Immunology
Prof. Dr. Stefan H.E. Kaufmann, Director of the Department, born in 1948. Studied Biology at the University of Mainz and graduated as Ph.D. 1977. Habilitation, Free University of Berlin 1981. Positions as Staff Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology, Freiburg, 1982-87, Professor for Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ulm 1987-1991, Full Professor and Chair, Dept. of Immunology, University of Ulm 1991-1998. Founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, since 1993. Professor for Microbiology and Immunology, Charité University Clinics, Berlin (since 1998), Guest Professor, Tongji University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China (since 2011) and Honorary Professor, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru (since 2012). Dr. h.c. University Marseille, France.
Numerous awards. More than 600 publications. Highly Cited Researcher (category Immunology), Thomson Institute for Scientific Information, 2001. H-Index (according to J.E. Hirsch, Web of Knowledge): 85. Past President and Honorary Member of the German Society for Immunology (DGfI). Coordinator Grand Challenges in Global Health project "Biomarkers of protective immunity and surrogate markers of TB disease in Africa" funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Past President of the European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS). President of the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS). Member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW), the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (Leopoldina), the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), and the American Academy of Microbiology (ASM Academy). Board member of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), 2010 to present. Hobby: Collector of historical medical books (Cicero article).
The Department of Immunology is accredited for training in immunology as a specialization.
Main Fields of Interest
- Role of cytokines and T cell populations in immunity against intracellular bacteria
- Regulation and memory in immunity to intracellular bacteria
- Innate immune response to intracellular bacteria
- Mucosal immunity and mucosal vaccination
- Regulatory RNA
- Systems biology of tuberculosis
- Systems vaccinology
- Rational design of a vaccine against tuberculosis
- Biomarkers of susceptibility/ resistance in tuberculosis
EU FP7
- Research Infrastructure Project: TRANSVAC
- Large-scale Integrating Projects: SysteMTb, NEWTBVAC, ADITEC
- Support Action: PRD College
EDCTP
National Institutes of Health / NIAID
- A Systems Biology Approach to Infectious Diseases Research (TB Systems Biology Program)
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Biomarkers of Protective Immunity against TB (GC6-74)
- Preclinical and Clinical Evaluation of a Postexposure TB vaccine (GC12-82)
Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)
- Joint Undertaking: Biomarkers for enhanced vaccine immunosafety BioVacSafe
- Joint Undertaking: Model-based preclinical development of anti-tuberculosis drug combinations PreDICT-TB
