New honorary doctors at the Faculty of Medicine

Edith Heard

Professor Edith Heard is Director General of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) since 2019. She is also a professor at the Collège de France, where she is the chair of Épigénétique et mémoire cellulaire (Epigenetics and Cellular Memory), as well as group leader at EMBL Heidelberg.

Edith Heard is a world-leading researcher in epigenetics. She has visited Uppsala as part of Uppsala University’s mutual exchange with Collège de France. Researchers and students greatly appreciated that she taught master’s programmes and held a research seminar. With Edith Heard as honorary doctor, the links between Uppsala university and EMBL will be strengthened.

Edith Heard’s research is of the highest international quality, and she regularly publishes in the best journals. The Heard group focuses on epigenetic processes such as X-chromosome inactivation, in order to learn more about the basic principles of gene regulation, and to explore the roles of chromatin modifications, chromosome organisation and non-coding RNAs on gene expression in development and disease.

Peter Visscher

Peter Visscher is Professor of Quantitative Genetics at the University of Queensland and the University of Oxford. He leads a programme in complex trait genomics

In his early career, Visscher worked with genetic data from domestic animals and model organisms, developing a strong expertise in quantitative genetics. Following the mapping of the human genome at the beginning of the century, it became possible to conduct large-scale human genetic studies thanks to the development of SNP chip technology. For the first time, it became possible to study the genetic basis of common diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, which have a complex genetic background where many genes, interacting with environmental factors, influence the risk of disease. Peter Visscher recognised the significant lack of expertise in complex trait genetics among human geneticists and that the skills and experience he had would be highly valuable in interpreting the flood of data being generated.

For the past 15 years, Peter Visscher has been one of the world's leading researchers in the field we now call data-driven life sciences. His career is a shining example of how a researcher can contribute to scientific breakthroughs by applying their skills to another field where the relevant expertise is lacking.

Hugo Katus

Hugo Katus is Senior Professor at the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Heidelberg, where he previously served as Chief of Internal Medicine and Cardiology. His research on the myocardial protein Troponin T, the development of high-sensitivity blood tests, and the investigations of the diagnostic role of Troponin elevations in cardiac care are groundbreaking.

Hugo Katus was the first to identify the enhanced diagnostic power of cardio-specific Troponin T as a heart-specific biomarker. He conducted single-centre clinical studies showing that elevations of Troponin T in the blood are much more sensitive and specific not only for the detection of myocardial infarction but also for the identification of myocardial cell injury of any cause. In collaboration with distinguished international research groups and industry partner Roche Diagnostics, his discoveries have established the measurements of circulating troponin as an indispensable tool for the diagnosis and long-term assessment of many different types of disease conditions.

Hugo Katus’ pioneering efforts over more than 20 years have been instrumental in making high-sensitivity troponin testing available globally, enabling better care for patients with heart disease worldwide. His cooperation with the Department of Medical Sciences at Uppsala University and Lars Wallentin and others laid the foundation for further biomarker studies at Uppsala and Heidelberg University.

As Senior Professor, Hugo Katus has remained actively involved in innovative research and structure building. He is re-organising cardiovascular medicine at Heidelberg University, comprising the construction of a new digital Heart and Informatics for Life Centre, and co-chairing the interdisciplinary research programme “Informatics for Life”. He is co-founder of the gene therapy start-up AaviGen and serves the European Society of Cardiology Board by leading the ESC Think Tank on Innovation.