HCKH - Christian Krebs - Hamburg Center for Kidney Health

Team Members

Technician

Alina Borchers

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MD student

Malte Hellmig

Post Doc

Saskia Jauch-Speer, PhD

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Technician

Lilaf Mamo

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MD student

Tobias Neben

PhD student

Varshi Sivayoganathan

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Post Doc

Zeba Sulatana, PhD

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Research

©Christian Krebs

T cells play a critical role in the pathogenesis in autoimmune diseases, by their ability to differentiate into pathogenic effector Th1 and Th17 cells or protective regulatory T cells (Treg). Using multiomics approaches, we characterize human T cells from the kidneys of patients with glomerulonephritis and functionally validate new concepts in preclinical models.

Our long-term goal is to improve treatment of patients with glomerulonephritis. We will identify mechanisms for a shift of pro-inflammatory Th17 cells towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype and to generate targeted therapies for the depletion of pathogenic T cells in the kidney.

Christian Krebs, MD

Systemsnephrology and Cellular Immunity

III. Department of Medicine, Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)

Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany

Current Position

since 2022

W2-professor for Systemsnephrology and Cellular Immunity

University Training

1997 – 2005

Study of Medicine, Universities of Göttingen and Hamburg, Germany

Academic qualifications

2014	Habilitation in Internal Medicine / Nephrolgoy
2006	MD-thesis: ADP-ribolyslation of cell surface proteins on lymphocytes, (summa cum laude)

Previous professional career

Clinical postgraduate education:
2021	Board Certification Immunology
2018	Consultant (Oberarzt), III. Department of Medicine and Translational Immunology, UKE Hamburg
2011	Board Certification Internal Medicine / Nephrology
2005 – 2018	Attending Physician, III. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg- Eppendorf, Prof. Dr. Rolf A.K. Stahl and Prof. Dr. Tobias B. Huber
Scientific postgraduate education:
2014 – 2017	Gerok Position at the CRU 1192 “Immune-mediated Glomerular Diseases”
2013	Gerok Position at the Clinical Research Unit 228 (KFO 228) “Immunopathogenesis and Therapy of Glomerulonephritis”
2012	Research fellowship of the Forschungsförderungsfond für Medizin from the University Medical Center deanery

Selected awards and honors

2017	Hans-U. Zollinger Award (award from the German Society of Nephrology for the best immunological research work published in 2016 in nephrology)
2014	Dr. Martini-Award (award for the best research work published in 2013 at the UKE, oldest German award for medical research)
2013	Stipend from the German Society of Nephrology (DGfN) for the project “Plasticity of the TH17 immune response in experimental glomerulonephritis”
2011	Adalbert-Buding-Award
2006	Medac-Award for Immunology (Award for the best immunological MD thesis at the UKE)
2002	Stipent of the Werner Otto-Foundation

Selected publications

1.	Th17 cell plasticity towards a T-bet-dependent Th1 phenotype is required for bacterial control in Staphylococcus aureus infection. Bartsch P, Kilian C, Hellmig M, Paust HJ, Borchers A, Sivayoganathan A, Enk L, Zhao Y, Shaikh N, Büttner H, Wong MN, Puelles VG, Wiech T, Flavell R, Huber TB, Turner JE, Bonn S, Huber S, Gagliani N, Mittrücker HW, Rohde H, Panzer U, Krebs CF. PLoS Pathog. 2022 Apr 21;18(4):e1010430.
2.	Clonal expansion and activation of tissue-resident memory-like Th17 cells expressing GM-CSF in the lungs of severe COVID-19 patients. Zhao Y, Kilian C, Turner JE, Bosurgi L, Roedl K, Bartsch P, Gnirck AC, Cortesi F, Schultheiß C, Hellmig M, Enk LUB, Hausmann F, Borchers A, Wong MN, Paust HJ, Siracusa F, Scheibel N, Herrmann M, Rosati E, Bacher P, Kylies D, Jarczak D, Lütgehetmann M, Pfefferle S, Steurer S, Zur-Wiesch JS, Puelles VG, Sperhake JP, Addo MM, Lohse AW, Binder M, Huber S, Huber TB, Kluge S, Bonn S, Panzer U, Gagliani N, Krebs CF. Sci Immunol. 2021 Feb 23;6(56):eabf6692.
3.	Pathogen-induced tissue-resident memory T_H17 (T_RM17) cells amplify autoimmune kidney disease. Krebs CF, Reimers D, Zhao Y, Paust HJ, Bartsch P, Nuñez S, Rosemblatt MV, Hellmig M, Kilian C, Borchers A, Enk LUB, Zinke M, Becker M, Schmid J, Klinge S, Wong MN, Puelles VG, Schmidt C, Bertram T, Stumpf N, Hoxha E, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Lindenmeyer MT, Cohen CD, Rink M, Kurts C, Franzenburg S, Koch-Nolte F, Turner JE, Riedel JH, Huber S, Gagliani N, Huber TB, Wiech T, Rohde H, Bono MR, Bonn S, Panzer U, Mittrücker HW. Sci Immunol. 2020 Aug 7;5(50):eaba4163.
4.	Realistic in silico generation and augmentation of single-cell RNA-seq data using generative adversarial networks. Marouf M, Machart P, Bansal V, Kilian C, Magruder DS, Krebs CF, Bonn S. Nat Commun. 2020 Jan 9;11(1):166.
5.	Autoimmune Renal Disease Is Exacerbated by S1P-Receptor-1-Dependent Intestinal Th17 Cell Migration to the Kidney. Krebs CF, Paust HJ, Krohn S, Koyro T, Brix SR, Riedel JH, Bartsch P, Wiech T, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Huang J, Fischer N, Busch P, Mittrücker HW, Steinhoff U, Stockinger B, Perez LG, Wenzel UO, Janneck M, Steinmetz OM, Gagliani N, Stahl RAK, Huber S, Turner JE, Panzer U. Immunity. 2016 Nov 15;45(5):1078-1092.
6.	Plasticity of Th17 Cells in Autoimmune Kidney Diseases. Krebs CF, Turner JE, Paust HJ, Kapffer S, Koyro T, Krohn S, Ufer F, Friese MA, Flavell RA, Stockinger B, Steinmetz OM, Stahl RA, Huber S, Panzer U. J Immunol. 2016 Jul 15;197(2):449-57.
7.	Tissue-specific therapy in immune-mediated kidney diseases: new ARGuments for targeting the IL-23/IL-17 axis. Krebs CF, Turner JE, Riedel JH, Panzer U. J Clin Invest. 2021 Jun 15;131(12):e150588.
8.	Drawing a single-cell landscape of the human kidney in (pseudo)-space and time. Krebs CF, Schlitzer A, Kurts C. Kidney Int. 2020 May;97(5):842-844.
9.	T helper type 17 cells in immune-mediated glomerular disease. Krebs CF, Schmidt T, Riedel JH, Panzer U. Nat Rev Nephrol. 2017 Oct;13(10):647-659.
10.	NAD-induced T cell death: ADP-ribosylation of cell surface proteins by ART2 activates the cytolytic P2X7 purinoceptor. Seman M, Adriouch S, Scheuplein F, Krebs C, Freese D, Glowacki G, Deterre P, Haag F, Koch-Nolte F. Immunity. 2003 Oct;19(4):571-82.

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