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

Battista M, Hoffmann B, Bachelot Y, Zimmermann L, Teuber L, Jost A, Linde S, Westermann M, Müller MM, Slevogt H, Hammerschmidt S, Figge MT, Vilhena C*#, Zipfel PF*# (2023) The role of pneumococcal extracellular vesicles on the pathophysiology of the kidney disease hemolytic uremic syndrome. mSphere 8(4), e0014223.
Busch C, Rau S, Sekulic A, Perie L, Huber C, Gehrke M, Joussen AM, Zipfel PF, Wildner G, Skerka C, Strauß O (2023) Increased plasma level of terminal complement complex in AMD patients: potential functional consequences for RPE cells. Front Immunol 14, 1200725.
Daud M, Dasari P, Adelfinger M, Langenhorst D, Lother J, Slavkovic-Lukic D, Berges C, Kruhm M, Galler A, Schleussner C, Luther CH, Alberter K, Althammer A, Shaikh H, Pallmann N, Bodem J, El-Mowafy M, Beilhack A, Dittrich M, Topp MS, Zipfel PF, Beyersdorf N (2023) Enolase 1 of Candida albicans binds human CD4+ T cells and modulates naïve and memory responses. Eur J Immunol 53(11), e2250284.
Langenhorst D, Fürst AL, Alberter K, Vilhena C, Dasari P, Daud M, Heilig L, Luther CH, Dittrich M, Reiher N, Wich M, Elmowafy M, Jacobsen ID, Jungnickel B, Zipfel PF*, Beyersdorf N*# (2023) Soluble enolase 1 of Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus stimulates human and mouse B cells and monocytes. J Immunol 211(5), 804-815.
Lin L, Wang M, Zeng J, Mao Y, Qin R, Deng J, Ouyang X, Hou X, Sun C, Wang Y, Cai Y, Li M, Tian C, Zhou X, Zhang M, Fan H, Mei H, Sarapultsev A, Wang H, Zhang G, Zipfel PF, Hu Y, Hu D, Luo S (2023) Sequence variation of Candida albicans Sap2 enhances fungal pathogenicity via complement evasion and macrophage M2-like phenotype induction. Adv Sci (Weinh) 10(20), e2206713.
Noriega M, Husain-Syed F, Wulf S, Csala B, Krebs CF, Jabs W, Zipfel PF, Gröne HJ, Wiech T (2023) Kidney biopsy findings in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection or after COVID-19 vaccination. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 18(5), 613-625.
Seifert L, Zahner G, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Hickstein N, Dehde S, Wulf S, Köllner SMS, Lucas R, Kylies D, Froembling S, Zielinski S, Kretz O, Borodovsky A, Biniaminov S, Wang Y, Cheng H, Koch-Nolte F, Zipfel PF, Hopfer H, Puelles VG, Panzer U, Huber TB, Wiech T, Tomas NM (2023) The classical pathway triggers pathogenic complement activation in membranous nephropathy. Nat Commun 14(1), 473.
Vilhena C, Du S, Battista M, Westermann M, Kohler T, Hammerschmidt S, Zipfel PF (2023) The choline-binding proteins PspA, PspC, and LytA of Streptococcus pneumoniae and their interaction with human endothelial and red blood cells. Infect Immun 91(9), e0015423.
Zipfel PF, Zipfel S, Wiech T (2023) [Role of Complement in Kidney Diseases - New Aspects]. Dtsch Med Wochenschr 148(12), 774-779.
Chen LY, Schirmer U, Widder M, Gruel Y, Rollin J, Zipfel PF, Nguyen TH (2022) Breast cancer cell-based ELISA: a potential material for better detection of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia antibodies. J Mater Chem B 10(38), 7708-7716.