Jochen Prehn

Prof. Jochen Prehn is a Professor and former Chairman of the Department of Physiology and Medical Physics at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), and Director of the Centre for Systems Medicine (CSM). He holds a B.Sc. in Pharmacy from Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Philipps-University Marburg, and a Habilitation from the same institution. His career includes roles as a Lecturer/Assistant Professor, Junior Research Group Head, and Professor of Experimental Neurosurgery in Germany before joining RCSI in 2003.

• Affiliations: RCSI, Centre for Systems Medicine (CSM), Department of Physiology and Medical Physics.
• Research Focus: Cell death mechanisms, mitochondrial biology, systems medicine, and translational oncology. Key areas include apoptosis regulation, cancer therapeutics, and predictive biomarkers for colorectal and brain cancers.
• Grants & Funding: Over €30M secured, including EU FP7 APO-DECIDE, IMI PD-MitoQuant, and multiple SFI awards.
• Education: B.Sc. Pharmacy (1989), Ph.D. Pharmacology (1992), Habilitation (1997).

Research Interests:

Prof. Prehn’s work spans molecular mechanisms of cell death, systems biology approaches to cancer stratification, and clinical translation of biomarkers. Notable projects include APO-DECIDE (predictive tools for colorectal cancer) and PD-MitoQuant (Parkinson’s disease mitochondrial analysis). His lab employs single-cell imaging, computational modeling, and multi-omics integration.

Publications & Awards:

Over 150 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 69, >16,000 citations), including high-impact journals like Nature Genetics and EMBO Journal. Awards include the inaugural SFI Research Professorship and EU project recognitions.

Advising & Training:

Supervised over 22 PhD and 6 MD students. Current team includes postdocs, PhD students (e.g., Elena Perez Morrissey, Saad Zaheer), and collaborators in Ireland and internationally.

Labs & Collaborations:

Leadership in CSM’s interdisciplinary teams, focusing on cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Collaborations span academia (e.g., EU consortia) and industry (e.g., Oncomark, Optimata).