Wolfgang Hoyer

Wolfgang Hoyer is a Junior Professor (equivalent to Assistant Professor) at Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf and Forschungszentrum Jülich, leading the Institute for Physical Biology within the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. His research focuses on mechanistic studies of amyloid formation in neurodegenerative diseases using biophysical, biochemical, and structural biology approaches.

Research Interests: Dr. Hoyer investigates amyloid aggregation pathways, transient oligomeric states, and fibril polymorphs. Key areas include structural motifs in intrinsically disordered proteins (e.g., amyloid-β, α-synuclein, IAPP), inhibition strategies using engineered beta-wrapin proteins, and modulation of aggregation through molecular recognition features. His work bridges biophysics, neurobiology, and therapeutic development.

Recent Research Trends: Publications emphasize amyloid fibril structure determination (cryo-EM), kinetic analyses of aggregation, cross-amyloid interactions, and engineered inhibitors targeting nucleation. Consistent themes include β-hairpin motifs, toxicity modulation, and mechanistic insights into Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and diabetes-related amyloidosis.

Awards and Honors:

• ERC Consolidator Grant (2016)
• Ulrich Hadding Research Prize (2016)
• Otto Hahn Medal (2004)
• DFG Research Stipend (2008)
• Kekulé Stipend (2001)

Research Team: Leads a group with four PhD students (Tatsiana Kupreichyk, Marie Schützmann, Celina Schulz, Tina Jacob). Notable former member Emil Dandanell Agerschou received the Faculty's Best PhD Thesis Award (2021). The team collaborates with Forschungszentrum Jülich (IBI-7) and utilizes advanced techniques including TIRF microscopy and structural biology.