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

Halder LD, Babych S, Palme DI, Mansouri-Ghahnavieh E, Ivanov L, Ashonibare V, Langenhorst D, Prusty B, Rambach G, Wich M, Trinks N, Blango MG, Kornitzer D, Terpitz U, Speth C, Jungnickel B, Beyersdorf N, Zipfel PF, Brakhage AA, Skerka C (2022) Candida albicans induces cross-kingdom miRNA trafficking in human monocytes to promote fungal growth. mBio 13(1), e0356321.
Ruiz-Molina N, Parsons J, Müller M, Hoernstein SNW, Bohlender LL, Pumple S, Zipfel PF, Häffner K, Reski R, Decker EL (2022) A synthetic protein as efficient multitarget regulator against complement over-activation. Commun Biol 5(1), 152.
Schmidt T, Afonso S, Perie L, Heidenreich K, Wulf S, Krebs CF, Zipfel PF, Wiech T (2022) An interdisciplinary diagnostic approach to guide therapy in C3 glomerulopathy. Front Immunol 13, 826513.
Shahraz A, Lin Y, Mbroh J, Winkler J, Liao H, Lackmann M, Bungartz A, Zipfel PF, Skerka C, Neumann H (2022) Low molecular weight polysialic acid binds to properdin and reduces the activity of the alternative complement pathway. Sci Rep 12(1), 5818.
Stea ED, Skerka C, Accetturo M, Pesce F, Wiech T, Hartmann A, Pontrelli P, Castellano G, Zipfel PF, Gesualdo L (2022) Novel FHR2 variants in atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome: a case study of translational medicine approach in renal transplantation. Front Immunol 13, 1008294.
Wendt R, Siwy J, He T, Latosinska A, Wiech T, Zipfel PF, Tserga A, Vlahou A, Rupprecht H, Catanese L, Mischak H, Beige J (2022) Molecular mapping of urinary complement peptides in kidney diseases. Proteomes 9(4), 49.
Wiech T, Reinhard L, Wulf S, Giuffrida AE, Longhitano E, Caruso R, Gröne HJ, Stahl RAK, Zipfel PF, Kikhney J, Moter A, Hoxha E, Santoro D (2022) Bacterial infection possibly causing autoimmunity: Tropheryma whipplei and membranous nephropathy. Lancet 400(10366), 1882-1883.
Zipfel PF, Skerka C (2022) From magic bullets to modern therapeutics: Paul Ehrlich, the German immunobiologist and physician who coined the term ‘Complement’. Mol Immunol 150, 90-98. (Review)
Dasari P, Nordengrün M, Vilhena C, Steil L, Abdurrahman G, Surmann K, Dhople V, Lahrberg J, Bachert C, Skerka C, Völker U, Bröker BM, Zipfel PF (2021) The protease SplB of Staphylococcus aureus targets host complement components and inhibits complement-mediated bacterial opsonophagocytosis. J Bacteriol 204(1), e0018421.
Du S, Vilhena C, King S, Sahagún-Ruiz A, Hammerschmidt S, Skerka C, Zipfel PF (2021) Molecular analyses identifies new domains and structural differences among Streptococcus pneumoniae immune evasion proteins PspC and Hic. Sci Rep 11(1), 1701.