His research has significantly contributed to the understanding of membranous nephropathy, particularly through the identification of THSD7A as a podocyte target antigen in a subset of patients, which has enhanced both diagnosis and treatment approaches. In 2019, he became a group leader at UKE, where he led the Emmy Noether Research Group “Molecular Mechanisms of Membranous Nephropathy” and continues to guide several projects in the area of antibody-mediated kidney diseases such as anti-nephrin-associated podocytopathy. For his latest research project AUTO-TARGET (“Antigen-specific treatments to target autoimmune kidney diseases”) he is supported by a starting grant from the European Research Council (ERC). His efforts have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Dr. Martini Prize for his groundbreaking work on anti-THSD7A antibodies, the Hans U. Zollinger Prize of the German Society of Nephrology, and the scientific honorary award of the German Society of Nephrology for his landmark work on anti-nephrin antibodies.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
With his leitmotif of “Understanding antibody-mediated kidney disease to pave the way for antigen-specific future treatments,” Dr. Tomas aims to advance nephrology through innovative research in the field of autoimmune kidney diseases, particularly focusing on autoantibody-mediated podocytopathies and the development of specifically targeted therapies for them.
