Prof. Dr. Kay Grünewald participates in RESIST research projects D1 and D2.

My Research Interest in RESIST

Our research focus in RESIST is the structural characterisation of stages in the herpesvirus assembly pathway. For this, we use cellular electron cryo microscopy and tomography guided by advanced light microscopy techniques. Studying processes directly inside the infected cell will significantly advance the field as the current understanding of early steps was mainly derived from in vitro studies of isolated particles or bulk assays. Capturing metastable assembly intermediates will allow for novel mechanistic insights. Together with other researchers in RESIST the long-term aim is to contribute to new interventions for herpesviral diseases and improving the options for combination therapies that utilize drugs acting at different stages of the viral life cycle. 

Prof. Grünewald about his scientific work

Prof. Dr. Kay Grünewald – Curriculum Vitae

Current Position

  • Professor for Structural Virology (W3), Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universität Hamburg; Head of Research Department Structural Cell Biology of Viruses, Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), Hamburg; Faculty Member of Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Training

  • 1991–1996 Studies of Biology (Diploma) with Prof. Wolfram Braune, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany

  • 1997–2000 Doctorate in Biology (Dr. rer. nat.) with Prof. Wolfram Braune, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany; 1997/1998 research stays with Prof. Joseph Hirschberg, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Academic and Research Posts

  • 2001 Postdoctoral Fellow, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, and Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany with Prof. Wolfgang Baumeister

  • 2002–2003 Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA with Dr. Alasdair C. Steven (Laboratory Structural Biology Research)

  • 2004–2009 Junior Research Group Leader, Emmy Noether Group of DFG, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany

  • 2009–2017 Senior Group Leader and Head of Oxford Particle Imaging Centre, University of Oxford, Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford, United Kingdom

  • 2013–2017 Professor of Structural Cell Biology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

  • 2013–2018 Associate Scientist, Diamond Light Source, Harwell, United Kingdom

  • Since 2014 Faculty Member of Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany

  • Since 2017 Professor for Structural Virology (W3), Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universität Hamburg; Head of Research Department Structural Cell Biology of Viruses, Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV; formerly HPI, Heinrich Pette Institute), Hamburg, Germany

  • 2017–2027 Visiting Professor of Structural Cell Biology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Other Scientific Roles

  • Since 2006 Ad hoc Reviewer for ERC, DFG, ANR, SNF, Israel Science Foundation, etc.

  • 2011–2017 Associated Member of Micron Advanced Bioimaging, Oxford, United Kingdom

  • 2011–2019 Chair, User working group for Diamond Light Source Soft X-ray microscopy/tomography beamline B24, Harwell, United Kingdom

  • Since 2011 Lead scientist in INSTRUCT (Integrated Infrastructure for Structural Biology in Europe)

  • Since 2011 Co-founder / Executive Board Member, UK National cryoEM Facility eBIC, Diamond Light Source (DLS), Harwell, United Kingdom

  • 2013–2018 Wellcome Trust Expert Review Panel ‘Molecular Basis of Cell Function’

  • Since 2014 Director of CryoEM multiuser facility and Co-Director of Advanced Light and Fluorescence Microscopy core facility at Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany

  • 2018–2020 Member of Advisory Board, Scottish Centre for Macromolecular Imaging, Glasgow, United Kingdom

  • 2018–2021 Member of Advisory Board, ASBL, Astbury Centre, Leeds, United Kingdom

  • 2018–2025 Associated PI, DFG Cluster of Excellence ‘Advanced Imaging of Matter: Structure, Dynamics and Control on the Atomic Scale’, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

  • 2018–2025 PI, Executive Board Member, Leader of Topic D, DFG Cluster of Excellence ‘Resolving Infection Susceptibility (RESIST)’, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

  • 2018–2026 Spokesperson, Leibniz ScienceCampus ‘InterACt – Integrative analysis of pathogen-induced compartments’, Hamburg, Germany

  • 2020–2021 Deputy Scientific Director, Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany

  • 2022–2023 Scientific Director, Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany

  • 2022–2023 Designated spokesperson of preproposal for DFG Cluster of Excellence ‘Gateways to Health’, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

  • 2023–2028 Co-spokesperson of DFG Research Training Group (RTG) ‘VISualization and imaging of virus infectION (VISION)’ between Hamburg and Lübeck

  • Since 2023 Member of Expert Advisory Board, Centre for the Study of Health, Ethics and Society (CHES), Hamburg, Germany

Awards and Prizes

  • 2003 Norman P. Salzmann Award in Virology, NIH, USA

  • 2004 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fellows Award for Research Excellence

  • 2004–2009 Emmy Noether Programme of DFG

  • 2006 Young Academics Award ‘Fonds der Chemischen Industrie’

  • 2010 & 2015 Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow

  • 2018–present Full member of Hamburg Academy of Sciences

Recommended Links

For further information about Prof. Grünewald’s scientific work please check the following links:

10 Selected Publications (of in total 78 research publications in peer-reviewed journals, 12 review and opinion papers)

Ferreira JL, Pražák V, Vasishtan D, Siggel M, Hentzschel F, Binder AM, Pietsch E, Kosinski J, Frischknecht F, Gilberger TW, Grünewald K (2023) Variable microtubule architecture in the malaria parasite. Nat Commun. 14(1): 1216

Kouba T, Vogel D, Thorkelsson SR, Quemin ERJ, Williams HM, Milewski M, Busch C, Günther S, Grünewald K, Rosenthal M, Cusack S (2021) Conformational changes in Lassa virus L protein associated with promoter binding and RNA synthesis activity. Nat Commun. 12(1): 7018

Silvester E, Vollmer B, Pražák V, Vasishtan D, Machala EA, Whittle C, Black S, Bath J, Turberfield AJ#, Grünewald K#, Baker LA# (2021) DNA origami signposts for identifying proteins in cell membranes by electron cryotomography. Cell 84(4): 1110-1121 (# corresponding author)

Vollmer B, Pražák V, Vasishtan D, Jefferys EE, Hernandez-Duran A, Vallbracht M, Klupp B, Mettenleiter TC, Backovic M, Rey FA, Topf M, Grünewald K (2020) The pre-fusion structure of Herpes simplex virus glycoprotein B. Science Advances 6(39): eabc1726

Moser F, Pražák V, Mordhorst V, Andrade DM, Baker LA, Hagen C, Grünewald K, Kaufmann R (2019) Cryo-SOFI enabling low-dose super-resolution correlative light and electron cryo-microscopy. PNAS 116(11): 4804-4809

Chorev DS, Baker LA, Wu D, Beilsten-Edmands V, Rouse SL, Zeev-Ben-Mordehai T, Jiko C, Samsudin F, Gerle C, Khalid S, Stewart AG, Matthews SJ, Grünewald K, Robinson CV (2018) Protein assemblies ejected directly from native membranes yield complexes for mass spectrometry. Science 362: 829–834

Hagen C, Dent KC, Zeev-Ben-Mordehai T, Grange M, Bosse JB, Whittle C, Klupp BG, Siebert CA, Vasishtan D, Bäuerlein FJB, Cheleski J, Werner S, Guttmann P, Rehbein S, Henzler K, Demmerle J, Adler B, Koszinowski U, Schermelleh L, Schneider G, Enquist LW, Plitzko JP, Mettenleiter TC#, Grünewald K# (2015) Structural Basis of Vesicle Formation at the Inner Nuclear Membrane. Cell 163: 1692–1701 (# corresponding author)

Kaufmann R, Schellenberger P, Seiradake E, Dobbie IM, Jones EY, Davis I, Hagen C, Grünewald K (2014) Super-Resolution Microscopy Using Standard Fluorescent Proteins in Intact Cells under Cryo-Conditions. Nano Letters 4(7): 4171-4175

Maurer UE, Sodeik B, Grünewald K (2008) Native 3D intermediates of membrane fusion in herpes simplex virus 1 entry. PNAS 105(30): 10559-10564

Grünewald K, Desai P, Winkler DC, Heymann JB, Belnap DM, Baumeister W, Steven AC (2003) Threedimensional structure of Herpes simplex virus from cryo-electron tomography. Science 302:1396-1398

Contact

  Prof. Dr. Kay Grünewald
  Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB)
  c/o Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Notkestraße 85, Building 15
22607 Hamburg
  +49 40 8998-87700
  kay.gruenewald
@cssb-hamburg.de