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Maximilian Ferdinand Konig, MD
Rheumatology
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty
About Maximilian Ferdinand Konig
Professional Titles
- Director, Cellular Therapy Program (Autoimmunity), Department of Medicine
Primary Academic Title
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Background
Dr. Maximilian Konig is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology and Director of the Cellular Therapy Program (Autoimmunity) in the Department of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Germany) and completed his residency training in the Stanbury Physician-Scientist Pathway at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Konig concluded subspecialty training in Clinical and Molecular Rheumatology as well as Advanced Rheumatology at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
His clinical interests lie in treating patients with systemic autoimmune diseases, including myositis, scleroderma, lupus, vasculitis, and inflammatory arthritis.
Centers and Institutes
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Institute for NanoBioTechnology
- Cellular Therapy Program
Clinical Trial Keywords
chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy; CD19 CAR-T cells; bispecific T cell-engaging antibodies; adoptive cell therapy; autoimmune diseases; rheumatic diseases; systemic lupus erythematosus; lupus nephritis; ANCA-associated vasculitis; rheumatoid arthritis
Clinical Trials Summary
Dr. Konig is the lead investigator for clinical trials involving allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies and T cell-engaging antibodies for rheumatic diseases at Johns Hopkins.
Recent News Articles and Media Coverage
- Linking rheumatoid arthritis and gum disease: Researchers find common bacterium. Johns Hopkins HUB. (December 16, 2016)
- How RA Begins: A Detective Story. LEAP Magazine. (Winter 2017)
- Researchers Urge Clinical Trial of Blood Pressure Drug to Prevent Lethal Complication of Covid-19. Johns Hopkins News. (May 19, 2020)
- Researchers at Johns Hopkins are racing to understand the connection between SARS-CoV-2 and a deadly immune system malfunction called a cytokine storm. Johns Hopkins HUB. (June 29, 2020)
- CATCR-T cell therapy may aid in antiphospholipid syndrome through selective B-cell depletion. Healio Rheumatology. (November 30, 2022)
- Transforming Treatment for Autoimmune Diseases. Johns Hopkins Center for Innovative Medicine: Breakthrough. (Winter 2023)
- Can autoimmune diseases be cured? Scientists see hope at last. Nature. (January 23, 2024)
Research Interests
CAR-T cell therapy, antigen-specific immunotherapy, autoimmunity, rheumatic disease, immuno-oncology, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome
Lab Website
Konig Lab - Lab Website
- The Konig Lab focuses on chimeric T cell- and antibody-based strategies for the treatment of autoimmune rheumatic diseases and cancer. A primary goal of the translational research program is the development of antigen-specific and personalized immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases, with the intent to achieve sustained disease remission and functional cure. The lab further aims to establish precision T cell-targeting therapies for the treatment of various autoimmune diseases. Applying these tools to immuno-oncology, the lab utilizes cellular engineering strategies to augment the cytotoxic killing of solid cancers by the immune system.
Research Summary
Dr. Konig’s research focuses on developing precision immunotherapies for the treatment of rheumatic diseases and cancer. A primary goal of his translational research program is the development of antigen-specific and personalized immunotherapies for autoimmune rheumatic diseases, with the intent to achieve sustained disease remission and functional cure.
Dr. Konig has a long-standing interest in mechanisms of disease initiation and propagation in autoimmune rheumatic and inflammatory disease. His postdoctoral research in the Division of Rheumatology elucidated how specific bacteria may cause loss of immunological tolerance and the development of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) in rheumatoid arthritis, a hallmark of this autoimmune disease. His work identified Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans as a pathogen that induces hypercitrullination and the release of citrullinated autoantigens from neutrophils during periodontal infection. These mechanistic findings may explain the clinical association of rheumatoid arthritis and gum disease and prove critical to research efforts to prevent the development of rheumatoid arthritis in high-risk individuals with evidence of preclinical autoimmunity.
Selected Publications
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Konig MF, Abusleme L, Reinholdt J, Palmer RJ, Teles RP, Sampson K, Rosen A, Nigrovic PA, Sokolove J, Giles JT, Moutsopoulos NM, Andrade F. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans-induced hypercitrullination links periodontal infection to autoimmunity in rheumatoid arthritis. Sci Transl Med. 2016 Dec 14;8(369):369ra176. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaj1921. PMID: 27974664; PMCID: PMC5384717
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Konig MF, Powell M, Staedtke V, Bai RY, Thomas DL, Fischer N, Huq S, Khalafallah AM, Koenecke A, Xiong R, Mensh B, Papadopoulos N, Kinzler KW, Vogelstein B, Vogelstein JT, Athey S, Zhou S, Bettegowda C. Preventing cytokine storm syndrome in COVID-19 using α-1 adrenergic receptor antagonists. J Clin Invest. 2020 Jul 1;130(7):3345-3347. doi: 10.1172/JCI139642. PMID: 32352407; PMCID: PMC7324164
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Giles JT, Reinholdt J, Andrade F, Konig MF. Associations of Antibodies Targeting Periodontal Pathogens With Subclinical Coronary, Carotid, and Peripheral Arterial Atherosclerosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021 Apr;73(4):568-575. doi: 10.1002/art.41572. Epub 2021 Mar 3. PMID: 33205531; PMCID: PMC8005413
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Hsiue EH, Wright KM, Douglass J, Hwang MS, Mog BJ, Pearlman AH, Paul S, DiNapoli SR, Konig MF, Wang Q, Schaefer A, Miller MS, Skora AD, Azurmendi PA, Murphy MB, Liu Q, Watson E, Li Y, Pardoll DM, Bettegowda C, Papadopoulos N, Kinzler KW, Vogelstein B, Gabelli SB, Zhou S. Targeting a neoantigen derived from a common TP53 mutation. Science. 2021 Mar 5;371(6533):eabc8697. doi: 10.1126/science.abc8697. Epub 2021 Mar 1. PMID: 33649166; PMCID: PMC8208645
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Konig MF. The rise of precision cellular therapies. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2024 Feb;20(2):69-70. doi: 10.1038/s41584-023-01073-6. PMID: 38191701.
Courses & Syllabi
Translational Science - Immunology, ME.800.649.0000.SP24
Honors
- Harrington Scholar-Innovator, Harrington Discovery Institute, 7/1/23
- Investigator Award, Rheumatology Research Foundation, 7/1/23
- Lupus Innovation Award, Lupus Research Alliance, 4/1/23
- Bisciotti Foundation Translational Award, Stephen And Renee Bisciotti Foundation, 2/1/23
- Jerome L. Greene Foundation Scholar Award, Jerome L. Greene Foundation, 7/1/21
- Jerome L. Greene Foundation Discovery Award, Jerome L. Greene Foundation, 7/1/21
- Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation Myositis Discovery Fund, Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation, 4/1/21
- Distinguished Fellow Award, American College of Rheumatology, 1/1/21
- Outstanding Research Award, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 5/1/17
- Albert L. Lehninger Young Investigator Award, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 4/1/16
- Stabler Foundation Discovery Award, Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation, 3/1/15
- Biomedical MD Research Fellow, Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds, 8/1/09
- Scholar, German National Academic Foundation, German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes), 11/1/05
Graduate Program Affiliations
- Pathobiology Graduate Training Program
- Graduate Program in Immunology
Memberships
- American College of Rheumatology
- American College of Physicians
- American Society of Hematology
- The American Association of Immunologists
- The Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies
Professional Activities
- Abstract Selection Committee, Category Antiphospholipid Syndrome, American College of Rheumatology, Co-Chair, 6/1/23
- American College of Rheumatology, Committee on Education, Abstract Oversight Subcommittee, 1/1/21
- American College of Rheumatology, Committee on Research, 1/1/20
- American College of Rheumatology, Committee on Journal Publications, 1/1/18
- COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance, Clinical and Scientific Committee
- Rheumatology Research Foundation, Board of Directors, 1/1/19
Locations
- Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
- 4940 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224
- phone: 410-550-0100
- fax: 410-550-0101
- The Johns Hopkins Hospital
- 1800 Orleans Street, Baltimore, MD 21287
- phone: 410-955-5000
- fax: 410-955-5001
Expertise
Education
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Advanced Rheumatology, 2021Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Clinical and Molecular Rheumatology, 2020Massachusetts General Hospital
Residency, Medicine, 2018Charite-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin
Medical Education, MD, 2012Board Certifications
Rheumatology
American Board of Internal Medicine, 2021Internal Medicine
American Board of Internal Medicine, 2019Insurance
- Aetna
- CareFirst
- Cigna
- First Health
- Geisinger Health Plan
- HealthSmart/Accel
- Humana
- Johns Hopkins Health Plans
- MultiPlan
- Pennsylvania's Preferred Health Networks (PPHN)
- Point Comfort Underwriters
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- UnitedHealthcare
- Veteran Affairs Community Care Network (Optum-VACCN)