Dr. Frank Behrens is a Professor of Translational Rheumatology, Immunology, and Inflammation Medicine and Head of the Inflammation Clinic (Rheumatology, Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases) at the University Hospital and a Deputy Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP) at the Goethe-University Frankfurt. He is a member of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune-mediated- disease (CIMO) Board of Directors.

Prof. Behren’s primary research interest is the pathophysiological understanding of spondyloarthritides, rheumatoid arthritis, and mixed connected tissue disease. The focus is on understanding the links between these rheumatic conditions and associated skin and bowel diseases. The work aims to develop new drug therapies and implement personalized treatment approaches using combined biomarker analyses and new imaging techniques.

Before studying human medicine, Prof. Behrens studied biology at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. He completed his doctorate in hematology and oncology and then trained in internal medicine and rheumatology. He was awarded a scholarship to the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Goethe University in Frankfurt, where he researched the role and function of regulatory T cells in chronic arthritis and angiogenesis in psoriatic disease. Prof. Behrens then focused on translational research and developing new therapeutic options, particularly in psoriatic arthritis. Since 2001, he has gained experience in clinical research and development as Principal Investigator, Chief Investigator, and Managing Investigator. He is responsible for several investigator-initiated studies in rheumatic diseases.

Prof. Behrens has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and is the author of several textbooks on rheumatic diseases. He is a member of various international committees and study groups, such as the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA), the Expert Panel on Outcome of Systemic Sclerosis (EPOSS), and the Psoriatic Arthritis Genetic European Consortium (PAGE).