Pitzer Lab Osteoarthritis Research

• Since 2015 University Professor (W3, permanent) and Head of Pitzer Laboratory of Osteoarthritis Research at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and DRFZ Berlin
• 2013 – 2014 Offer of W3 Professorship position and Head of Department of Immunology at Universitätsmedizin Greifswald; 2014 declined
• 2012 – 2015 University Professor (W2, permanent) of Experimental Immunology, Charité, Berlin
• 2006 – 2011 Lichtenberg Professor (W1) at Charité, funded by Volkswagen Foundation
• 2002 – 2006 Postdoctoral fellow with R.M. Zinkernagel and H. Hengartner at the Institute of Experimental Immunology, ETH and University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, funded by Ernst Schering Foundation
• 2000 – 2002 Postdoctoral fellow with A. Radbruch at DRFZ Berlin
• 1999 – 2000 Research fellow with W.E. Paul at NIH, NIAID, Bethesda, MD, and with K.M. Murphy at Washington University-School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

• 1996 – 2000 PhD thesis as fellow of German National Academic Foundation at the Institute of Genetics, University of Cologne; 2000 Dr. rer. nat. (“very good, with distinction”)
• 1990 – 1996 Biology studies as fellow of German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) at the University of Mainz; 1996 Diploma (“with distinction”)

• Since 2023 Chair of the Foundation Council of Schering Foundation
• Since 2020 Member of the Board of Trustees of Hermann and Elise née Heckmann Wentzel Foundation
• Since 2017 Board member and Council member of Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences
• Since 2017 Spokesperson of the class Biological Sciences and Medicine of Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (BBAW); 2014–2017 Vice-Spokesperson
• Since 2017 Board member of Deutsche Rheumastiftung of German Society for Rheumatology (DGRh)
• Since 2014 Founder and Board member of BIH Young Science at Berlin Institute of Health (BIH)
• 2013 – 2016 Head of the Integrated Research Training Group (iRTG, GRK) of Collaborative Research Center 650 (SFB 650) at Charité, Berlin
• Since 2012 Vice-Director of Research Center ImmunoSciences at Charité; 2006 Board member
• Since 2009 Board member of ZIBI Graduate School at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
• 2009 – 2016 Board member and Scientific Secretary (2009–2011) of SFB 650 at Charité
• Since 2007 Board member of the International Max Planck Research School for Infectious Diseases and Immunology (IMPRS-IDI), Berlin

• Since 2020 Guest Professor at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt/Main, Medical Faculty
• Since 2013 Member of Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (BBAW)
• 2010 Georges-Köhler-Prize of the German Society for Immunology (DGfI)
• 2006 – 2015 Lichtenberg Professorship of Experimental Immunology at Charité funded by Volkswagen Foundation
• 2004 – 2009 Member of Die Junge Akademie (The German Young Academy) at the BBAW and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
• 2004 Robert-Koch-Postdoctoral-Prize of Robert Koch Foundation
• 2002 – 2004 Postdoctoral fellowship of Ernst Schering Foundation
• 2000 Avrion-Mitchison-Prize for Rheumatology of Ernst Schering Foundation
• 2000 Otto-Westphal-PhD-Prize of the German Society for Immunology
• 1993 – 2000 Diploma and PhD fellowships of the German National Academic Foundation

Selection from 2012 – ongoing

• 2022-2026 Dr. Rolf M. Schwiete Foundation, grant 2021-035, Molecular Switch for Biological Joint Regeneration in Osteoarthritis.
• 2021-2024 Willy Robert Pitzer Foundation, grant 21-033, Pitzer Laboratory of Osteoarthritis Research.
• 2021-2024 German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), project 01KC2011C, PROOF-DESFERAL.
• 2021-2024 German Research Foundation (DFG), LO 1542/5-1: Purinergic Alarmin Signaling in Acute and Chronic Viral Infection.
• 2019 – 2021 German Research Foundation (DFG), LO 1542/4-1: Dissection of cell-cell communication networks in chronic viral infection by kinetic immune-cell monitoring and mathematical modeling.
• 2016 – 2018 Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), Sinergia grant CRSII3_160772: The alarmin interleukin-33 in infection, immunity and autoimmunity.
• 2015 – 2020 Willy Robert Pitzer Foundation, Pitzer Laboratory of Osteoarthritis Research.
• 2006 – 2015 Volkswagen Foundation, Lichtenberg Professorship of Experimental Immunology.
• 2013 – 2017 EU, FP7, Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN), Quantitative T Cell Immunology (QuanTI), TP 6: Cytokine memory in T cells.
• 2013 – 2016 DFG, SFB 650, Head of iRTG Suppression of unwanted immune responses.
• 2013 – 2016 DFG, SFB 650, TP 28: Suppression of autoreactive T cell responses by Th2 cells.
• 2013 – 2016 DFG, LO 1542/3-1: Transcriptional programming and re-programming of pro-inflam-matory T helper 1 cells.
• 2013 – 2015 BMBF, e:Bio – T-Sys, project WP 3 TP 5: Interplay of epigenetic and transcriptional imprinting of T helper cell fate.
• 2012 – 2014 DFG, Epigenetic signatures of memory T cells and their functional relevance. Joint project with A. Hamann, Charité Berlin.

1. Hegazy, A.N., C. Peine, D. Niesen, I. Panse, Y. Vainshtein, C. Kommer, Q. Zhang, T.M. Brunner, M. Peine, A. Fröhlich, N. Ishaque, R.M. Marek, J. Zhu, T. Höfer & M. Löhning. Plasticity and lineage commitment of individual Th1 cells are determined by stable T-bet expression quantities. Science Advances 2024, 10:eadk2693. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adk2693.
2. Brunner*, T.M., S. Serve*, A.F. Marx, J. Fadejeva, P. Saikali, M. Dzamukova, N. Durán-Hernández, C. Kommer, F. Heinrich, P. Durek, G.A. Heinz, T. Höfer, M.F. Mashreghi, R. Kühn, D.D. Pinschewer & M. Löhning. A type 1 immunity-restricted promoter of the IL-33 receptor gene directs antiviral T cell responses. Nature Immunology 2024, 25:256-267. doi:10.1038/s41590-023-01697-6. )*Shared first authors. [Paper of the Month of Charité Faculty Board, March 2024]
3. Shen, P., S. Serve, P. Wu, X. Liu, Y. Dai, N. Durán-Hernández, D.T.M. Nguyen, M. Fuchs, T. Maleitzke, M.J. Reisener, M. Dzamukova, K. Nussbaumer, T.M. Brunner, Y. Li, V. Holecska, G.A. Heinz, F. Heinrich, P. Durek, G. Katsoula, C. Gwinner, T. Jung, E. Zeggini, T. Winkler, M.F. Mashreghi, M. Pumberger, C. Perka & M. Löhning. NOS inhibition reverses TLR2-induced chondrocyte dysfunction and attenuates age-related osteoarthritis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 2023, 120:e2207993120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2207993120.
4. Marx*, A.F., S.M. Kallert*, T.M. Brunner*, J.A. Villegas, F. Geier, J. Fixemer, T. Abreu-Mota, P. Reuther, W.V. Bonilla, J. Fadejeva, M. Kreutzfeldt, I. Wagner, P. Aparicio-Domingo, L. Scarpellino, M. Charmoy, D.T. Utzschneider, C. Hagedorn, M. Lu, K. Cornille, K. Stauffer, F. Kreppel, D. Merkler, D. Zehn, W. Held, S.A. Luther, M. Löhning# & D.D. Pinschewer#. The alarmin interleukin-33 promotes the expansion and preserves the stemness of Tcf-1⁺ CD8⁺ T cells in chronic viral infection. Immunity 2023, 56:813-828. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.01.029. )*Shared first authors, #Shared senior authors.
5. Dzamukova, M., T. Brunner, J. Miotla-Zarebska, F. Heinrich, L. Brylka, M.F. Mashreghi, A. Kusumbe, R. Kühn, T. Schinke, T. Vincent & M. Löhning. Mechanical forces couple bone matrix mineralization with inhibition of angiogenesis to limit adolescent bone growth. Nature Communications 2022, 13:3059. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30618-8.[Avrion-Mitchison-Prize for Rheumatology to Maria Dzamukova, Dec. 2022].
6. Shen, P., P. Wu, T. Maleitzke, M.J. Reisener, G.A. Heinz, F. Heinrich, P. Durek, C. Gwinner, T. Winkler, M. Pumberger, C. Perka, M.F. Mashreghi & M. Löhning. Optimization of chondrocyte isolation from human articular cartilage to preserve the chondrocyte transcriptome. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 2022, 10:1046127. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1046127.
7. Li, Y., H. Gao, T.M. Brunner, X. Hu, Y. Yan, Y. Liu, L. Qiao, P. Wu, M. Li, Q. Liu, F. Yang, J. Lin, M. Löhning# & P. Shen#. Menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cells efficiently ameliorate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by inhibiting T cell activation in mice. Stem Cell Research & Therapy 2022, 13:155. doi: 10.1186/s13287-022-02838-8. )#Shared senior authors.
8. Muñoz, M., A.N. Hegazy, T.M. Brunner, V. Holecska, R.M. Marek, A. Fröhlich & M. Löhning. Th2 cells lacking T-bet suppress naive and memory T cell responses via IL-10. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 2021, 118:e2002787118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2002787118.
9. Peine, M., R.M. Marek & M. Löhning. IL-33 in T cell differentiation, function, and immune homeostasis. Trends in Immunology 2016, 37:321-333. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2016.03.007.
10. Helmstetter, C., M. Flossdorf, M. Peine, A. Kupz, J. Zhu, A.N. Hegazy, M.A. Duque-Correa, Q. Zhang, Y. Vainshtein, A. Radbruch, S.H. Kaufmann, W.E. Paul, T. Höfer & M. Löhning. Individual T helper cells have a quantitative cytokine memory. Immunity 2015, 42:108-122. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2014.12.018, Immunity cover image
11. Baumann, C., W.V. Bonilla, A. Fröhlich, C. Helmstetter, M. Peine, A.N. Hegazy, D.D. Pinschewer & M. Löhning. T-bet– and Stat4–dependent IL-33 receptor expression directly promotes antiviral Th1 cell responses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 2015, 112:4056-4061. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1418549112.
12. Bhattacharya, A., A.N. Hegazy, N. Deigendesch, L. Kosack, J. Cupovic, R.K. Kandasamy, A. Hildebrandt, D. Merkler, A.A. Kühl, B. Vilagos, C. Schliehe, I. Panse, K. Khamina, H. Baazim, I. Arnold, L. Flatz, H.C. Xu, P.A. Lang, A. Aderem, A. Takaoka, G. Superti-Furga, J. Colinge, B. Ludewig, M. Löhning# & A. Bergthaler#. Superoxide dismutase 1 protects hepatocytes from type I interferon-driven oxidative damage. Immunity 2015, 43:974-986. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2015.10.013. )#Shared senior authors.
13. Peine, M., S. Rausch, C. Helmstetter, A. Fröhlich, A.N. Hegazy, A.A. Kühl, C.G. Grevelding, T. Höfer, S. Hartmann & M. Löhning. Stable T‑bet⁺GATA-3⁺ Th1/Th2 hybrid cells arise in vivo, can develop directly from naive precursors, and limit immunopathologic inflammation. PLoS Biology 2013, 11:e1001633. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001633.
14. Bonilla, W.V., A. Fröhlich, K. Senn, S. Kallert, M. Fernandez, S. Johnson, M. Kreutzfeldt, A.N. Hegazy, C. Schrick, P.G. Fallon, R. Klemenz, S. Nakae, H. Adler, D. Merkler, M. Löhning# & D.D. Pinschewer#. The alarmin interleukin-33 drives protective antiviral CD8⁺ T cell responses. Science 2012, 335:984-989. doi: 10.1126/science.1215418. )#Shared senior authors.
15. Hegazy, A.N., M. Peine, C. Helmstetter, I. Panse, A. Fröhlich, A. Bergthaler, L. Flatz, D.D. Pinschewer, A. Radbruch & M. Löhning. Interferons direct Th2 cell reprogramming to generate a stable GATA-3⁺T-bet⁺ cell subset with combined Th2 and Th1 cell functions. Immunity 2010, 32:116-128. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2009.12.004. [Immunity cover image].