meyer Zu Hörste G, Baranzini SE, Wiendl H. (2021). "Classification of neurological diseases using multi-dimensional CSF analysis". Brain. 144 (9): 2625–2634. doi:10.1093/brain/awab147. PMC 8557345. PMID 33848319.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Gross CC*, Meyer C*, Bhatia U*, Yshii L*, Kleffner I*, Bauer J*, Tröscher AR, Schulte-Mecklenbeck A, Herich S, Schneider-Hohendorf T, Plate H, Kuhlmann T, Schwaninger M, Brück W, Pawlitzki M, Laplaud DA, Loussouarn D, Parratt J, Barnett M, Buckland ME, Hardy TA, Reddel SW, Ringelstein M, Dörr J, Wildemann B, Kraemer M, Lassmann H, Höftberger R, Beltrán E, Dornmair K, Schwab N, Klotz L, Meuth SG*, Martin-Blondel G*, Wiendl H*, Liblau R* (2019). "CD8+ T cell-mediated endotheliopathy is a targetable mechanism of neuro-inflammation in Susac syndrome". Nature Communications. 10 (1) 5779. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13593-5. PMC 6920411. PMID 31852955.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Schwab N, Bien CG, Waschbisch A, Becker A, Vince GH, Dornmair K, Wiendl H (2009). "CD8+ T-cell clones dominate brain infiltrates in Rasmussen encephalitis and persist in the periphery". Brain. 132 (Pt 5): 1236–1246. doi:10.1093/brain/awp003. PMID 19179379.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Wiendl H, Gross CC, Bauer J, Merkler D, Prat A, Liblau R (2021). "Fundamental mechanistic insights from rare but paradigmatic neuroimmunological diseases". Nature Reviews Neurology. 17 (7): 433–447. doi:10.1038/s41582-021-00496-7. PMID 34050331.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Lublin FD*, Häring DA*, Ganjgahi H, Ocampo A, Hatami F, Čuklina J, Aarden P, Dahlke F, Arnold DL, Wiendl H, Chitnis T, Nichols TE, Kieseier BC, Bermel RA (2022). "How patients with multiple sclerosis acquire disability". Brain. 145 (9): 3147–3161. doi:10.1093/brain/awac016. PMC 9536294. PMID 35104840.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Medical faculty Muenster (11 December 2015). "Prof. Heinz Wiendl erhält europaweit höchstdotierten Forschungspreis zur Multiplen Sklerose". Retrieved 8 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  18. ^ "Heinrich-Pette-Preis". Aerzteblatt. September 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Multiple Sklerose-Forschung - Sobek MS-Forschungspreis verliehen". PsychoNeuro. 30 (12): 644. 30 December 2004. doi:10.1055/s-2005-861687. S2CID 260279366. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
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