Curriculum vitae

Main Research Areas
  • Immune escape of human pathogenic micro-organisms
  • Infection-associated function of the complement system
  • Genetic susceptibility for infections
Professional Career
Since 2000 Professor for infection biology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena (FSU Jena) 
Since 2000 Head of the department infection biology, Leibniz-Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans-Knöll-Institute Jena
1999 Nontenured professor, University Hamburg
1993 Habilitation in immunology and molecular biology, University Hamburg
1989-2000 Group head at the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for tropical medicine Hamburg
1989 Visiting associate, Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
1985-1988 Postdoc, Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA, funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
1984 PhD as Dr. rer. nat., University Bremen
1980-1985 Research assistant, University Bremen
1980 Diploma in biology, University Bremen



Awards · Appointments · Scientific Activities
Since 2009  Member at the editorial board of molecular immunology, frontiers in innate immunity
2009 Excellence award from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie
Since 2008 Representative of the graduate school International Leibniz Research School for Microbial and Biomolecular Interactions (ILRS)
2008 EFIS lecture award of the European Federation of Immunological Societies
Since 2007 Principal investigator of the excellence graduate school Jena School for Microbial Communication (JSMC)
2007 Heinz Spitzbart award of the European Society for Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ESIDOG)
Since 2006 Principal investigator of the graduate school International Leibniz Research School for Microbial and Biomolecular Interactions (ILRS)
2007-2011 President of the European Complement Network
2005 – 2012 Board member of the European Complement Network
2004 Thuringian research award
Since 2002 Deputy Director of the Leibniz-Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans-Knöll-Institute Jena
Since 2000 Project leader for infection biology, L2
1999-2001 Member at the editorial board of experimental and clinical immunology, thrombosis and haemostasis, section editor molecular immunology
Member of the European Working Party on the Genetics of Complement mediated Kidney Diseases, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie (DGHM), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Immunologie, Gesellschaft für Genetik, Gesellschaft für Nephrologie

Publications

Skerka C, Pradel G, Zipfel PF, Zipfel SLH, Strauß O (2020) Factor H-related protein 1: A complement protein and guardian of necrotic type surfaces. Br J Pharmacol [Epub ahead of print] (Review)
Tille A, Lehnert T, Zipfel PF, Figge MT (2020) Quantification of factor H mediated self versus non-self discrimination by mathematical modeling. Front Immunol 11, 1911.
Zipfel PF, Wiech T, Stea ED, Skerka C (2020) CFHR gene variations provide insights in the pathogenesis of the kidney diseases atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome and C3 glomerulopathy. J Am Soc Nephrol 31(2), 241-256. (Review)
Dasari P, Koleci N, Shopova I, Wartenberg D, Beyersdorf N, Dietrich S, Sahagun-Ruiz A, Figge MT, Skerka C, Brakhage AA, Zipfel PF (2019) Enolase from Aspergillus fumigatus is a moonlighting and immune evasion protein that binds the human plasma complement proteins factor H, FHL-1, C4BP, and plasminogen. Front Immunol 10, 2573.
Irmscher S, Brix SR, Zipfel SLH, Halder LD, Mutlutürk S, Wulf S, Girdaukas E, Reichenspurner H, Stahl RAK, Jungnickel B, Wiech T, Zipfel PF, Skerka C (2019) Serum FHR1 binding to necrotic-type cells activates monocytic inflammasome and marks necrotic sites in vasculopathies. Nat Commun 10(1), 2961.
Klaile E, Müller MM, Zubiría-Barrera C, Brehme S, Klassert TE, Stock M, Durotin A, Nguyen TD, Feer S, Singer BB, Zipfel PF, Rudolphi S, Jacobsen ID, Slevogt H (2019) Unaltered fungal burden and ethality in human CEACAM1-transgenic mice during Candida albicans dissemination and systemic infection. Front Microbiol 10, 2703.
Lang SN, Germerodt S, Glock C, Skerka C, Zipfel PF, Schuster S (2019) Molecular crypsis by pathogenic fungi using human factor H. PLOS One 14(2), e0212187.
Person F, Rinschen MM, Brix SR, Wulf S, Noriega MLM, Fehrle W, Schmitz J, Schwarz A, Ivanyi P, Steinmetz OM, Reinhard L, Hoxha E, Zipfel PF, Bräsen JH, Wiech T (2019) Bevacizumab-associated glomerular microangiopathy. Mod Pathol 32(5), 684-700.
Person F, Zipfel PF, Wiech T (2019) Thrombotische Mikroangiopathie: Was gibt es Neues? Der Nephrologe 14(1), 26-31. (Review)
Röttgerding F, Wagemakers A, Koetsveld J, Fingerle V, Kirschfink M, Hovius JW, Zipfel PF, Wallich R, Kraiczy P (2019) Author Correction: Immune evasion of Borrelia miyamotoi: CbiA, a novel outer surface protein exhibiting complement binding and inactivating properties. Sci Rep 9(1), 7056.