Veit Hornung

Veit Hornung is a Professor and Chair of Immunobiochemistry at the Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry within the Medical Faculty of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). His research focuses on innate immunity, particularly on nucleic acid sensing pathways, inflammasome biology, and the cGAS-STING signaling pathway. He leads the Hornung Lab, which has established itself as a leading research group in the field of innate immunity.

Hornung's research interests center on how the innate immune system recognizes foreign and self-nucleic acids, with particular focus on the cGAS-STING pathway and various inflammasome complexes including NLRP3, NLRP1, and AIM2. His work has significantly advanced our understanding of how cells detect cytosolic DNA and RNA, and how these detection mechanisms trigger immune responses against pathogens while avoiding autoimmunity. His laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach combining biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, and mouse models to dissect these complex signaling pathways.

Analysis of his recent publications (2023-2025) reveals a strong focus on inflammasome activation mechanisms, particularly NLRP3 phase separation, STING pathway modulation for therapeutic applications, and the role of nucleases in regulating nucleic acid sensing. His work spans fundamental mechanisms of immune recognition to translational applications in infectious diseases, cancer immunotherapy, and inflammatory disorders. The publications demonstrate his laboratory's leadership in identifying novel components and regulatory mechanisms within innate immune pathways.

• 2025 Louis-Jeantet Prize
• 2021 ERC Advanced Grant
• 2020 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology
• 2018 Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Life Sciences
• 2018 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (DFG)
• 2015 ERC Consolidator Grant
• 2015 Elected EMBO Member

Professor Hornung currently leads multiple major research initiatives including the ERC Advanced Grant ENGINES project focused on emerging inflammasomes, and several Collaborative Research Centers (TRR 338 LETSIMMUN, TRR 237 Nucleic Acid Immunity, CRC 1054, and CRC 1403) funded by the German Research Foundation. His laboratory maintains strong collaborations with clinical researchers at University Hospital Munich and international partners. The Hornung Lab continues to be at the forefront of innate immunity research, with recent work exploring connections between nucleic acid sensing, cell death pathways, and inflammatory diseases.