Prof. Dr. Markus Cornberg participates in RESIST research projects B8, B9 and B10.

My Research Interest in RESIST

Our research focus in RESIST is to understand how the immune system is able to control or clear hepatitis viruses and how this could lead to novel treatment concepts, especially for chronic hepatitis B. Nucleoside or nucleotide analogues (NA) are the most commonly used drugs to treat chronic hepatitis B, but this therapy only suppresses the virus and rarely leads to cure or functional cure defined loss of the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). Thus, for most patients this is a life-long treatment and new treatment strategies are needed with the aim to achieve HBsAg loss.

For example, we have initiated prospective clinical trials investigating a structured NA treatment termination or interruption in patients with chronic hepatitis B. The results of the first trial was pivotal for the concept that stopping NA therapy and subsequent HBV DNA rebound may induce immune responses which could promote later HBsAg loss in 10-30% of cases. However, several questions still remain to be answered in RESIST, such as the identification of the exact component of the immune system needed to achieve a functional cure following NA interruption, and also identifying patients who will benefit from stopping NA treatment.

Prof. Cornberg about his scientific work

Prof. Dr. Markus Cornberg – Curriculum Vitae

Current Position

  • Since 2019 Clinical Director of the HZI (Helmholtz-Zentrum fĂŒr Infektionsforschung) and Director of the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CIIM) 

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Training

  • 1992 – 1999 Academic studies of medicine, MHH, Germany

  • 2000 Approbation (license to practice medicine) as MD, MHH, Germany

  • 2000 Medical Doctorate with summa cum laude (Dr. med.; Supervisor Prof. Dr. med. S. Wagner, MHH)

  • 2011 Venia legendi (Habilitation) (Supervisor Prof. Dr. med. M.P. Manns, MHH)

  • 2011 Certificate of Completed Medical Specialist for Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology

  • 2014 Certificate of Completed Medical Specialist for Infectious Diseases 

Academic and Research Posts

  • 1999 – 2002 Residency, Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, MHH, Germany

  • 2002 – 2005 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

  • Since 2005 Research Group Leader, Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, MHH, Germany

  • Since 2011 Senior attending physician (infectious disease ward, hepatitis outpatient clinic), Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, MHH, Germany 

  • Since 2019 Managing senior physician (Ltd. OA) MHH, Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology 

Other Scientific Roles

  • Since 2006 Medical secretary of the German Liver Foundation

  • Since 2006 Coordinator of the German Hepatitis B Guideline

  • Since 2017 Member of the Scientific Committee and Governing Board of the European Association for the Study of The Liver (EASL)

  • Since 2019 Associate Editor, Journal of Hepatology 

    Recommended Links

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

    10 Selected Publications (of > 150 original publications)

    Soon CF, Behrendt P, Todt D, Manns MP, Wedemeyer H, SÀllberg Chen M, Cornberg M. Defining Virus-specific CD8+ TCR Repertoires for Therapeutic Regeneration of T Cells against Chronic Hepatitis E. J Hepatol. 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2019.06.005. 

    Aregay A, Owusu Sekyere S, Deterding K, Port K, Dietz J, Berkowski C, Sarrazin C, Manns MP, Cornberg M*, Wedemeyer H*. Cure of Hepatitis C Virus has limited impact on the functional and mitochondrial impairment of HCV-specific CD8+ T cell response. J Hepatol 2019; doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2019.06.025. * contributed equally 

    Rinker F, Zimmer CL, Höner Zu Siederdissen C, Manns MP, Kraft ARM, Wedemeyer H, Björkström NK*, Cornberg M*. Hepatitis B virus-specific T cell responses after stopping nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B. J Hepatol. 2018; 69:584–593. * contributed equally 

    Zimmer CL, Rinker F, Höner Zu Siederdissen C, Manns MP, Wedemeyer H, Cornberg M*, Björkström NK*. Increased NK Cell Function After Cessation of Long-Term Nucleos(t)ide Analogue Treatment in Chronic Hepatitis B Is Associated With Liver Damage and HBsAg Loss. J Infect Dis. 2018; 217:1656–1666. * contributed equally 

    Höner Zu Siederdissen C, Hui AJ, Sukeepaisarnjaroen W, Tangkijvanich P, Su WW, Nieto GEG, Gineste P, Nitcheu J, CrabĂ© S, Stepien S, Manns MP, TrĂ©po C, Wedemeyer H, Cornberg M. Contrasting Timing of Virological Relapse After Discontinuation of Tenofovir or Entecavir in Hepatitis B e Antigen-Negative Patients. J Infect Dis. 2018; 218:1480–1484. 

    Höner Zu Siederdissen C, Rinker F, Maasoumy B, Wiegand SB, Filmann N, Falk CS, Deterding K, Port K, Mix C, Manns MP, Herrmann E, Wedemeyer H, Kraft AR, Cornberg M. Viral and Host Responses After Stopping Long- term Nucleos(t)ide Analogue Therapy in HBeAg-Negative Chronic Hepatitis B. J Infect Dis. 2016; 214:1492– 1497. 

    Zhang S, Bakshi RK, Suneetha PV, Fytili P, Antunes DA, Vieira GF, Jacobs R, Klade CS, Manns MP, Kraft AR, Wedemeyer H, Schlaphoff V, Cornberg M. Frequency, Private Specificity, and Cross-Reactivity of Preexisting Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)-Specific CD8+ T Cells in HCV-Seronegative Individuals: Implications for Vaccine Responses. J Virol 2015; 89: 8304-8317. 

    Owusu Sekyere S, Suneetha PV, Kraft AR, Zhang S, Dietz J, Sarrazin C, Manns MP, Schlaphoff V*, Cornberg M*, Wedemeyer H*. 2015. A heterogeneous hierarchy of co-regulatory receptors regulates exhaustion of HCV- specific CD8 T cells in patients with chronic hepatitis C. J Hepatol 62:31–40. 

    Waggoner SN, Cornberg M, Selin LK, Welsh RM. Natural killer cells act as rheostats modulating antiviral T cells. Nature 2012; 481:394–398. 

    Cornberg M, Chen AT, Wilkinson LA, Brehm MA, Kim SK, Calcagno C, Ghersi D, Puzone R, Celada F, Welsh RM, Selin LK. Narrowed TCR repertoire and viral escape as a consequence of heterologous immunity. J Clin Invest 2006; 116:1443–1456. 

    Contact

      Prof. Dr. Markus Cornberg
      Klinik fĂŒr Gastroenterologie, Hepatologie und Endokrinologie, Hannover Medical School (MHH)
      Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1
    30625 Hannover
      +49 511 532 6821
      Cornberg.Martin
    @mh-hannover.de