· Prof. Dr. med. Jürgen Braun joins the Scientific Advisory Board of MetrioPharm AG.
· With more than 800 peer-reviewed publications and various prestigious awards, Prof. Braun is internationally recognized as a leading expert in the field of modern clinical and academic rheumatology.
Zurich, May 26, 2026 – MetrioPharm AG, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing medicines for inflammatory and infectious diseases, today announced that Prof. Dr. med. Jürgen Braun is joining the company’s Scientific Advisory Board.
With the appointment of Prof. Braun, MetrioPharm is specifically expanding its Scientific Advisory Board with expertise in inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Jürgen Braun has been advising MetrioPharm since December 2025 and has significantly supported the company in the further development of the clinical strategy and study design for MP1032 in rheumatological indications.
Thomas Christély, Chief Executive Officer of MetrioPharm AG, commented on the appointment: “We are delighted to welcome Jürgen Braun, an internationally renowned rheumatologist, to our Scientific Advisory Board. For more than three decades, he has played a significant role in shaping rheumatology research and the international clinical trial landscape.”
Prof. Dr. med. Steffen Stürzebecher, Chief Medical Officer of MetrioPharm AG, added: “Jürgen Braun’s experience of conducting clinical trials will be invaluable as we move forward with the next stages of development for MP1032. I am pleased to have on board a colleague whose medical and scientific advice I have valued for many years.”
Prof. Dr. med. Jürgen Braun: “MP1032 follows a mechanism of action that targets the body’s own regulation of inflammatory processes, offering an interesting complementary pathway to established therapies for inflammatory rheumatic diseases. I look forward to supporting MetrioPharm in this phase with my clinical and methodological experience.”
Profile: Prof. Dr.
med. Jürgen Braun After beginning his academic
career at the Benjamin Franklin University Hospital in Berlin, Prof. Braun
completed his habilitation in internal medicine at Freie Universität Berlin and
was appointed associate professor at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
before later receiving an associate and then a full professorship at the Ruhr
University Bochum. Over the course of his
career, Prof. Braun has held numerous national and international leadership
positions in rheumatology and led several major international initiatives in
the field of rheumatology. He served as President of the DGRh, as Scientific Director
of the German Rheuma Academy, and as a long-standing board member of ASAS, the
Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society. He is the author of more than
800 peer-reviewed publications and has received numerous prestigious awards,
including the Carol Nachman Prize, the EULAR Award, honorary membership of the
American College of Rheumatology (ACR Master), and a lifetime achievement award
from SPARTAN. Prof. Braun is internationally recognized for his contributions
to modern clinical and academic rheumatology.
About MetrioPharm AG and MP1032 MetrioPharm AG is a Swiss clinical-stage biotechnology
company developing unique self-regulating immunomodulators for novel therapies
targeting a wide range of inflammatory and infectious diseases. The lead
compound MP1032 is characterized by its broad efficacy potential and excellent
safety profile without systemic immunosuppression. MetrioPharm’s first goal is to replace (at least partially)
the long-term use of glucocorticoids (commonly known as “cortisone”) with
MP1032. In preclinical studies, MP1032 demonstrated an anti-inflammatory effect
comparable to cortisone without its associated side effects. MP1032 therefore
represents a novel concept in anti-inflammatory and cortisone-reducing or even
replacing therapy in inflammatory rheumatic diseases and other indications
where glucocorticoids are used as standard therapy, offering not only
equivalent but potentially higher efficacy due to synergistic effects with low
doses of cortisone. MetrioPharm’s development focus is on orphan inflammatory
diseases, with the aim of independently advancing MP1032 in these indications
to market approval. In addition, MetrioPharm is expanding the out-licensing
potential of its lead compound MP1032 for further inflammatory and infectious
diseases with large patient populations. Preclinical in vivo models for a wide range of inflammatory
and autoimmune diseases indicate therapeutic potential of MP1032, e.g. in
rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel
disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and sepsis. Three Phase II clinical
efficacy studies of MP1032, involving 208 patients treated with MP1032, have
shown important efficacy trends in patients with psoriasis and COVID-19. In addition to its anti-inflammatory effect, MP1032 shows
anti-infective effects against a wide range of viruses and bacteria due to its
host-cell-directed mechanism of action. In the Phase IIa study involving 132
COVID-19 patients — funded by the EU with 8 million euros and published in the
renowned journal The Lancet Regional Health - Europe — MetrioPharm was
able to demonstrate important trends in clinical efficacy. These data indicate a
potential for preparedness against future viral or bacterial pandemics (pandemic
preparedness), as well as in patients with Long COVID. MP1032 is the world’s first and only active substance
capable of normalizing pathologically elevated ROS (reactive oxygen species)
levels while preserving the physiological ROS required for normal cellular
function. In addition, MP1032 markedly reduces inflammatory cytokines such as
TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, and IL-23 which are increased under pathological
conditions. The company is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, and has
a subsidiary in Berlin, Germany.
Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties and reflect MetrioPharm AG’s assessment as of
the date of this release. Such forward-looking statements are neither promises
nor guarantees and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. No
liability or warranty is assumed, and no claim is made as to the timeliness,
accuracy, or completeness of the data and information provided herein; no legal
obligation should be inferred from such data and information, whether expressly
or by implication.
Contact MetrioPharm
AG Corporate
Communications presse@metriopharm.com www.metriopharm.com
akampion Ines-Regina
Buth Managing
Partner info@akampion.com Tel.
+49 40 88 16 59 64 / Tel.
+49 30 23 63 27 68 
Prof. Dr. J. Braun is a
specialist in internal medicine with an additional qualification in
rheumatology and an internationally leading expert in the field of rheumatic
diseases. For more than two decades, he served as Medical Director of the
Rheumatology Center Ruhrgebiet in Herne and later held the Chair of
Rheumatology at Ruhr University Bochum. He is currently Professor Emeritus at
Ruhr University Bochum, a member of the Advisory Board of the German Society
for Rheumatology (DGRh), and Medical Head of the Rheumatology Care Center
Steglitz (RVZ) in Berlin.
