Wolfgang Liedtke M.D. Ph.D is a scientist-physician with deep expertise in molecular neurobiology of sensory function, with focus on pain, itch and nervous system injury. He is also an apex clinician who has provided effective and empathetic care to more than 5000 patients, who suffered from “refractory” pain and were deemed challenging by other doctors, in the two pain-focused clinics that he has founded at Duke University Medical Center. He also has experience in corporate biotech-pharma in global development of therapeutics development, integrating basic research and human genetics with development.

Clinically trained in neurology and psychiatry in his native Germany, he trained in neuropathology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (The Bronx NY), as a Feodor Lynen Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Society (Bonn, Germany). After 7 highly formative years at The Rockefeller University (New York NY) in Jeff Friedman’s laboratory where he discovered TRPV4 (landmark CELL paper Liedtke-et-al in 2000), he opened his own laboratory at Duke University, and founded two pain-focused clinics, as well as co-founded the Duke Interdisciplinary Pain Research Group. He is a Professor of Dentistry – Dental Pain Research at New York University College of Dentistry, where he was also elected into the NYU Pain Research Center.

Liedtke made foundational discoveries not only related to TRPV4 ion channels, but also conducted pioneering work on gene regulation of the SLC12A5/KCC2 gene and its impact on neuronal chloride and GABA-ergic neurotransmission. He has now published more than 150 peer reviewed papers (h-index 78 as of 10/24), won several US national and international awards, is lead inventor on 6 US Patents. Epitomized by his recent election into the prestigious and highly selective American Clinical and Climatological Association (ACCA, head count limited to 250 senior physician – physician-scientist leaders), Liedtke is recognized for his leadership in academia and now industry, as teambuilder and communicator across both worlds.