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BRIDGE: Brain Research - Inter Disciplinary Guided Excellence

Zsolt Illés

E-mail:  zsolt.illes@rsyd.dk

Department: 

Department of Neurology, Department of Molecular Medicine

Biography:

Zsolt Illes MD, PhD, DSc is a professor at the University of Southern

Denmark (Department of Clinical Research, Department of Molecular Medicine, and BRIDGE: Brain

Research Guided by Interdisciplinary Excellence). He is also a neurologist consultant at the

Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital in Denmark. He graduated at the Medical

University of Pecs, Hungary and obtained his PhD degree based on studies exploring NKT, MAIT

and myelin-specific T cells in multiple sclerosis (MS) at the National Institute of Neuroscience in

Tokyo, Japan. After being a postdoc in the same institute, he did postdoctoral experimental research

in immune tolerance at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston. He has

been professor/visiting professor and head of Clinical and Experimental Neuroimmunology at the

University of Pecs, Hungary since 2010, and professor at the University of Southern Denmark since

2012.

1988: Medical University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary

MD

2000: University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary

PhD

2011: Hungarian Academy of Sciences

DSc

1988-1992: Markusovszky University Hospital, Szombathely, Hungary

residency in neurology

1994-1995: Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

visiting scientist (neurochemistry, leukodystrophies and lysosomal storage disorders)

1995-2000: National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry,

Tokyo, Japan

visiting scientist and postdoctoral fellow (molecular biology, multiple sclerosis)

2000-2004: Harvard Medical School, Center for Neurological Diseases, Harvard Institutes of

Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital

postdoctoral fellow (cellular/molecular immunology and animal models of MS)

Medical doctor and neurology specialist (specialist license numbers in Hungary and Denmark)

Although being neurologist consultant by training, Zsolt Illes has been extensively trained also in

basic sciences, molecular biology, cellular immunology, and experimental animal models at different

institutes. He obtained his PhD degree based on research in T cell receptor diversity in MS at the

National Institute of Neuroscience, Tokyo, Japan. He was postdoctoral research fellow in the same

institute, and then at the Harvard Institute of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, where he

did research in immune tolerance mechanisms and novel molecular treatments by using genetically

modified animal models. He has been a leader of translational research groups in Hungary and

Denmark since 2008 and 2012, respectively. His teams consist of basic scientists and clinicians

(postdocs, PhDs, masters): they do neuroimmunology research by combining multi-omics, animal

models, in vitro models, biomarker studies, database/registry research, and population-based,

national, head-to-head epidemiology studies. His team´s translational research at SDU/OUH covers

molecular mechanisms of MS by using tissue- and single-nucleus multi-omics and animal models.

His clinical team’s interest is biomarker research and epidemiology of neuroimmunological diseases

including NMOSD and MOGAD, and pathogenesis and diagnosis of progressive/smoldering MS.

The team has nationwide and worldwide collaborations with research groups doing omics,

experimental research, computational biology and bioinformatics. Zsolt Illes has also participated in

establishing international guidelines, expert opinions, and consensus statements in

neuroimmunological diseases. He and his students received several international, Danish and

Hungarian awards.

Last Updated 25.04.2025