HCKH - PI Nicola Tomas - Hamburg Center for Kidney Health

Laboratory for antigen-specific disease targeting

Nicola Tomas

Nicola Tomas

Mission Statement

“Understanding antibody-mediated kidney disease to pave the way for antigen-specific future treatments”

— Nicola M. Tomas, MD

Team Members

Clinician Scientist

Jana Abt, MD

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Technican

Silke Dehde

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Clinician Scientist

Marie Eggers, MD

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Clinician Scientist

Felicitas Hengel, MD

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Post Doc

Nastassia Liaukouskaya

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Post Doc

Ming Huang, PhD

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Technican

Isabell Musal

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PhD student

Alessa Schaffrath

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Post Doc

Larissa Seifert, PhD

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Technican

Alper Yilmaz

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Research

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Membranous nephropathy (MN) is an antibody-mediated autoimmune disease and the most common cause of a nephrotic syndrome in adults. The discoveries of phospholipase A2 receptor 1 (PLA2R1) and thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing 7A (THSD7A) as autoantigens in patients with MN have revolutionized both the diagnosis and monitoring of affected patients and the pathophysiologic understanding of this disease. The group of Dr. Nicola M. Tomas was majorly involved in the identification of THSD7A as an antigen in patients with MN. The group now focuses on identification of the pathogenic signaling programs in MN and aims to develop novel, antigen-specific treatments.

Nicola M. Tomas, MD

III. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) Martinistr. 52
20246 Hamburg, Germany

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CV

Current position

since 2023	Managing attending, III. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
since 2021	Attending Physician, III. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
since 2019	Junior group leader of the Emmy Noether Research Group “Molecular Mechanisms of Membranous Nephropathy”
since 2016	Principal Investigator CRC 1192 Project B2

University training

2005 – 2011

Study of Medicine, University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany (final exam: sehr gut)

Academic qualifications

2023	Habilitation
2013 – 2014	Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Nice/Sophia Antipolis, France; Prof. Dr. Gérard Lambeau
2008 – 2011	M.D. thesis, Institute of Immunology and Experimental Oncology, University of Witten/Herdecke; doctoral adviser: Prof. Dr. Dr. Kurt S. Zänker (summa cum laude)

Previous professional career

Clinical postgraduate education:

2020	Medical Specialist in Internal Medicine and Nephrology
2012 – 2021	Assistant Physician, III. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Prof. Dr. Tobias B. Huber

Scientific postgraduate education:

2015 – 2018	Clinician Scientist Program, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
2013 – 2015	Gerok Position at the Clinical Research Unit 228 (KFO 228) “Immunopathogenesis and Therapy of Glomerulonephritis”

Selected awards and honors

2025	Wilhelm Kriz Early/Mid Career Research Achievement Award of the International Society of Glomerular Disease
2024	Wissenschaftlicher Ehrenpreis of the German Society of Nephrology
2023	Hans-U.-Zollinger Prize of the German Society of Nephrology
2017	Dr. Martini-Prize for the discovery that anti-THSD7A antibodies cause membranous nephropathy

Selected publications

1.	Passive transfer of patient-derived anti-nephrin autoantibodies causes a podocytopathy with minimal change lesions. Hengel FE, Dehde S, Kretz O, Engesser J, Zimmermann T, Huber TB, Tomas NM. J Clin Invest. 2025 Jan 16;135(5):e186769.
2.	Autoantibodies Targeting Nephrin in Podocytopathies. Hengel FE, Dehde S, Lassé M, Zahner G, Seifert L, Schnarre A, Kretz O, Demir F, Pinnschmidt HO, Grahammer F, Lucas R, Mehner LM, Zimmermann T, Billing AM, Oh J, Mitrotti A, Pontrelli P, Debiec H, Dossier C, Colucci M, Emma F, Smoyer WE, Weins A, Schaefer F, Alachkar N, Diemert A, Hogan J, Hoxha E, Wiech T, Rinschen MM, Ronco P, Vivarelli M, Gesualdo L, Tomas NM, Huber TB; International Society of Glomerular Disease. N Engl J Med. 2024 Aug 1;391(5):422-433.
3.	An antigen-specific chimeric autoantibody receptor (CAAR) NK cell strategy for the elimination of anti-PLA2R1 and anti-THSD7A antibody-secreting cells. Seifert L, Riecken K, Zahner G, Hambach J, Hagenstein J, Dubberke G, Huber TB, Koch-Nolte F, Fehse B, Tomas NM. Kidney Int. 2024 Apr;105(4):886-889.
4.	Introduction of a novel chimeric active immunization mouse model of PLA2R1-associated membranous nephropathy. Tomas NM, Schnarre A, Dehde S, Lucas R, Hermans-Borgmeyer I, Kretz O, Koellner SMS, Wiech T, Koch-Nolte F, Seifert L, Huber TB, Zahner G. Kidney Int. 2023 Nov;104(5):916-928.
5.	The classical pathway triggers pathogenic complement activation in membranous nephropathy. Seifert L, Zahner G, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Hickstein N, Dehde S, Wulf S, Köllner SMS, Lucas R, Kylies D, Froembling S, Zielinski S, Kretz O, Borodovsky A, Biniaminov S, Wang Y, Cheng H, Koch-Nolte F, Zipfel PF, Hopfer H, Puelles VG, Panzer U, Huber TB, Wiech T, Tomas NM. Nat Commun. 2023 Jan 28; 14(1):473.
6.	Podocyte expression of human phospholipase A2 receptor 1 causes immune-mediated membranous nephropathy in mice. Tomas NM, Dehde S, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Huang M, Hermans-Borgmeyer I, Maybaum J, Lucas R, von der Heide JL, Kretz O, Köllner S, Seifert L, Huber TB, Zahner G. Kidney Int. 2022 Sep 30:S0085-2538(22)00804-3.
7.	The Most N-Terminal Region of THSD7A Is the Predominant Target for Autoimmunity in THSD7A-Associated Membranous Nephropathy. Seifert L, Hoxha E, Eichhoff AM, Zahner G, Dehde S, Reinhard L, Koch-Nolte F, Stahl RAK, Tomas NM. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2018 May;29(5):1536-1548.
8.	Autoantibodies against thrombospondin type 1 domain-containing 7A induce membranous nephropathy. 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.
9.	A Mechanism for Cancer-Associated Membranous Nephropathy. Hoxha E, Wiech T, Stahl PR, Zahner G, Tomas NM, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Wenzel U, Janneck M, Steinmetz OM, Panzer U, Harendza S, Stahl RA. N Engl J Med. 2016 May 19;374(20):1995-6.
10.	Thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing 7A in idiopathic membranous nephropathy. Tomas NM, Beck LH Jr, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Seitz-Polski B, Ma H, Zahner G, Dolla G, Hoxha E, Helmchen U, Dabert-Gay AS, Debayle D, Merchant M, Klein J, Salant DJ, Stahl RAK, Lambeau G. N Engl J Med. 2014 Dec 11;371(24):2277-2287.