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Revolution in neurology: New insights into autoantibodies!
Find out more about the research activities of Prof. Dr. Simone Mader at FAU and their effects on autoimmune diseases.
Revolution in neurology: New insights into autoantibodies!
On July 19, 2025, the appointment of Prof. Dr. Simone Mader announced as W3 Professor of Translational Immunology at FAU. Her scientific career has been characterized by a detailed investigation of the role of autoreactive B cells and antibodies in autoimmune diseases. In particular, she focuses on autoantibodies that attack brain antigens. Her research goal is to unite the disciplines of rheumatology and neurology in order to better understand and analyze the interactions between the two areas, particularly in the context of neuropsychiatric lupus FAU reports.
Prof. Mader is also interested in the mechanisms of dysregulation of the immune system in autoimmune diseases. Before her appointment at FAU, she was Junior Group Leader at the Institute for Clinical Neuroimmunology at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich and had previously conducted research for almost six years at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York. There her focus was on the interactions between antibodies and the brain in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Research interests and goals
Her academic background includes studying biology and a master's degree in molecular biology at the Leopold Franzens University of Innsbruck and a PhD in neuroscience at the Medical University of Innsbruck. Mader believes that identifying autoantibodies in diseases such as NMDAR encephalitis, which is the most common form of autoimmune encephalitis in Western countries, is crucial for targeted therapy. This encephalitis, first described in 2007, leads to severe brain inflammation, psychosis and epileptic seizures Trillium describes.
Through the rapid identification of autoantibodies, patients could be treated better; This innovative approach significantly improves the prognosis, allowing many sufferers to return to their everyday lives after receiving intensive immunotherapy. Young women in particular, but also men and children, are increasingly affected, which underlines the urgency of research in this area.
Personal insights and values
Prof. Mader describes the castle gardens in Erlangen as her favorite place. She plans to explore the area around Erlangen and especially Franconian Switzerland. She describes her small notebook and her collection of pens as the most useful items. Her childhood dream of becoming a doctor and later an actress turned into a passion for science, inspired by her family and special mentors in Austria, the USA and Germany, especially her grandmother.
Her activities are characterized by a strong interest in networking and collaboration in science. She strives to support the next generation of scientists. In her free time, she loves playing table football, even though she admits to being a little out of practice. Another personal goal on her bucket list is to tour Australia and New Zealand with her family.
Together with the advancing knowledge in the field of autoimmune diseases, as evidenced by research on NMDAR encephalitis and other antibody-mediated diseases, her career demonstrates the importance and complexity of immunology as it relates to neurological and psychiatric diseases PMC highlights. Discovering new autoantibodies and applying their diagnostics is a challenge that scientists must continue to face.