Since 2022, Prof. Balling has been Senior Professor at the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn (Friedrich Wilhelms University). Prior to that, he was the founding director of the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine at the University of Luxembourg. His research focuses primarily on neurodegenerative diseases and systems biology. Prof. Balling was an active member of the Cluster's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) for many years. In 2020, he was named an honorary member.
Until 2024, Prof. Bosch was Director of the Zoological Institute at Kiel University (CAU) and has been a Senior Professor at Kiel University since 2024. Since its founding in 2013, he has served as spokesperson of the Kiel Life Science research focus at Kiel University and was the founding director of the Collaborative Research Center (CRC 1182) “Origin and Function of Metaorganisms,” which investigates the role of multi-organism interactions in health and disease. Prof. Bosch’s work has contributed to the development of new concepts and paradigms in host–microbiome research. He was a long-standing member of the Steering Committee of the PMI Cluster of Excellence and was named an honorary member in 2023.
Prof. Ehlers has been Professor of Molecular Inflammatory Medicine at Kiel University (CAU) since 2007 and headed the Molecular Infection Biology department at the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center, before serving as Director of the Center from 2012 to 2021. His research focused on protective and tissue-destructive mechanisms of chronic inflammation using tuberculosis model systems. He is a founding member of the first inflammation cluster “Inflammation at Interfaces” and was an active member of both the Executive Group and the Steering Committee of the Cluster of Excellence for many years. In 2021, he was named an honorary member of PMI.
Starting in 1989, Prof. Gross was the founding director of the Department of Rheumatology at the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) in Lübeck and Medical Director of the Rheumatology Clinic in Bad Bramstedt, which he developed into a center for vasculitis diseases. As a clinical immunologist, his scientific focus was on elucidating the diagnostic and immunopathological role of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). Since 2013, he has been a Senior Professor at the University of Lübeck. Prof. Gross co-founded the first inflammation cluster “Inflammation at Interfaces”, served as a board member for many years, and was named an honorary member of PMI in 2013.
Prof. Rietschel was appointed Professor of "Immunochemistry and Biochemical Microbiology" at the University of Lübeck in 1980 and served as Director of the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center, where he conducted research on the structure and biology of bacterial endotoxins. From 2005 to 2010, he was President of the Leibniz Association, and from 2013 to 2015, he served as Founding Director and Chairman of the Board of the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH). He was a founding and steering committee member of "Inflammation at Interfaces" and acted as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board during the first funding phase of PMI (2020–2025). In 2025, Rietschel was named Honorary Member of PMI.
Until 2022, Prof. Rose-John was Director of the Institute of Biochemistry at Kiel University (CAU). He discovered the so-called IL-6 trans-signaling pathway and developed a designer molecule that specifically inhibits this pathway, thereby reducing inflammation without blocking the protective and regenerative functions of IL-6. Currently approved inhibitors suppress all IL-6 activities. This research led to the development of the drug Olamkicept, which is currently being tested in clinical trials for chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. Prof. Rose-John was a long-standing member of the Cluster’s Steering Committee and was named an honorary member in 2024.
Prof. Solbach was a professor at the University of Lübeck and director of the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Lübeck Campus, until 2017. The physician played a decisive role in shaping Lübeck’s research focus on “Infection and Inflammation,” particularly through the founding of the Center for Infection and Inflammation Research Lübeck (ZIEL). Solbach was a founding member of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) 2012-2016. He was also a founding and Steering Committee member of “Inflammation at Interfaces” (2005–2012) and SAB member of PMI (2020–2025). In 2025, Solbach was named honorary member.
Until his retirement, Prof. Sorg served as Rector of the Medical University of Innsbruck. Previously, he was Director of the Institute of Experimental Dermatology at the University of Münster and Dean of the Medical Faculty. During his time there, the immunobiologist also initiated a Collaborative Research Center on “Mechanisms of Inflammation” (1996–2003), where he served as spokesperson. Prof. Sorg was an active member of the Cluster’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) for several years. He was awarded honorary membership of PMI in 2014.
