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

Hummert S, Glock C, Lang SN, Hummert C, Skerka C, Zipfel PF, Germerodt S, Schuster S (2018) Playing 'hide-and-seek' with factor H: game-theoretical analysis of a single nucleotide polymorphism. J R Soc Interface 15(142), 20170963.
Irmscher S, Döring N, Halder LD, Jo EAH, Kopka I, Dunker C, Jacobsen ID, Luo S, Slevogt H, Lorkowski S, Beyersdorf N, Zipfel PF, Skerka C (2018) Kallikrein cleaves C3 and activates complement. J Innate Immun 10(2), 94-105.
Luo S, Dasari P, Reiher N, Hartmann A, Jacksch S, Wende E, Barz D, Niemiec MJ, Jacobsen I, Beyersdorf N, Hünig T, Klos A, Skerka C, Zipfel PF (2018) The secreted Candida albicans protein Pra1 disrupts host defense by broadly targeting and blocking complement C3 and C3 activation fragments. Mol Immunol 93, 266-277.
Meinel C, Spartà G, Dahse HM, Hörhold F, König R, Westermann M, Cseresnyés Z, Coldewey SM, Figge MT, Hammerschmidt S, Skerka C, Zipfel PF (2018) Streptococcus pneumoniae from patients with hemolytic uremic syndrome binds human plasminogen via the surface protein PspC and uses plasmin to damage human endothelial cells. J Infect Dis 217(3), 358-370.
Michelfelder S, Fischer F, Wäldin A, Hörle K, Pohl M, Parsons J, Reski R, Decker EL, Zipfel PF, Skerka C, Häffner K (2018) The MFHR1 fusion protein is a novel synthetic multitarget complement inhibitor with therapeutic potential. J Am Soc Nephrol 29(4), 1141-1153.
Pujol-Lereis LM, Liebisch G, Schick T, Lin Y, Grassmann F, Uchida K, Zipfel PF, Fauser S, Skerka C, Weber BHF (2018) Evaluation of serum sphingolipids and the influence of genetic risk factors in age-related macular degeneration. PLOS One 13(8), e0200739.
Reiss T, Rosa TFA, Blaesius K, Bobbert RP, Zipfel PF, Skerka C, Pradel G (2018) FHR-1 binding impairs factor H-mediated complement evasion by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. J Immunol 201(12), 3497-3502.
Rudnick RB, Chen Q, Stea ED, Hartmann A, Papac-Milicevic N, Person F, Wiesener M, Binder CJ, Wiech T, Skerka C, Zipfel PF (2018) FHR5 binds to laminins, uses separate C3b and surface-binding sites, and activates complement on malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde surfaces. J Immunol 200(7), 2280-2290.
Spartà G, Gaspert A, Neuhaus TJ, Weitz M, Mohebbi N, Odermatt U, Zipfel PF, Bergmann C, Laube GF (2018) Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and C3 glomerulopathy in children: Change in treatment modality? A report on a case series. Clin Kidney J 11(4), 479-490.
Zipfel PF, Luo S, Dasari P, Reiher N, Jacobsen I, Beyersdorf N, Klos A, Serka C (2018) Reply to kang and brooks: Comment on the interpretation of binding of Pra1, the fungal immune evasion protein from Candida albicans to the human C3 and on the conformational changes of C3 upon activation: Kang and brooks optimization of biolayer-interfero. Mol Immunol 101, 638-639.