Mission Statement

“Understanding the pathophysiologic significance and signaling propensities of proteolytic systems in glomerular cells”

— Catherine Meyer-Schwesinger, MD

Team Members

Technician

Johannes Brand

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PhD Student

Sarah Frömbling

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PhD student

Lukas Heintz

PhD Student

Karen Lahme

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Post Doc

Desiree Loreth, PhD

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Post Doc

Julia Reichelt, PhD

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Post Doc

Wiebke Sachs, PhD

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PhD Student

Man Wang

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Technician

Stephanie Zielinski

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Research

Defective protein degradation occurs in many human diseases as a primary or secondary event. The ensuing altered breakdown of macromolecules results in the generation of biomolecules, which change intra- and intercellular signaling events thus driving disease at the cellular and organismal level. The overarching aim of our group is to unravel the relevance and interplay of membrane bound proteases as well as of the proteasomal and lysosomal degradation systems as signaling hubs and drivers of podocyte injury, with special focus on antibody-mediated podocyte injury such as membranous nephropathy. We aim at 1) unraveling the cause of altered proteasomal function and its interplay with lysosomes in the perpetuation of disease-associated cellular  processes; 2) at unraveling the sensing and communication of these alterations in disease and their effects on the intra/inter-organellar level; 3) at unraveling the contribution of membraneprotein proteolysis in the development of podocyte injury.

Catherine Meyer-Schwesinger, MD

Co-director of the Institute of Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Principle Investigator
Institute of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Center for Experimental Research
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)
Martinistr. 52
20246 Hamburg, Germany

CV

Current Position
since 2022 Co-director of the Institute of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Center for Experimental Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
since 2016 Principal investigator CRC 1192, Project B3
University Training
1993 - 2001

Studies of Medicine at the Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg Germany and at the Imperial College of London, St. Mary’s Hospital. Final grade 1,2

Academic qualifications
2012 - 2020

Habilitation (PD Dr. med.) Experimental Medicine, Center for Internal Medicine, III. Medical Clinic, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Theme: “Podocyte Regeneration after Injury”

2001 - 2003

Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of California, San Diego, USA, Laboratory: Prof. Dr. med. Sanjay K. Nigam

1999 - 2001

MD (Dr. med.), „A new model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration"’ at the Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg and the Harvard Medical School, Boston with Judah Folkman, USA. Grade: ‘summa cum laude’

Previous professional career

Clinical postgraduate education:

2003 - 2015

Research Associate, III. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Prof. Dr. R. A. K. Stahl

Scientific postgraduate education:

2015 - 2020

Heisenberg Stipend and Professor (W3)

2013 - 2016

Principal investigator KFO 228, Project B8F

Selected awards and honors
2022 - 2020

Teacher of the Year, UKE Hamburg-Eppendorf

2020

Teacher of the Year, UKE Hamburg-Eppendorf

2019

Franz Volhard prize of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nephrologie (DGfN)

2016

Dr. Martinipreis, University of Hamburg, Germany

2001

Honors from the Albert-Ludwigs University for finishing medical studies under the top 2% in Germany

1999 - 2001

Student stipend of the Daimler-Benz Stiftung for the dissertation in Boston

1997 - 1998

DAAD study stipend for medical studies in London, Imperial College, St. Mary’s Hospital, England

Selected publications

1.
Hatje FA, Wedekind U, Sachs W, Loreth D, Reichelt J, Demir F, Kosub C, Heintz L, Tomas NM, Huber TB, Skuza S, Sachs M, Zielinski S, Rinschen MM, Meyer-Schwesinger C. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2021 Sep;32(9):2175-2193.
2.
Sachs M, Wetzel S, Reichelt J, Sachs W, Schebsdat L, Zielinski S, Seipold L, Heintz L, Müller SA, Kretz O, Lindenmeyer M, Wiech T, Huber TB, Lüllmann-Rauch R, Lichtenthaler SF, Saftig P, Meyer-Schwesinger C. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2021 Jun 1;32(6):1389-1408.
3.
Sachs W, Sachs M, Krüger E, Zielinski S, Kretz O, Huber TB, Baranowsky A, Westermann LM, Voltolini Velho R, Ludwig NF, Yorgan TA, Di Lorenzo G, Kollmann K, Braulke T, Schwartz IV, Schinke T, Danyukova T, Pohl S, Meyer-Schwesinger C. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2020 Aug;31(8):1796-1814.
4.
Reinicke AT, Raczkowski F, Mühlig M, Schmucker P, Lischke T, Reichelt J, Schneider E, Zielinski S, Sachs M, Jurack E, Tolosa E, Kurts C, Mittrücker HW, Meyer-Schwesinger C. J Immunol. 2019 Oct 1;203(7):1730-1742.
5.
Herwig J, Skuza S, Sachs W, Sachs M, Failla AV, Rune G, Meyer TN, Fester L, Meyer-Schwesinger C. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2019 May;30(5):824-839.
6.
Reinicke AT, Laban K, Sachs M, Kraus V, Walden M, Damme M, Sachs W, Reichelt J, Schweizer M, Janiesch PC, Duncan KE, Saftig P, Rinschen MM, Morellini F, Meyer-Schwesinger C. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Apr 16;116(16):7963-7972.
7.
Radón V, Czesla M, Reichelt J, Fehlert J, Hammel A, Rosendahl A, Knop JH, Wiech T, Wenzel UO, Sachs M, Reinicke AT, Stahl RAK, Meyer-Schwesinger C. Kidney Int. 2018 Jan;93(1):110-127.
8.
Tomas NM, Meyer-Schwesinger C, von Spiegel H, Kotb AM, Zahner G, Hoxha E, Helmchen U, Endlich N, Koch-Nolte F, Stahl RAK. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017 Nov;28(11):3262-3277.
9.
Danquah W, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Rissiek B, Pinto C, Serracant-Prat A, Amadi M, Iacenda D, Knop JH, Hammel A, Bergmann P, Schwarz N, Assunção J, Rotthier W, Haag F, Tolosa E, Bannas P, Boué-Grabot E, Magnus T, Laeremans T, Stortelers C, Koch-Nolte F. Sci Transl Med. 2016 Nov 23;8(366):366ra162.
10.
Tomas NM, Hoxha E, Reinicke AT, Fester L, Helmchen U, Gerth J, Bachmann F, Budde K, Koch-Nolte F, Zahner G, Rune G, Lambeau G, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Stahl RA. J Clin Invest. 2016 Jul 1;126(7):2519-32.

Funding

News

April 13-16, 2023 | Buenos Aires, Argentina

World Congress of Nephrology WCN’24

March 26, 2024 | Lecture, PD Dr. Thomas Jacobs

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PD Dr. Thomas Jacobs, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, „Immune Response to Infection“ ...

March 12, 2024 | Seminar

iPRIME Progress Report March

March 14, 2024 | Worldwide

World Kidney Day 2024

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20246 Hamburg Germany
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University Medical Center Hamburg - Eppendorf