We are very pleased to welcome Prof. Dr. Anna K. H. Hirsch, Head of the Department “Drug Design and Optimisation” at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) in Saarbrücken, as a new RESIST member. She is now part of the leadership team of RESIST project D1, which aims to find substances that can inhibit the replication and survival of herpes viruses in the body.

Within the framework of RESIST, Prof. Hirsch is concentrating in particular on active substances that can inhibit the so-called accessory DNA polymerase protein. This is involved in the multiplication of the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus. “This antiviral target, which has been little researched so far, has the potential to offer new therapeutic options for herpesvirus diseases,” she says.

Anna Hirsch studied natural sciences with a focus on chemistry at the University of Cambridge. She received her PhD from ETH Zurich in 2008 and then worked at the Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires in Strasbourg before taking up a position at the Stratingh Institute for Chemistry at the University of Groningen in 2010, where she was appointed professor in 2015. In 2017, she moved to the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS).

The photo shows Prof. Hirsch. Copyright Oliver Dietze (5)