Michael Fromm

Professor Michael Fromm is a Senior Professor of Clinical Physiology / Nutritional Medicine at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, where he has been affiliated since the 1970s. His primary appointment is within the Medical Clinic for Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, specifically in the Division of Clinical Physiology / Nutritional Medicine at Campus Benjamin Franklin. His research focuses on the permeability of the intestinal wall in inflammatory diseases, with particular emphasis on tight junction proteins including claudins and tricellulin.

Professor Fromm's work has established him as a leading authority on epithelial barrier function, with significant contributions to understanding how tight junction proteins regulate paracellular transport of ions, water, and macromolecules. His research has important implications for inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and has consistently appeared in high-impact journals across cell biology, physiology, and gastroenterology.

His recent publications demonstrate continued leadership in the field, with numerous papers on claudin function, tricellular tight junctions, and their roles in disease pathogenesis and potential therapeutic applications. Professor Fromm has secured substantial research funding, including multiple grants from the German Research Foundation (DFG), where he has served as a liaison officer for Charité since 2008.

He has held significant leadership positions including Director of the Institute of Clinical Physiology (2002-2014), Chair of the Benjamin Franklin Medical School research committee (1993-2003), and Secretary General of the European Intestinal Transport Group (1998-2015). Currently, he serves on the Ethics Committee of Charité and is Editor-in-Chief for the Physiology section of Biology (Basel).