Prof. Dr. Ralf Bartenschlager

Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology
Heidelberg University Hospital
69120 Heidelberg, Germany

Phone: +49 6221-56 4225
E-Mail

FIELDS OF INTEREST

Virus – host cell interaction (esp. HCV and Dengue virus), structural and functional aspects of viral RNA replication and assembly, viral and host targets for antiviral therapy, mathematical modeling of virus replication and spread, innate immune responses and viral countermeasures, application of live cell imaging and electron microscopy methods to study the spatio-temporal regulation of the flaviviral replication cycle.

AWARDS & HONORS

2022 Ernst Jung-Preis für Medizin
2021 Loeffler-Lecture in the frame of the scientific symposium “111 Jahre FLI. One Health – Forschung für die Gesundheit von Mensch, Tier und Umwelt”
2021 M.W. Beijerinck Virology Prize of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
2019 Prince Mahidol Award for Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand
2019 McGuigan Prize for Distinguished Work in Drug Discovery
2019 Heinrich-Pette Lecture
2017-2019 Guest professor at the University of Wuhan, China
2017 Hector Science Award
2017 EMBO Member
2016 Hector Research Award
2016 European Virology Award
2016 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, jointly with Charles M. Rice and Michael Sofia
2015 Robert Koch Award, jointly with Charles M. Rice
2013 Lautenschläger Research Prize
2013 Member of the Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina
2008 Behring Lecture
2006 Aschoff Medal from the Medical Society Freiburg
2002 William Prusoff Young Investigator Award from the International Society for Antiviral Research
2001 Löffler-Frosch Preis of the Society for Virology
2000 Robert-Koch-Förderpreis of the Bergstadt Clausthal-Zellerfeld
1991 Award for the best Ph.D. thesis from the society for molecular biological research Heidelberg
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2014–present Division head “Virus-induced carcinogenesis”, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg
2002–present Full professor and head of Molecular Virology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University, Germany; CHS Stiftungsprofessur “Molekulare Virologie”
2000–2002 Full professor for molecular virology (C3), Institute for Virology, University of Mainz, Germany
1999–2000 Associate professor at the Institute for Virology, University of Mainz, Germany
1999 Habilitation, University of Mainz; Germany
1994–1999 Assistant professor at the Institute for Virology, University of Mainz, Germany
1991–1993 Postdoctoral research fellow at the central research unit of Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
1990 Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Heidelberg University, Germany
1987 Diploma thesis; Biology; Heidelberg University, Germany
1981–1987 Studies in Biology at Heidelberg University, Germany

2021–present Member of the “Ständige Senatskommission für Grundsatzfragen der Genforschung” of the German Research Foundation (DFG)
2020–present Member of the Scientific Advisory Board Robert-Koch-Institute
2020–present President German Society for Virology (GfV)
2020–present Member of the Heidelberg Molecular Life Sciences (HMLS) Research Council, Heidelberg University
2020–present Member of the Scientific Advisory Board  “Wilhelm-Sander-Stiftung”
2019–present Member of the Chica and Heinz Schaller Foundation Board of Directors
2017–2020 Vice-president German Society for Virology (GfV)
2016–2019 Member of the Chica and Heinz Schaller Foundation advisory board
2016–present Speaker DFG TRR179 “Determinants and dynamics of elimination versus persistence of hepatitis virus infection”
2014–present Coordinator Research Program Infection, Inflammation & Cancer at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
2013–2018 Co-coordinator DZIF-TTU Hepatitis
2009–2015 Speaker DFG research unit FOR 1202 “Mechanisms of persistence of hepatotropic viruses”
2008-2016 Member, DFG Fachkollegium 204 (microbiology, virology and immunology)
2008-2019 Member of the steering committee “CellNetworks”, Heidelberg University
2007–2011 Member of steering committee of BMBF FORSYS-Initiative ViroQuant
2005–present Coordinator of the Doctoral Study Program of the Department of Infectious Diseases and the Master/Major ‘Infectious Diseases’
2005–2009 Member of steering committee of EU research network ‘Dengue virus control’
2005–2008 Coordinator of the Forschungsschwerpunkt ‚Infection strategies of humanpathogenic viruses’ (Landesstiftung Baden-Württemberg)
2004–2009 Member of steering committee of EU network of excellence ‘virgil: antiviraldrug resistance’

Twu Woan-Ing, Lee Ji-Young, Kim Heeyoung, Prasad Vibhu, Cerikan Berati, Haselmann Uta, Tabata Keisuke, Bartenschlager Ralf. 2021, Contribution of autophagy machinery factors to HCV and SARS-CoV-2 replication organelle formation. Cell Reports 37, 110049
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110049

Rastgou Talemi S, Bartenschlager M, Schmid B, Ruggieri A, Bartenschlager R, Höfer T. 2021. Dengue virus is sensitive to inhibition prior to productive replication. Cell Reports 37, 109801

Tabata K, Prasad V, Paul D, Lee JY, Pham MT, Neufeldt C, Cortese M, Cerikan B, Stahl Y, Joecks S, Tran CS, Lüchtenborg C, V’kovski P, Hörmann K, Müller A, Zitzmann C, Haselmann U, Beneke J, Kaderali L, Erfle H, Thiel V, Lohmann V, Superti-Furga G, Brügger B, Bartenschlager R. 2021. Convergent use of phosphatidic acid for Hepatitis C virus and SARS-CoV-2 replication organelle formation. Nat Commun. 12(1):7276 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27511-1

Cortese M*, Lee JY, Cerikan B, Neufeldt CJ, Oorschot VMJ, Köhrer S, Hennies J, Schieber NL, Ronchi P, Mizzon G, Romero-Brey I, Santarella-Mellwig R, Schorb M, Boermel M, Mocaer K, Beckwith MS, Templin RM, Gross V, Pape C, Tischer C, Frankish J, Horvat NK, Laketa V, Stanifer M, Boulant S, Ruggieri A, Chatel-Chaix L, Schwab Y*, Bartenschlager R.* 2020. Integrative Imaging Reveals SARS-CoV-2-Induced Reshaping of Subcellular Morphologies. Cell Host Microbe. 28(6):853-866.e5. * co-corresponding authors

Klein S, Cortese M, Winter SL, Wachsmuth-Melm M, Neufeldt CJ, Cerikan B, Stanifer ML, Boulant S, Bartenschlager R*, Chlanda P*. 2020. SARS-CoV-2 structure and replication characterized by in situ cryo-electron tomography. Nat Commun. 11(1):5885. * co-corresponding authors

Neufeldt CJ, Cortese M, Scaturro P, Cerikan B, Wideman JG, Tabata K, Moraes T, Oleksiuk O, Pichlmair A, Bartenschlager R. 2019. ER-shaping atlastin proteins act as central hubs to promote flavivirus replication and virion assembly. Nat Microbiol 4(12):2416-2429

Cortese M, Goellner S, Acosta EG, Neufeldt CJ, Oleksiuk O, Lampe M, Haselmann U, Funaya C, Schieber N, Ronchi P, Schorb M, Pruunsild P, Schwab Y, Chatel-Chaix L, Ruggieri A, Bartenschlager R. 2017. Ultrastructural Characterization of Zika Virus Replication Factories. Cell Rep. 18:2113-2123

Chatel-Chaix L, Cortese M, Romero-Brey I, Bender S, Neufeldt CJ, Fischl W, Scaturro P, Schieber N, Schwab Y, Fischer B, Ruggieri A, Bartenschlager R. 2016. Dengue Virus Perturbs Mitochondrial Morphodynamics to Dampen Innate Immune Responses. Cell Host Microbe. 20:342-56

Ruggieri A, Dazert E, Metz P, Hofmann S, Bergeest JP , Mazur J, Bankhead P, Hiet MS, Kallis S, Alvisi G, Samuel CE, Lohmann V, Kaderali L, Rohr K, Frese M, Stoecklin G, Bartenschlager R. 2012. Dynamic oscillation of translation and stress granule formation mark the cellular response to virus infection. Cell Host Mircrobe. 12:71-85

Welsch S, Miller S, Romero-Brey I, Merz A, Bleck CK, Walther P, Fuller SD, Antony C, Krijnse-Locker J, Bartenschlager R. 2009. Composition and three-dimensional architecture of the dengue virus replication and assembly sites. Cell Host Microbe. 5:365-75

Wakita T*, Pietschmann T*, Kato T, Date T, Miyamoto M, Zhao Z, Murthy K, Habermann A, Kräusslich HG, Mizokami M, Bartenschlager R*, Liang TJ. 2005. Production of infectious hepatitis C virus in tissue culture from a cloned viral genome. Nature Medicine. 11:791-796 (*equal contribution)

Lohmann V, Körner F, Koch JO, Herian U, Theilmann L, Bartenschlager R. 1999. Replication of subgenomic hepatitis C virus RNAs in a hepatoma cell line. Science. 285:110-113

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