Dr. Markus Neurath is a distinguished academic physician and leading authority in mucosal immunology and gastrointestinal disease research. He currently serves as University Professor and Head of the Department of Gastroenterology at Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, where he also directs the Ludwig Demling Endoscopy Center of Excellence at University Hospital Erlangen. His dual affiliation with the Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI) underscores his pivotal role at the intersection of clinical medicine and immunological research. With decades of experience in academic medicine, Professor Neurath has established himself as a world-renowned expert in the mechanisms governing intestinal barrier function and mucosal immunity.
Professor Neurath's groundbreaking research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of the intestinal barrier's critical role in health, inflammation, and cancer development, as evidenced by his seminal 2025 publication in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. His laboratory pioneered the integration of advanced biophysical techniques including real-time deformability cytometry and Brillouin microscopy to evaluate immune cell migration mechanisms in inflammatory conditions. This innovative approach has revealed novel insights into how cellular mechanics regulate mucosal inflammation in diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and gastro-esophageal reflux. His work has established crucial links between chronic inflammation and colorectal cancer risk, providing new frameworks for early intervention and prevention strategies.
Beyond his individual research accomplishments, Professor Neurath has been instrumental in building collaborative research networks that bridge physics, immunology, and clinical medicine to advance precision diagnostics and therapeutic approaches. He leads initiatives applying light-matter interactions including photoacoustic imaging and Raman scattering to improve subclassification of mucosal inflammation and colorectal cancer for better clinical decision-making. As a mentor to numerous young scientists and clinicians, he has cultivated the next generation of researchers in gastrointestinal immunology. Professor Neurath's ongoing work continues to push the boundaries of interdisciplinary research, with current projects focused on developing novel physics-based diagnostic tools that promise to revolutionize how we understand, classify, and treat inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders.
