Professor Thomas Thum, MD, PhD, is Director of the Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies at Hannover Medical School and Visiting Professor at Imperial College London. His research focuses on cardiovascular medicine, fibrosis and the development of RNA-based therapeutics, spanning target discovery through clinical translation. He has authored more than 500 scientific publications and is an inventor on over 50 patents. Professor Thum founded Cardior Pharmaceuticals, whose lead RNA therapeutic advanced into mid-stage clinical development before the company was acquired by Novo Nordisk in 2024.