Veit Hornung

Professor Dr. Veit Hornung is a leading immunologist at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich's Gene Center, renowned for his fundamental contributions to innate immunity research. His career includes previous positions as Professor of Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Bonn (2008-2015) and postdoctoral research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.

His research focuses on cytosolic recognition mechanisms of nucleic acids, where he made landmark discoveries including identifying the RIG-I receptor and pioneering work on viral ligand detection within the cytoplasm. These breakthroughs have advanced both theoretical immunology and practical applications in immunotherapy development.

Professor Hornung has received Germany's highest research honors:

• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (2018, shared with Eicke Latz)
• Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize (2007)

He currently leads major collaborative initiatives as speaker of TRR 237: Nucleic Acid Immunity, a DFG-funded Transregio research consortium investigating immune responses to nucleic acids.