Professor Christian Weber stands as a preeminent leader in vascular medicine and cardiovascular research with a distinguished career spanning over two decades. He currently serves as Chair in Vascular Medicine and Director of the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK) at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, where he also holds the position of Physician-in-Chief. Following his medical education and specialized training in internal medicine at LMU Munich and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Dr. Weber achieved board certification in clinical cardiology and established himself as a rising authority in molecular cardiovascular research. His academic journey includes significant appointments as Chair in Molecular Cardiology at RWTH Aachen University and Professor at the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, before joining LMU Munich in 2010 to lead the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention.
Dr. Weber's pioneering research has fundamentally advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying atherosclerosis and vascular inflammation, with particular focus on chemokine signaling and microRNA regulation. His laboratory has made seminal contributions to elucidating the pathophysiological functions of CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in vascular protection, work that earned him an ERC Advanced Grant (PROVASC) in 2016 and formed the basis for novel therapeutic approaches targeting atherosclerotic disease. As Spokesman of the DFG Collaborative Research Centre SFB1123 'Atherosclerosis: new therapeutic targets,' he has coordinated a major interdisciplinary effort to identify innovative treatment strategies for cardiovascular disease. His research program, consistently supported by prestigious funding including multiple ERC grants and NIH awards, has directly contributed to the development of novel biomarkers and biopharmaceuticals with significant clinical translation potential.
Recognized for his exceptional contributions to cardiovascular science, Dr. Weber was elected to the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2019 and recently received the highly competitive Reinhart Koselleck grant from the German Research Foundation in 2024 for his innovative work on a new signaling pathway with therapeutic promise. He plays a pivotal role in shaping cardiovascular research at the national level as coordinator of the Munich Heart Alliance within the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, fostering collaboration across multiple institutions. Dr. Weber continues to push the boundaries of vascular immunotherapy through his leadership in the Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology, integrating cardiovascular and neurological research to address complex disease mechanisms. His ongoing ERC-funded research on microRNAs in atherosclerosis represents the cutting edge of precision medicine approaches to cardiovascular disease, positioning his laboratory at the forefront of developing next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
