Prof. Dr. Thomas Krey participates in RESIST research projects B10, D1 and D2.

My Research Interest in RESIST

Our research focus in RESIST is the development and validation of a prophylactic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine based on the induction of potent broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) targeting the HCV glycoproteins. Such a vaccine will successfully complement the available treatment options and facilitate global control of HCV. Following this research strategy, we build on our longterm experience with the structural characterization of neutralization epitopes within the HCV glycoproteins. In collaboration with RESIST partner Thomas Pietschmann we will set out to characterize the evolution of bnAbs in vivo, the epitopes they target and the maturation pathways that B cells undergo to produce them. We also intend to utilize the accumulating structural information on HCV neutralization epitopes by applying novel structure-based approaches to create highly immunogenic vaccine antigens that elicit a protective humoral immune response against HCV.

In addition, together with RESIST partners Sodeik, Grünewald and Messerle we focus on the assembly of infectious Herpesvirus particles. We aim to better understand key mechanisms that drive Herpesvirus assembly in order to identify new protein-protein interfaces that are essential for virion assembly, and hence, might provide prime candidates for antiviral intervention.

Contact

Prof. Krey in the University of Lübeck

Prof. Dr. Thomas Krey – Curriculum Vitae

Current Position

Since April 2020 Full (W3) Professor of Biochemistry and Director of the Institute of Biochemistry, University of Lübeck, Germany

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Training

1994 – 2000 Veterinary School in Giessen
2000 – 2004 Doctorate (Dr. vet. med.; Supervisor Prof. Dr. vet. med. T. Rümenapf), Giessen
2006 Certificate of Completed Specialist Training in Veterinarian Microbiology (“Fachtierarzt für Mikrobiologie”)
2013 „Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (HDR)“, University Paris-Descartes

Academic and Research Posts

2004 – 2006 Research Associate, Institute of Virology, JLU Giessen, Germany
2006 – 2009 Research Associate, Structural Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
2010 – 2014 „Chargé de Recherche“ – permanent staff scientist, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
2015 „Chef de groupe“, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
2015 – 2019 Associate (W2) Professor of Structural Virology, Institute of Virology, MHH
Since 4/2020 Full (W3) Professor of Biochemistry and Director, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Lübeck, Germany

Other Scientific Roles

Since 2015 Ad hoc Reviewer for DFG, Israel Science Foundation and National Science Centre (Poland), Guest Editor „PLoS Pathogens“ and „Current Opinion in Virology“
Since 2017 Member of the Editorial Board „Journal of Virology“
2018 – 2022 Board member of the CRC 900
2018 Scientific Committee member – EMBO Workshop on “Membrane fusion in health and disease”, Cambridge, UK, June 24-28
2021 Scientific Committee member – “30th Annual Meeting of the Society for Virology”, Hannover, Germany, March 24-26, digital meeting
2022 Scientific Committee member – “Tenth International Virus Assembly Symposium”, Cascais, Portugal, October 2-6
Since 2022 Editorial Board Member Viruses
Since 2023 Spokesperson of the Research Training Group 2887 “VISION”

Awards and Prizes

2004 Merial-Promotionspreis 2004 for thesis
2004 Scholarship of the „Foundation of the married couple Dr. med. vet. Hans-Joachim and Gertrud Engemann”
2006 Roux Fellowship (awarded by the Institut Pasteur)
2007 Marie-Curie-Intra-European Fellowship
2011 1^st Poster Prize, 21^st Annual Meeting of the Society for Virology, Freiburg, Germany

10 Selected Publications

Deseke, M., Rampoldi, F., Sandrock, I., Borst, E., Böning, H., Ssebyatika, G.L., Jürgens, C., Plückebaum, N., Beck, M., Hassan, A. …. Krey, T., Prinz, I. (2022). A CMV-induced adaptive human Vδ1+ γδ T cell clone recognizes HLA-DR. Journal of Experimental Medicine 219, DOI: 10.1084/jem.20212525.

Barros-Martins, J.**, S.I. Hammerschmidt**, A. Cossmann**, I. Odak, M……I. Ravens, S. Willenzon, A. Bubke, ….. M. Hoffmann, S. Pohlmann, T. Krey, B. Bosnjak*, R. Forster*, and G.M.N. Behrens*. 2021. Immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants after heterologous and homologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/BNT162b2 vaccination. Nat Med 27(9):1525-1529 PMID: 34262158, shared first(**) and senior (*) authorships).

Naniima, P., Naimo, E., Koch, S., Curth, U., Alkharsah, K.R., Ströh, L.J., Binz, A., Beneke, J.-M., Vollmer, B., and Böning, H. (2021). Assembly of infectious Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus progeny requires formation of a pORF19 pentamer. PLoS biology 19, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001423. Open Access.

Sesterhenn, F., Yang, C., Bonet, J., Cramer, J.T., Wen, X., Wang, Y., Chiang, C.-I., Abriata, L.A., Kucharska, I., Castoro, G., …. Krey, T., Correia, BF. (2020). De novo protein design enables the precise induction of RSV-neutralizing antibodies. Science 368, DOI: 10.1126/science.aay5051.

Fedry, J., Forcina, J., Legrand, P., Péhau-Arnaudet, G., Haouz, A., Johnson, M., Rey, F.A., and Krey, T. (2018). Evolutionary diversification of the HAP2 membrane insertion motifs to drive gamete fusion across eukaryotes. PLoS biology 16, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006357. Open Access.

Vasiliauskaite, I., Owsianka, A., England, P., Khan, A.G., Cole, S., Bankwitz, D., Foung, S.K., Pietschmann, T., Marcotrigiano, J., Rey, F.A. ….. Krey, T. (2017). Conformational flexibility in the immunoglobulin-like domain of the hepatitis C virus glycoprotein E2. MBio 8, DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00382-17. Open Access.

Fédry, J., Liu, Y., Péhau-Arnaudet, G., Pei, J., Li, W., Tortorici, M.A., Traincard, F., Meola, A., Bricogne, G., Grishin, N.V. ….. Krey, T. (2017). The ancient gamete fusogen HAP2 is a eukaryotic class II fusion protein. Cell 168, 904-915. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.01.024. Open Access.

Meola, A., Tarr, A.W., England, P., Meredith, L.W., McClure, C.P., Foung, S.K., McKeating, J.A., Ball, J.K., Rey, F.A., Krey, T. (2015). Structural flexibility of a conserved antigenic region in hepatitis C virus glycoprotein E2 recognized by broadly neutralizing antibodies. Journal of virology 89, 2170-2181. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02190-14. Open Access.

Pérez-Vargas, J.*, Krey, T.*, Valansi, C., Avinoam, O., Haouz, A., Jamin, M., Raveh-Barak, H., Podbilewicz, B., Rey, F.A. (2014). Structural basis of eukaryotic cell-cell fusion. Cell 157, 407-419. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.02.020. Open Access.

Tarr, A.W., Lafaye, P., Meredith, L., Damier‐Piolle, L., Urbanowicz, R.A., Meola, A., Jestin, J.L., Brown, R.J., McKeating, J.A., Rey, F.A. ….. Krey, T. (2013). An alpaca nanobody inhibits hepatitis C virus entry and cell‐to‐cell transmission. Hepatology 58, 932-939. DOI: 10.1002/hep.26430.