Prof Dr Hilmar Bading | Neuroscience | Best Researcher Award 

 Professor and Head of Department at Heidelberg University, Germany

Professor Dr. Hilmar Bading is a distinguished neurobiologist currently serving as a Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurobiology at Heidelberg University, Germany. He is also the Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences (IZN) at the same institution.

professional profile 

scopus

🎓 Education

Professor Bading completed his medical degree at Heidelberg University in 1984. He earned his doctorate (Dr. med.) under the supervision of Professor Wilhelm Hasselbach, with a focus on calcium transport ATPase in muscle at the Max-Planck-Institut für medizinische Forschung, Heidelberg.

💼 Work Experience

Professor Bading has an extensive academic and research career. He has held key positions including Group Leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England (1993-2001), and postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard Medical School, USA, and the Max-Planck-Institut für molekulare Genetik, Berlin. Since 2001, he has led the Department of Neurobiology at Heidelberg University. Additionally, he is the scientific founder of FundaMental Pharma GmbH and the founder of the Hilmar Bading Stiftung BrainAid.

🔬 Research Focus

His research primarily revolves around the molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression in neurons, particularly focusing on the role of nuclear calcium in neuroprotection and neurodegeneration. His groundbreaking work has significantly advanced our understanding of how synaptic activity influences gene expression in the nervous system.

🏆 Awards and Honors

Professor Bading’s contributions to science have been widely recognized. He has received several prestigious awards, including the Wolfgang-Paul-Prize from the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation (2001), an ERC Advanced Grant (2008), and an ERC Proof-of-Concept Grant (2015). In 2019, he was elected as a member of the Leopoldina, the German National Academy of Sciences.

🏅 Memberships

He has been an active member of several prominent scientific boards and commissions, including the Scientific Advisory Board of the Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine at the University of Freiburg, the Commission of the International Max-Planck Research Schools, and the Wellcome Trust Neuroscience Panel in London.

👨‍🏫 Teaching Experience

With a commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientists, Professor Bading has supervised over 25 PhD students as the principal supervisor and co-supervised an additional 50 PhD students. His dedication to teaching is also reflected in his guidance of approximately 80 Master’s and Bachelor’s theses over the past decade.

🔍 Skills

Professor Bading’s expertise lies in molecular biology, neurobiology, and the study of intracellular signaling pathways. His leadership in academia and industry highlights his ability to translate scientific discoveries into practical applications.

publications

• Neuron–astrocyte metabolic coupling facilitates spinal plasticity and maintenance of inflammatory pain
• • Year: 2024
  • Journal: Nature Metabolism
  • Authors: Marty-Lombardi, S., Lu, S., Ambroziak, W., Fleming, T., Siemens, J.
  • Emoji: 🧠🔬💡
• TwinF interface inhibitor FP802 stops loss of motor neurons and mitigates disease progression in a mouse model of ALS
  • Year: 2024
  • Journal: Cell Reports Medicine
  • Authors: Yan, J., Wang, Y.M., Hellwig, A., Bading, H.
  • Emoji: 🦠🧬🔬
• Activin A targets extrasynaptic NMDA receptors to ameliorate neuronal and behavioral deficits in a mouse model of Huntington disease
  • Year: 2023
  • Journal: Neurobiology of Disease
  • Authors: Nassrallah, W.B., Ramandi, D., Cheng, J., Bading, H., Raymond, L.A.
  • Emoji: 🧠💉🧩
• The Disruption of NMDAR/TRPM4 Death Signaling with TwinF Interface Inhibitors: A New Pharmacological Principle for Neuroprotection
  • Year: 2023
  • Journal: Pharmaceuticals
  • Authors: Yan, J., Bading, H.
  • Emoji: 💊🧬🔒
• Expression of the primate-specific LINC00473 RNA in mouse neurons promotes excitability and CREB-regulated transcription
  • Year: 2023
  • Journal: Journal of Biological Chemistry
  • Authors: Pruunsild, P., Bengtson, C.P., Loss, I., Lohrer, B., Bading, H.
  • Emoji: 🧬🧠📈
• Ryanodine Receptor Mediated Calcium Release Contributes to Ferroptosis Induced in Primary Hippocampal Neurons by GPX4 Inhibition
  • Year: 2023
  • Journal: Antioxidants
  • Authors: Gleitze, S., Ramírez, O.A., Vega-Vásquez, I., Paula-Lima, A., Hidalgo, C.
  • Emoji: 🧪🧬💥
• Neuronal nuclear calcium signaling suppression of microglial reactivity is mediated by osteoprotegerin after traumatic brain injury
  • Year: 2022
  • Journal: Journal of Neuroinflammation
  • Authors: Fröhlich, A., Olde Heuvel, F., Rehman, R., Bading, H., Roselli, F.
  • Emoji: 🧠⚕️🔧
• N-methyl-D-aspartate Receptor-mediated Preconditioning Mitigates Excitotoxicity in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Brain Organoids
  • Year: 2022
  • Journal: Neuroscience
  • Authors: Bauersachs, H.G., Bengtson, C.P., Weiss, U., Pruunsild, P., Bading, H.
  • Emoji: 🧪🧠🌱
• Dysregulation of Npas4 and Inhba expression and an altered excitation-inhibition balance are associated with cognitive deficits in DBA/2 mice
  • Year: 2022
  • Journal: Learning and Memory
  • Authors: Oberländer, K., Witte, V., Mallien, A.S., Bengtson, C.P., Bading, H.
  • Emoji: 🧠🧩📉
• Disrupted expression of mitochondrial NCLX sensitizes neuroglial networks to excitotoxic stimuli and renders synaptic activity toxic
  • Year: 2022
  • Journal: Journal of Biological Chemistry
  • Authors: Hagenston, A.M., Yan, J., Bas-Orth, C., Sekler, I., Bading, H.
  • Emoji: 🧬⚠️🧠