Prof. Dr. Georg Schett - Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prizewinner 2023
Rheumatology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Georg Schett receives the Leibniz Prize for his outstanding research in the fields of rheumatology and osteoimmunology, with which he has made important fundamental scientific contributions, at the same time developing innovative therapies to cure even severe forms of autoimmune diseases. Among other things, Schett has conducted research into the role of autoantibodies in the formation of bone-degrading cells in rheumatoid arthritis. He discovered that, as a result of this mechanism, sufferers can develop systemic bone loss that is independent of the inflammation. Schett’s insights into the molecular pathways of bone formation and degradation and the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases have led to major advances being made in understanding the molecular mechanisms and therapies of inflammatory diseases. This has significantly changed the way of thinking in this field, contributing to a molecular-based understanding of disease.
After training in Innsbruck and Vienna, the physician Georg Schett obtained his post-doctoral lecturing qualification in 2003 and was appointed Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna. This was followed by a research stay at the biotech company Amgen, USA. Since 2006, Schett has been W3 Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and Director of Medical Clinic 3 – Rheumatology and Immunology at the university hospital there. Schett is involved in research administration as the spokesperson of a DFG-funded Collaborative Research Centre and as Vice President for Research. He has been a member of the Leopoldina since 2021.