Michael Zech

PD Dr. Michael Zech is a board-certified neurologist and geneticist at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), affiliated with the Institute of Human Genetics at the University Hospital Rechts der Isar. Since 2023, he holds the Albrecht Struppler Clinician Scientist Fellowship. His research focuses on the genetic underpinnings of movement disorders, particularly dystonia, leveraging next-generation sequencing, multi-omics, and computational approaches to advance precision medicine. Key collaborations include the International Cerebral Palsy Genomics Consortium and the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation. Notable awards include the 2023 David Marsden Award and the 2018 Oppenheim Award. His work bridges clinical practice and research, with over 15 recent publications in high-impact journals such as Mov Disord, Ann Neurol, and Nature Communications.

Education: Medical degree from TUM, with internships at the University of Zurich and Cornell University. He has established global networks in dystonia research and served on advisory councils for neurology organizations. His research emphasizes genetic diagnosis, drug target discovery, and translational studies, with a focus on rare movement disorders.

Publications highlight discoveries in EIF4A2, NUP54, and KMT2B variants linked to dystonia, as well as epigenetic biomarkers and computational genomics. He actively contributes to advancing diagnostic algorithms and genomic testing strategies for movement disorders.