Prof. Eike Nagel

MD, PhD, FACC, FESC

DZHK Professor for Cardiology
Director, Institute for Experimental and Translational Cardiovascular Imaging Head, DZHK Centre for Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Cardiology, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

Current Position

Prof. Eike Nagel is Head of the Institute for Experimental and Translational Cardiovascular Imaging at Goethe University Frankfurt — a multimodality imaging research facility focusing on advanced imaging research of cardiovascular disease with magnetic resonance, echocardiography, in-dephth blood analysis and spiro-ergometry.

Career Highlights

SCMR Leadership

Prof. Nagel is one of the founding members and Past President of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR). In 2016, he was awarded the SCMR Gold Medal for achievements in the field of science and the establishment of MRI for clinical applications.

Academic Appointments

  • DZHK Professor for Cardiac Imaging, Goethe University Frankfurt
  • Director, Institute for Experimental and Translational Cardiovascular Imaging

Research Focus

Prof. Nagel is dedicated to translational clinical research of cardiovascular imaging biomarkers, aiming at generating a better understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. His research focuses on:

  • Cardiac Ageing — Understanding cardiac health and ageing trajectories
  • Myocardial Ischemia — Detection and quantification using perfusion CMR
  • Myocardial Fibrosis — T1 mapping and tissue characterization
  • Myocardial Inflammation — CMR in inflammatory cardiac involvement and cardiomyopathies
  • Heart Failure — Diagnostic pathways for HFpEF, especially at an early stage
  • Standardization — Guidelines for CMR protocols, reporting, and quantification

Publications and Impact

Prof. Nagel has published over 500 imaging-related publications and has authored several clinical guidelines, including:

  • Standardized image acquisition protocols
  • Standardized CMR reporting guidelines
  • Standardized quantification for cardiovascular magnetic resonance
  • Diagnostic pathways for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

His work has been cited over 42,000 times (Google Scholar).

Major Studies and Trials

MR-INFORM Trial

The landmark MR-INFORM trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2019) demonstrated that CMR-guided management of patients with stable angina was non-inferior to FFR-guided management, establishing CMR as a viable alternative to invasive assessment.

Read the MR-INFORM publication

International T1 Multicenter Study

Led the international effort to validate and standardize T1 mapping for clinical use across multiple centers and vendors.

Learn more about T1 Outcome Study

Teaching and Training

The Institute offers state-of-the-art clinical service as well as a wide range of courses and fellowships on CMR for:

  • Clinicians
  • Radiographers
  • CMR physicists
  • Engineers

These programs aim to outline the role of CMR in diagnosis and clinical management of heart diseases.

Selected Key Publications

  1. Nagel E, Greenwood JP, McCann GP, et al. Magnetic Resonance Perfusion or Fractional Flow Reserve in Coronary Disease. N Engl J Med. 2019;380(25):2418-2428.

  2. Pieske B, Tschöpe C, de Boer RA, et al. How to diagnose heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: the HFA-PEFF diagnostic algorithm: a consensus recommendation from the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Eurheartj 2019;40(40):3297-3317.

  3. Puntmann VO, Carerj ML, Nagel E, et al. Outcomes of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients Recently Recovered From Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). JAMA Cardiol. 2020;5(11):1265-1273.

  4. Puntmann V, Martin S, Shchendrygina A, et al. Long-term cardiac pathology in individuals with mild initial COVID-19 illness. Nature Med. 2022;28:2117-2123.

  5. Kramer CM, Barkhausen J, Flamm SD, Kim RJ, Nagel E. Standardized cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) protocols 2013 update. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2013;15:91.

  6. Schulz-Menger J, Bluemke DA, Nagel E, et al. Standardized image interpretation and post-processing in cardiovascular magnetic resonance — 2020 update. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2020;22:19.

  7. Nagel E, Lehmkuhl HB, Bocksch W, et al. Noninvasive Diagnosis of Ischemia-Induced Wall Motion Abnormalities With the Use of High-Dose Dobutamine Stress MRI. Circulation. 1999;99:763-770.

  8. Kim WY, Danias PG, Stuber M, at al. Magnetic Resonance Coronary Angiography for the Detection of Coronary Stenoses. N Engl J Med. 2001;345:1863-1869.

Awards and Honours

  • SCMR Gold Medal (2016) — For achievements in science and establishing MRI for clinical applications
  • DZHK Professorship — German Centre for Cardiovascular Research
  • Fellow, American College of Cardiology (FACC)
  • Fellow, European Society of Cardiology (FESC)

Contact

Institute for Experimental and Translational Cardiovascular Imaging
University Hospital Frankfurt
Theodor-Stern-Kai 7
60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Email: eike.nagel(at)cardiac-imaging.org