(2025)
Essential role of hepcidin in host resistance to disseminated candidiasis.
Cell Rep 44(5),
115649.
Curriculum vitae
Main Research Areas
- Infection biology of human pathogenic fungi (Candida albicans, C. glabrata)
- Host-/pathogen-interactions
- Functional genomics and micro-evolution
- Infection-associated genes
Professional Career
| Since 2007 | Head, Dept. Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, HKI Jena |
| Since 2006 | Professor (W3), Chair in Microbial Pathogenicity, FSU Jena |
| 2006-2007 | Head of the division FG16 “Mycology”, RKI Berlin |
| 2000-2006 | Lecturer in Microbiology, FU Berlin |
| 2000-2006 | Head of a research group, RKI Berlin |
| 2000 | Habilitation in Molecular Microbiology, University of Hamburg |
| 1996-2000 | Assistant Professor (C1), Applied Molecular Biology, University of Hamburg |
| 1995-1996 | Research Assistant, Applied Molecular Biology, University of Hamburg |
| 1992-1995 | Honour Research Fellow, EG- and DFG-funded, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom |
| 1991 | Dr. rer. nat. in Microbiology, University of Göttingen |
| 1986 | Diploma in Biology, University of Göttingen, Germany |
Awards · Appointments · Scientific Activities
| Since 2020 | Member and PI of the DFG priority program SPP 2225 Strategies of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata to exit from macrophages |
| Since 2020 | Member and PI of the ANR/BMBF French-German project on antimicrobial resistance programme “Resistance to antibiotics, focusing on critical resistant bacteria from the WHO priority-1 list of pathogens, and resistance to antifungals“ – “Antifungal Resistance: From Surveillance to Treatment” – AreST |
| Since 2019 | Member and PI of the EU Host-Directed Medicine in invasive FUNgal infections (HDMFun) Horizon 2020; Better Health and care, economic growth and sustainable health systems) RIA |
| Since 2019 | Member and PI of the Wellcome Trust Collaborative Award “Targeting a new kingdom: the nature and significance of Type VI secretion system-mediated anti-fungal activity” |
| Since 2019 | Coordinator RA B Excellence Cluster “Balance of the Microverse” of the FSU |
| Since 2019 | Member and Training Manager of the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (MC-ITN) “Deciphering the fungus-host-microbiota interplay to improve the management of fungal infections – FunHoMic” |
| 2018-2020 | Member of the Review Board (Fachkolleg 204) of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, (DFG) 204 (Microbiology, Virology and Immunology) |
| 2018 | Member of the International Scientific Committee for the 20th Congress of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM) 30 June - 4 July 2018 Amsterdam |
| 2017-2020 | Speaker and PI of Leibniz Campus “InfectoOptics - Combating infectious diseases with advanced optical methods” |
| 2017 | “Drug of the Year” Award of the Leibniz Association |
| 2015-2022 | Executive board member of the Centre for Innovation Competence (ZIK) Septomics |
| 2015-2019 | Member of the EU MC-ITN “From Omics to Patient: Improving Diagnostics of Pathogenic Yeasts – OPATHY” |
| 2015-2018 | Eight publication awards of the DMykG (Co- and Senior author) |
| 2015-2018 | Coordinator and PI of Infect-ERA Consortium “FunComPath”: From colonization to infection: dissection of the commensal-to-pathogen shift of Candida albicans |
| 2013-2016 | Member of the program committee ASM Candida and candidiasis meeting |
| 2014 | Main award (Hauptpreis) of DGHM |
| Since 2013 | Member and Steering Committee of the Leibniz Research Alliance INFECTIONS'21/INFECTIONS |
| Since 2013 | Member, PI and Steering Committee (until 2021) of DFG SFB/TR 124 programme "Pathogenic fungi and their human host: Networks of interaction – FungiNet'" |
| 2013-2017 | Member of “International Project Advisory Board” of the Belgian network “MICRODEV – Role of developmental processes in the virulence of human pathogens: from molecular mechanisms to novel therapeutic targets” |
| Since 2013 | Honorary member of Deutschsprachige Mykologische Gesellschaft (DMykG) |
| 2013-2015 | Co-chair, Gordon Conference “Immunology of Fungal Infections” |
| 2013-2020 | Organiser & Co-Organizer of FEBS advanced practical course “State-of-the-art infection models for human pathogenic fungi” (2013, 2016 and 2020) in Jena, Germany |
| 2012-2015 | “In house professorship”, Center for Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), Integriertes Forschungs- und Behandlungszentrum (IFB), Jena |
| 2012 | Co-Chair for the ISHAM 2012 conference in Berlin |
| 2011-2018 | Member of DFG priority program SPP 1580: “Survival and proliferation of human pathogenic Candida species within phagocytes” |
| 2011-2018 | Scientific advisory board Wellcome Trust Strategic Award (WTSA) “Medical Mycology and Fungal Immunology”, Aberdeen, UK |
| 2011-2016 | Leading Principal Investigator in the DFG DACH Programme, project: “Microevolution of pathogenic yeasts during interactions with the host immune system” |
| 2011-2014 | Member of the Internal Review Board (IRB) of the Center for Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC) in Jena, Germany |
| 2011 | Organisation of the international FINSysB research skills training workshop “State-of-the-art infection models” |
| Since 2011 | Scientific advisory board Wellcome Trust Strategic Award (WTSA) “Medical Mycology and Fungal Immunology”, University of Aberdeen, UK |
| Since 2010 | Steering Committee, International Leibniz Research School for Microbial and Biomolecular Interactions (ILRS) |
| 2010-2012 | Co-chair of the programme and organisation committee "ISHAM 2012“ |
| 2009-2015 | Vice President of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM) |
| 2009-2015 | Member of the Scientific Advisory Board for of the next FEBS Advanced Lecture Course on Human Fungal Pathogens, La Colle-sur-Loup, France |
| 2008 | Fellowship award of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) |
| 2008 | Heinz-Maurer-Award (co-author) |
| Since 2007 | PI at the International Leibniz Research School for Microbial and Biomolecular Interactions (ILRS) |
| Since 2007 | PI at the excellence school Jena School for Microbial Communications (JSMC) |
| 2007-2014 | Member and PI of EU ERA-NET PathoGenoMics Network Program CandiCol |
| 2005 | Scientific committee “Interdisciplinary Forum on Candida and Candida Infections” in Göttingen |
| 2005 | Local scientific committee TIMM 2005 (“Trends in Medical Mycology“) in Berlin |
| 2004-2011 | Member and PI of DFG priority program SPP 1160 “Colonisation and infection by human-pathogenic fungi” |
| 2004-2006 | Science advisory board of the “FEBS advanced course on Human Fungal Pathogens“ |
| 2003-2006 | Head of the section "Eukaryotic Pathogens“ of the DGHM |
| 2003 | Heinz Seeliger Award, Seeliger Foundation |
| 2003 | Becton Dickinson Award of the DGHM |
| 2002-2003 | Secretary of the section "Eukaryotic Pathogens“ of the DGHM |
| 2000-2013 | Member of Marie Curie Research Training Networks of the European Union (FP5, FP6 and FP7) |
| Since 2000 | Editorial Board / Associate Editor of mBio, Cellular Microbiology, FEMS Yeast Research, F1000, Current Opinion in Microbiology (Section Editor 2009, Editorial Board), Virulence Ad hoc Reviewer for >35 journals incl. Nature, Nature Communication, Nature Microbiology, Nature Reviews Microbiology, Proceeding of the National Academy of Science, PLoS Pathogens, Science Translational Medicine, Current Opinion in Microbiology, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Cellular Microbiology (Highlighted Reviewer for Cellular Microbiology 2016), and others Reviewer for Grant & Fellowship Applications for Health and Medical Research Fund China (HMRF), Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), Wiener Wissenschafts-, Forschungs- und Technologiefonds (WWTF), Swiss National Science foundation (SNF), UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI), i-Move (EU), Agence Nationale de la Rechere France (ANR), Robert Koch Institute (RKI), National Science Centre Poland (NSCP), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Deutsch-Israelische Stiftung für Wissenschaftliche Forschung und Entwicklung (GIF), European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), Medical Research Council (MRC), National Science Foundation (NSF, USA), Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), Research Foundation-Flanders/Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO, Belgien), The Royal Society (London, UK), The Welcome Trust UK, Foundation for Polish Science (FNP), European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC), Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC), National Research Foundation (NRF) South Africa, Evaluation of grant proposals and promotions for multiple international universities, Humboldt Stiftung, Deutsche Krebshilfe, Wissenschaftsrat and others |
| Lecturer for Central European Summer Course (CESC), Szeged, Hungary, Woods Hole Course of Molecular Mycology (USA); post-graduation course on Host-Fungus Interactions, Braga, Portugal); summer school “Pathogen-Host Interactions at Cellular Barriers”, Muenster, Germany | |
| Chair, co-chair, organizer and convener of > 50 conferences, meetings and sessions | |
| Since 2000 | PI in EU-Projects (Framework Programme 5, 6, 7) |
| 1998 | Scientific award (Forschungsförderpreis), DMykG |
| 1992-1995 | Postdoc fellowships from the EG and DFG |
Publications
(2025)
Transkingdom mechanism of MAMP generation by chitotriosidase feeds oligomeric chitin from fungal pathogens and allergens into TLR2-mediated innate immune sensing.
Front Immunol 16,
1497174.
(2025)
Convergent evolution of a fungal effector enabling phagosome membrane penetration.
bioRxiv
[Preprint]
(2025)
Candida albicans biofilm extracellular vesicles deliver candidalysin to epithelial cell membranes and induce host cell responses.
Infect Immun 93(5),
e0040424.
(2025)
Candidalysin biology and activation of host cells.
mBio
[Epub ahead of print] (Review)
(2025)
Role of amino acid substitutions on proteolytic stability of histatin 5 in the presence of secreted aspartyl proteases and salivary proteases.
Protein Sci 34(1),
e70011.
(2025)
Lactic acid in the vaginal milieu modulates the Candida-host interaction.
Virulence 16(1),
2451165.
(2025)
Commensalism and pathogenesis of Candida albicans at the mucosal interface.
Nat Rev Microbiol
[Epub ahead of print] (Review)
(2025)
Probiotic Lactobacillus species modulate immune responses during vaginal epithelial cell colonization.
J Infect Dis ,
jiaf221.
(2025)
Vaginal Candida albicans infections: host-pathogen-microbiome interactions.
FEMS Microbiol Rev 49,
fuaf013.
