Matthias Löhr

President

United European Gastroenterology (UEG)

Matthias Löhr is the Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Karolinska Institutet and leads the Pancreatic Team at Karolinska University Hospital. He currently serves as the president of the United European Gastroenterology (UEG). Löhr's research centres on pancreatic diseases, both in clinical settings and in the laboratory. His primary focus is on pancreatic tumours, specifically adenocarcinoma and cystic preneoplasias (IPMN). He has conducted numerous early-phase clinical studies on pancreatic cancer as the principal investigator, including projects such as CT-PCA-1, EndoTAG-1, AXP107-11, and PePaCaKa-01. Additionally, he holds a particular interest in premalignant conditions (IPMN) and the risk of hereditary pancreatic cancer.

In 1986, Löhr obtained his medical degree from the Medical School at the University of Hamburg in Germany, where he also completed his MD thesis on pancreatic pathology in collaboration with the Hagedorn Research Laboratory in Gentofte, Denmark. He also holds an American MD degree (ECFMG). Following his graduation in 1986, he began his medical career as a resident in pathology at the University of Hamburg. He then undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Immunology, Scripps Clinic & Research Foundation, in La Jolla, California.

Returning to Germany in 1989, Löhr commenced a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Erlangen. By 1993, he had advanced to chief resident and later attending physician at the University of Rostock, where he also earned his PhD (Dr. med. habil./Privatdocent). In 2000, he was appointed Professor of Molecular Gastroenterology at the University of Heidelberg and subsequently led the same division at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) until 2010. In 2007, Löhr was appointed as Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. His research receives funding from both national and international sources, including several ongoing EU projects such as PRECODE, PancAIM, PANCAID, and GUIDE.MRD.

Löhr is also the leader of the European Educational Program for Future Pancreatologists, “Pancreas 2000.” Within the United European Gastroenterology (UEG), he directed the first evidence-based European guidelines for chronic pancreatitis (HaPanEU) in 2017 and has overseen the UEG guidelines for IgG4-related diseases. He previously served as the secretary-general for the European Pancreatic Club (EPC) and was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the EPC in 2023.

To date, Löhr has published over 400 peer-reviewed papers in major journals, including Nature, Nature Reviews, The Lancet, Gastroenterology, GUT, and NEJM. As the current UEG president, he is dedicated to expanding European and international participation within the organisation. Additionally, he is a strong advocate for improved research and support for poor-prognosis and neglected cancers.

Updated: October 2024