(2018)
Aspf2 from Aspergillus fumigatus recruits human immune regulators for immune evasion and cell damage.
Front Immunol 9,
1635.
Prof. Dr. Axel A. Brakhage
Director Molecular and Applied Microbiology · Head of Department Transfer Group Anti-infectives · Acting head +49 3641 532-1001 axel.brakhage@leibniz-hki.deCurriculum vitae
Main Research Areas
- Infection biology of human pathogenic fungi
- Molecular biotechnology / synthetic biotechnology of microbial compounds
- Microbial communication
- Eukaryotic gene regulation / transcription factors
Professional Career
| since 2005 | Scientific Director, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans-Knöll-Institute (HKI) Jena |
| since 2005 | Head of Department Molecular and Applied Microbiology, HKI Jena |
| since 2004 | Professor (C4/W3) and chair in microbiology and molecular biology, Institute for Microbiology, FSU Jena |
| 2000-2004 | Professor (C4) and chair in microbiology, Leibniz University Hanover |
| 1998-2001 | Professor (C3) in microbiology, Technical University Darmstadt |
| 1996 | Habilitation in microbiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich |
| 1992-1998 | Research assistant (C1), Institute for Genetics and Microbiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich |
| 1990-1992 | Research assistant, The University of Sheffield, UK, funded through postdoc grants of the DFG |
| 1989-1990 | Group head, Biotechnology, BASF AG, Ludwigshafen |
| 1989 | Dr. rer. nat. in microbiology, „summa cum laude“ University Münster and Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique (IBPC) Paris |
| 1985 | Studies in biology/chemistry, diploma in biology at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster |
Awards · Appointments · Scientific Activities
| since 2020 | Vice President of the DFG |
| since 2020 | Head of section 13 "Microbiology and Immunology" and Senator in the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina |
| since 2019 | Spokesperson of the Excellence Cluster "Balance of the Microverse" |
| since 2019 | Member of the foundation board of the Foundation Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology (RCI), Regensburg |
| since 2019 | Member of the scientific panel of the Heinrich-Pette Institute (HPI), Hamburg |
| since 2018 | Member of the scientific panel of the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF), Münster |
| since 2017 | Member of the Steering Committee DZIF/TTU |
| since 2017 | Elected member of the American Academy of Microbiology |
| since 2017 | Member of the scientific panel of the Robert Koch Foundation (RKS), Berlin |
| since 2017 | Member of the scientific panel of the MRC Medical Mycology Centre, Exeter, UK |
| since 2016 | Member of the Clusterboard RIS3 Thüringen |
| since 2016 | Member of the scientific panel of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (MPIIB), Berlin |
| since 2016 | Spokesperson of the Leibniz Research Cluster “Biotechnologie 2020+“ |
| since 2015 | Elected member of the European Academy of Microbiology |
| since 2015 | Honorary member of the DMykG |
| 2014 | Main Research Award of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM) |
| since 2013 | Spokesperson of the SFB/Transregio 124 FungiNet (DFG) |
| since 2013 | Deputy representative of the Leibniz-Research-Alliance Compounds and Biotechnology |
| since 2013 | Board member of the research campus “InfectoGnostics” (BMBF) |
| since 2012 | Spokesperson of the consortium “InfectControl 2020 – New Anti-infection Strategies – Science • Society • Economy” in the BMBF-programme “Zwanzig 20 – Partnership for Innovation” |
| 2012-2016 | Representative of the DFG-Professional Council 204 Microbiology, Immunology, Virology |
| 2010-2012 | Board member of the Integriertes Forschungs- und Behandlungszentrum “Center for Sepsis Control and Care” (CSCC) at the University Hospital Jena |
| 2010-2016 | Spokesperson (and authorised commissioner) of the Leibniz Research Cluster “Biotechnologie 2020+“ |
| since 2010 | Member of the scientific panel of the Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig |
| 2010-2018 | Member of the scientific panel of the –Institute for Pharmaceutical Research (HIPS), Saarbrücken |
| 2010-2020 | Member of the scientific panel of the Research Centre Borstel, Borstel |
| 2010-2017 | Member of the scientific panel of the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Halle |
| 2009-2017 | Supervisory Board Leibniz-Institute DSMZ – German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig |
| 2009-2016 | Member of the scientific panel of the Research Center for Infectious Diseases (ZINF), Würzburg |
| 2009-2011 | President of the Vereinigung für Allgemeine und Angewandte Mikrobiologie |
| 2008-2019 | Member of the university council (reappointment 2011+2015) at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena |
| 2008-2016 | Member of the DFG-Professional Council 204 Microbiology, Immunology, Virology |
| 2008 | Appointed member of the Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften, Leopoldina |
| 2007-2016 | Liaison Officer for scientific misconduct at the FSU Jena |
| since 2007 | Spokesperson of the excellence graduated school „Jena School for Microbial Communication” |
| 2006-2008 | Spokesperson of the graduate school "International Leibniz Research School (ILRS) for microbial and biomolecular interactions“ |
| 2006 | Heinz-Seeliger award for infection biology |
| since 2005 | Scientific panel "Goettinger Center for Molecular Bio/Sciences (GZMB)", Georg-August-University Göttingen |
| since 2005 | Member of the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Biological Sciences, FSU Jena |
| 2004-2010 | Representative of the DFG priority programme 1160 "colonisation and infection through human pathogenic fungi" |
| 2003-2010 | Scientific panel „Center for Microbial Biotechnology“ DTU Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 2003-2009 | Member in the programme committee of the DFG priority programme 1152 "Evolution of Metabolic Diversity" |
| 2003-2004 | Dean, faculty biology, Leibniz-University Hanover |
| 2002-2006, 2009-2020 |
Member of the scientific panel of the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF), Würzburg |
| since 1998 | Editor of several magazines |
| since 1995 | Principal investigator in EU projects |
Publications
(2018)
Methodologies for in vitro and in vivo evaluation of efficacy of antifungal and antibiofilm agents and surface coatings against fungal biofilms.
Microb Cell 5(7),
300-326.
(Review)
(2018)
Chromatin mapping identifies BasR, a key regulator of bacteria-triggered production of fungal secondary metabolites.
eLife 7,
e40969.
(2018)
Facile assembly and fluorescence-based screening method for heterologous expression of biosynthetic pathways in fungi.
Metab Eng 48,
44-51.
(2018)
Calcium sequestration by fungal melanin inhibits calcium-calmodulin signalling to prevent LC3-associated phagocytosis.
Nat Microbiol 3(7),
791-803.
(2018)
The Zn2Cys6-type transcription factor LeuB cross-links regulation of leucine biosynthesis and iron acquisition in Aspergillus fumigatus.
PLOS Genet 14(10),
e1007762.
(2018)
Microbial interactions trigger the production of antibiotics.
Curr Opin Microbiol 45,
117-123.
(Review)
(2018)
Generation of an arginine-tRNA-adapted Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain for effective heterologous protein expression.
Curr Genet 64(3),
589-598.
(2018)
Mutations in EEA1 are associated with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and affect phagocytosis of Aspergillus fumigatus by human macrophages.
PLOS One 13(3),
e0185706.
(2018)
Reconstitution of enzymatic carbon-sulfur bond formation reveals detoxification-like strategy in fungal toxin biosynthesis.
ACS Chem Biol 13(9),
2508-2512.
