Education and Academic Training

• 2024 Doctorate in Human medicine, University of Freiburg
• 2023 Licensed as a physician
• 2015–2023 Studied human medicine at the University of Freiburg

Research Career

• Since 2023: Group Leader of the “Neuroinfection and Immunity” group (physician) at the Institute of Neuroanatomy and Cell Biology, Hannover Medical School
• 2018–2019 MOTI-VATE Doctoral Program at the Medical Faculty of Freiburg
• 2018–2023 Medical PhD student at the Institute of Neuroanatomy and Cell Biology, Department of Neuroanatomy, University of Freiburg

Awards and Honors

• 2024 Young Investigator Award from the Anatomical Society
• 2023 Mentoring Award from the Anatomical Society
• 2022 Young Investigator Award from the Anatomical Society

Research Focus

1. Immunological processes in the central nervous system: microglia-neuron interactions and neuroinflammation
2. Viral infections in the central nervous system: Impact on neural networks and functionality
3. Investigation of the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and structure-function relationships under physiological and pathological conditions in translational research approaches
4. Development of cell culture models for translational and personalized research

Online profile and social media presence
ORCID: 0000-0001-7990-654X

Signature Publications:

Clinical parameters affect the structure and function of superficial pyramidal neurons in the adult human neocortex. Lenz, M., Kruse, P., Eichler, A., Straehle, J., Hemeling, H., Stöhr, P., Beck, J., & Vlachos, A. (2024). Brain Communications, 6(5), fcae351. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcae351

Transcriptomic and de novo proteomic analyses of organotypic entorhino-hippocampal tissue cultures reveal changes in metabolic and signaling regulators in TTX-induced synaptic plasticity. Lenz, M., Turko, P., Kruse, P., Eichler, A., Chen, Z. A., Rappsilber, J., Vida, I., & Vlachos, A. (2024). Molecular Brain, 17(1), 78. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13041-024-01153-y

Microglial Cytokines Mediate Plasticity Induced by 10 Hz Repetitive Magnetic Stimulation. Eichler, A., Kleidonas, D., Turi, Z., Fliegauf, M., Kirsch, M., Pfeifer, D., Masuda, T., Prinz, M., Lenz, M., & Vlachos, A. (2023). The Journal of Neuroscience, 43(17), 3042 LP – 3060. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2226-22.2023

All-trans retinoic acid induces synaptic plasticity in human cortical neurons. Lenz, M., Kruse, P., Eichler, A., Straehle, J., Beck, J., Deller, T., & Vlachos, A. (2021). ELife, 10, e63026. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.63026

Interleukin 10 Restores Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Alterations in Synaptic Plasticity Probed by Repetitive Magnetic Stimulation. Lenz, M., Eichler, A., Kruse, P., Strehl, A., Rodriguez-Rozada, S., Goren, I., Yogev, N., Frank, S., Waisman, A., Deller, T., Jung, S., Maggio, N., & Vlachos, A. (2020). Frontiers in Immunology, Vol. 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.614509