Stefan R. Bornstein

Professor Stefan R. Bornstein serves at the Technical University of Dresden's Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital within Medical Clinic and Polyclinic III. He leads multiple German Research Foundation (DFG)-funded projects focusing on adrenal function, metabolic diseases, and immunological mechanisms, with particular expertise in sepsis-related adrenal dysfunction and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Dr. Bornstein's research centers on endocrine-immunological interactions, examining how the adrenal gland functions as a central regulatory organ in health and disease. His work spans molecular mechanisms of intra-adrenal regulation, immune responses in sepsis, and metabolic drivers of infection susceptibility, with significant translational potential for treating adrenal insufficiency and obesity-related conditions.

As speaker of International Research Training Groups RTG 2251 and RTG 3019, he directs collaborative research on immunological strategies for metabolic diseases and infection susceptibility. His Transregio project TRR 205 investigates the adrenal gland's role as a central relay in physiological regulation, while his sub-project management in Transregio initiatives focuses on adrenal stem cells and biological replacement therapies.

Dr. Bornstein has secured substantial research funding through multiple DFG projects including investigations into regulated cell death in adrenal inflammation, xenogeneic cell transplantation for adrenal insufficiency, and the microenvironment of the adrenal gland in health and disease. His earlier work established important connections between adipose tissue, aldosterone regulation, and hypertension.

His laboratory employs advanced model systems to study adrenal physiology across molecular, cellular, and systemic levels, with particular focus on therapeutic interventions for sepsis-induced adrenal dysfunction and stem cell-based approaches for endocrine disorders.