Prof. Dr. Thomas Pietschmann participates in RESIST research projects A1 and B10.

My Research Interest in RESIST

Our research focus in RESIST is the identification of genetic determinants that influence the course and severity of primary RSV infections among infants. In collaboration with RESIST partner Gesine Hansen, we aim to identify genes and their variants that influence RSV infection severity and to understand by which mechanisms they do so. Ultimately, we aim to translate this information into development of diagnostic procedures that help to predict RSV infection risk so that we can protect vulnerable infants from severe infection.

In addition, we focus on the analysis of antibody responses to HCV. We screen patients chronically infected with HCV for particularly broad and potent neutralizing antibodies. In collaboration with RESIST partner Thomas Krey we de-convolute antibody responses in these elite neutralizers and aim to identify viral epitopes targeted by these antibodies. Ultimately, we aim to use this information for structure-based design of vaccine candidates that protect from HCV infection.

Contact

Prof. Pietschmann about his scientific work

This Video was recorded in 2021.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Pietschmann – Curriculum Vitae

Current Position

Since 2012 Full Professor (W3) of Experimental Virology at the Medical School Hannover and Director of the Institute of Experimental Virology at TWINCORE

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Training

1991 – 1996 University of Würzburg, Germany and Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
1994 – 1995 DAAD-Scholarship performed at the Duke University Medical School, Durham, NC, USA
1996 Diploma in Biology, University of Würzburg, Major Biochemistry, Minor Immunology/Virology, and animal physiology
1997 – 2000 Doctor of natural sciences (Dr. rer. nat.), University of Würzburg, Institute of Virology

Academic and Research Posts

2000 – 2002 Postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Virology, University of Mainz
2002 – 2006 Postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Molecular Virology, University of Heidelberg
2006 – 2007 Emmy Noether-Research group leader at the Department of Molecular Virology, University of Heidelberg
2007 – 2012 Associate Professor (W2) of Experimental Virology at the Medical School Hannover and Head of the Department for Experimental Virology TWINCORE – Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover
Since 2012 Full Professor (W3) of Experimental Virology at the Medical School Hannover and Director of the Institute of Experimental Virology at TWINCORE

Other Scientific Roles

Referee of numerous journals (Nature, PLoS Pathogens, Hepatology) and funding agencies (DFG, CNRS)
2013 – 2020 Topic speaker for the Helmholtz Centre of Infection Research, Braunschweig
Since 2013 Member of the Advisory board of the Society of Virology
Since 2015 Editoral board member of Journal of Virology
2014 – 2020 Speaker of the Graduate School of the Helmholtz Centre of Infection Research
2017 – 2020 Member of the Helmholtz Think Tank
Since 2017 Speaker of the Achieve academy of the Society of Virology
2018 – 2022 Speaker – Junior Academy of the German Society of Virology (Achieve academy)
2019 – 2021 Editorial board member of the Journal of Hepatology
2019 – 2023 Member, Internal Advisory Board, German Center for Infection Research (DZIF)
2019 – 2023 Speaker of the DZIF partner site Hannover/Braunschweig
Since 2019 Member of the RESIST governing board (Representative Project Area A)
2020 – 2024 Deputy spokesperson – DFG Review Board FK 204 (Microbiology, Virology and Immunology)
Since 2021 HZI spokesperson – Helmholtz „Infection Research“ program
Since 2023 Member of the DZIF Executive Board
Since 2023 Scientific Co-Director Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research

Awards and Prizes

1994 DAAD Scholarship for studies at the Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
2005 Pettenkofer Award of the Pettenkofer Foundation, Munich
2005 Robert Koch Postdoc Prize in Virology, Robert Koch Foundation
2006 Emmy Noether-Scholarship, German Research Foundation (DFG)
2012 ERC starting grant “VIRAFRONT” (European Research Council)

10 Selected Publications

Sake SM, Zhang X, Rajak MK, Urbanek-Quaing M, Carpentier A, Gunesch AP, Grethe C, Matthaei A, Rückert J, Galloux M, Larcher T, Le Goffic R, Hontonnou F, Chatterjee AK, Johnson K, Morwood K, Rox K, Elgaher WAM, Huang J, Wetzke M, Hansen G, Fischer N, Eléouët JF, Rameix-Welti MA, Hirsch AKH, Herold E, Empting M, Lauber C, Schulz TF, Krey T, Haid S, Pietschmann T. Drug repurposing screenidentifies lonafarnib as respirator y syncytial virus fusion protein inhibitor. Nat Commun. 2024 Feb 8;15(1):1173. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45241-y.

Bankwitz D, Bahai A, Labuhn M, Doepke M, Ginkel C, Khera T, Todt D, Ströh LJ, Dold L, Klein F, Klawonn F, Krey T, Behrendt P, Cornberg M, McHardy AC, Pietschmann T. Hepatitis C reference viruses highlight potent antibody responses and diverse viral functional interactions with neutralising antibodies. Gut. 2021 Sep;70(9):1734-1745. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2020-321190.

Risso-Ballester J, Galloux M, Cao J, Le Goffic R, Hontonnou F, Jobart-Malfait A, Desquesnes A, Sake SM, Haid S, Du M, Zhang X, Zhang H, Wang Z, Rincheval V, Zhang Y, Pietschmann T, Eléouët JF, Rameix-Welti MA, Altmeyer R. A condensate-hardening drug blocks RSV replication in vivo. Nature. 2021 Jul;595(7868):596-599. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03703-z.

Brown RJP, Tegtmeyer B, Sheldon J, Khera T, Anggakusuma, Todt D, Vieyres G, Weller R, Joecks S, Zhang Y, Sake S, Bankwitz D, Welsch K, Ginkel C, Engelmann M, Gerold G, Steinmann E, Yuan Q, Ott M, Vondran FWR, Krey T, Ströh LJ, Miskey C, Ivics Z, Herder V, Baumgärtner W, Lauber C, Seifert M, Tarr AW, McClure CP, Randall G, Baktash Y, Ploss A, Thi VLD, Michailidis E, Saeed M, Verhoye L, Meuleman P, Goedecke N, Wirth D, Rice CM, Pietschmann T. Liver-expressed Cd302 and Cr1l limit hepatitis C virus cross-species transmission to mice. Sci Adv. 2020 Nov 4;6(45):eabd3233. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abd3233.

Vieyres G, Reichert I, Carpentier A, Vondran FWR, Pietschmann T. The ATGL lipase cooperates with ABHD5 to mobilize lipids for hepatitis C virus assembly. PLoS Pathog. 2020 Jun 15;16(6):e1008554. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008554.

Bankwitz D, Doepke M, Hueging K, Weller R, Bruening J, Behrendt P, Lee JY, Vondran FWR, Manns MP, Bartenschlager R, Pietschmann T. Maturation of secreted HCV particles by incorporation of secreted ApoE protects from antibodies by enhancing infectivity. J Hepatol. 2017 Sep;67(3):480-489. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2017.04.010.

Perin PM, Haid S, Brown RJ, Doerrbecker J, Schulze K, Zeilinger C, von Schaewen M, Heller B, Vercauteren K, Luxenburger E, Baktash YM, Vondran FW, Speerstra S, Awadh A, Mukhtarov F, Schang LM, Kirschning A, Müller R, Guzman CA, Kaderali L, Randall G, Meuleman P, Ploss A, Pietschmann T. Flunarizine prevents hepatitis C virus membrane fusion in a genotype-dependent manner by targeting the potential fusion peptide within E1. Hepatology. 2016 Jan;63(1):49-62. doi: 10.1002/hep.28111.

Gerold G, Meissner F, Bruening J, Welsch K, Perin PM, Baumert TF, Vondran FW, Kaderali L, Marcotrigiano J, Khan AG, Mann M, Rice CM, Pietschmann T. Quantitative Proteomics Identifies Serum Response Factor Binding Protein 1 as a Host Factor for Hepatitis C Virus Entry. Cell Rep. 2015 Aug 4;12(5):864-78. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.06.063.

Pietschmann T, Kaul A, Koutsoudakis G, Shavinskaya A, Kallis S, Steinmann E, Abid K, Negro F, Dreux M, Cosset FL, Bartenschlager R. Construction and characterization of infectious intragenotypic and intergenotypic hepatitis C virus chimeras. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 May 9;103(19):7408-13. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0504877103.

Wakita T*, Pietschmann T*, Kato T, Date T, Miyamoto M, Zhao Z, Murthy K, Habermann A, Kräusslich HG, Mizokami M, Bartenschlager R*, Liang TJ. Production of infectious hepatitis C virus in tissue culture from a cloned viral genome. Nat Med. 2005 Jul;11(7):791-6. doi: 10.1038/nm1268. * equally contributing authors

Contact

	Prof. Dr. Thomas Pietschmann
	Institute of Experimental Virology, TWINCORE
	TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research Feodor-Lynen-Str. 7 30625 Hannover
	+49 511 220027 – 130
	Thomas.Pietschmann @twincore.de