Marcus Conrad

Marcus Conrad is Professor of Translational Redox Biology at Technical University of Munich (TUM) within the School of Natural Sciences and Department of Bioscience, concurrently serving as Director of the Institute for Metabolism and Cell Death at Helmholtz Munich since 2020. His research program investigates ferroptosis—a non-apoptotic cell death mechanism driven by unregulated lipid peroxidation—and its critical roles in human pathologies including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Education:

• PhD in Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (2001, summa cum laude). Dissertation: "Establishment of mouse strains deficient for the selenoproteins mitochondrial Thioredoxin Reductase and Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase (PHGPx) and characterization of a sperm nucleus-specific form of PHGPx."
• Diplom (M.Sc. equivalent) in Biology, University of Konstanz (1998, grade 1.0). Thesis: "Thymidylate Synthase as a model enzyme for molecular adaptation to high osmolar environment."
• Bachelor of Biology, University of Konstanz (1992-1997).

Conrad's research centers on ferroptosis mechanisms using genetic mouse models and chemical biology to develop therapeutic strategies. His lab demonstrates that ferroptosis resistance drives cancer drug tolerance while dysregulated activation causes neurodegeneration, positioning ferroptosis modulation as a dual therapeutic approach. Current work explores ferroptosis' physiological roles in redox biology and origins of life.

Scientific Awards:

• Three consecutive ISI Highly Cited Awards (2020-2022)
• ERC Advanced Grant "IRONDEATH" (2020)
• Dual m4 Awards for personalized medicine (2012, 2017)
• International travel awards from JSPS and EMBL

Conrad coordinates the DFG Priority Programme "Ferroptosis: from Molecular Basics to Clinical Applications" (2021-2026) across 25 institutions and co-founded ROSCUE THERAPEUTICS GmbH (2020) to translate findings into therapeutics. He serves on Molecular Cell's advisory board and organizes major ferroptosis conferences including EMBO workshops and Cold Spring Harbor Asia meetings.

Leading multidisciplinary teams at TUM and Helmholtz Munich, Conrad integrates redox biology, chemical tools, and disease models to develop ferroptosis-targeting compounds. His infrastructure leverages CPA Central Facilities for NMR, crystallography, and mass spectrometry to advance translational targets for cancer and neurodegeneration.