Thomas Blank, PhD

Dr. Thomas Blank is a leading neuroscientist and metabolomics expert and a founding Scientific Advisory Board member of Ultimate Medicine, where he co-discovered the gut-brain metabolite pathway that underpins the company’s therapeutic platform. As Senior Group Leader at the University of Freiburg, Dr. Blank directs research in brain aging, neuroinflammation, and metabolite-driven cognitive decline, with groundbreaking publications in Nature, Nature Neuroscience, and Nature Aging.

His collaboration with Dr. Antal Szalay identified δ-valerobetaine, a key gut-derived metabolite responsible for age-related neuronal dysfunction, forming the scientific basis for Ultimate Medicine’s drug discovery program. At Freiburg, Dr. Blank leads one of Europe’s foremost metabolomics research groups, pioneering lipidomic profiling and mechanistic studies that connect systemic metabolism to brain health.

Dr. Blank earned his PhD in Neuroscience from the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine and completed postdoctoral work at The Scripps Research Institute. His discoveries continue to drive innovation at the intersection of microbiome science, metabolism, and neurodegeneration.