Matthias von Herrath

As Vice President and Senior Medical Officer in the Global Chief Medical Office at NovoNordisk he has had the privilege of being part of a team that drives cutting edge clinical translation to the ultimate benefit of patients with T1D. While Matthias appreciate the freedom that academic research affords him and the groundbreaking discoveries that such autonomy can bring, he is also acutely aware that it is the laser focus of the pharmaceutical industry that is best placed to drive these discoveries into clinical studies. He is excited to be able to realize his dream of directing exciting new discoveries through the clinical research process.

The sole focus of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) is to cure and prevent diabetes. This unique, multi-disciplinary organization brings together scientists, clinicians, and industry partners with the complementary skill sets in devices, immunology and beta cell biology. The DRI is supported by a vibrant and diverse academic and healthcare community at the University of Miami and the University of Miami Health System ("UHealth"), which have rapidly become one of the nation's top research universities and academic medical centers. As Director of the DRI, Matthias guides a research program which encompasses many key areas of diabetes, including islet cell transplantation, immunotherapy, regenerative medicine, and stem cell-based therapies. These diverse strategies aim to restore insulin production, protect newly generated insulin-producing cells, and address issues with the immune system.

As both a doctor and professor, Matthias has dedicated his career to unraveling the complexities of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and advancing the field towards a cure. His passion for making a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by T1D is the cornerstone of his career. Born and educated in Germany, he embarked on a journey in medicine and science at Freiburg Medical School. After training clinically in intensive care, medicine, and infectious diseases, Matthias joined the Scripps Research Institute for post-doctoral training in autoimmune disease and virology with Michael Oldstone. In 1996, as an independent faculty member, he began to develop immune therapies for T1D. In 2001, Matthias joined La Jolla institute where he obtained tenure. He founded the center for T1D research in 2005, focusing on patient-centric research and therapeutic advances for T1D. A central theme of his research has been to further our understanding of human T1D and T2D using human pancreata from the national pancreatic organ donor consortium (nPOD).