Research

Andreas Radbruch has been Scientific Director of the Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin (DRFZ) since 1996. He works on the molecular basis of immunological memory and its role in immunopathology.

Initially he showed that antibody class switching in B Lymphocytes is based on targeted recombination affecting the expressed and the silenced igh-genes. He showed that targeting of switch recombination to distinct switch regions requires their transcription,regulated by cytokines, and processing of the transcripts. He originally defined long-lived plasma cells, their role in humoral memory and in autoimmune disease and developed a novel concept for plasma cell homeostasis. He developed technologies for intracellular cytokine staining and the isolation of living cells according to cytokine secretion and used them to define the molecular imprinting of functional memory in T cells.

His concept of a pathogenic immunological memory driving autoimmune inflammation has initiated the therapy of autoimmune diseases by immunoablation, showing that the immune system can be reset to tolerance. He is an expert on cytometry and cell sorting. He is a coinventor of magnetic cell-sorting (MACS technology).

Career

• since 1998 Professor for Experimental Rheumatology at the Medical Faculty, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Charité)
• since 1996 Scientific Director, Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin
• 1990-98 Professor for Genetics and Immunology, Universität zu Köln
• 1988-89 Bayer-Dozentur, Institute of Genetics, Universität zu Köln
• 1988 Habilitation, Universität zu Köln
• 1987 Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
• 1982-88 Hochschulassistent, Institute of Genetics, Universität zu Köln
• 1980-82 Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter, Institute of Genetics, Universität zu Köln
• 1980 Dr. rer. nat., Universität zu Köln
• 1976 Diploma in biology, Universität Bonn

Functions

(Selection)

• 2015 “President-elect“ of the European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS), chair beginning in 2016
• 2014 President of the International Society of Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC)
• 2011 Member of the Fachkollegium, DFG
• 2010 Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
• 2009 Member of the Scientific Board, Robert Koch Stiftung
• 2009-2010 President of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Immunologie
• 2009 Member of the Scientific Board, IZKF (Münster)
• 2008-2014 Member of the Scientific Board, Biomedizinisches Institut für Altersforschung der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• 2008-2013 Member of the Hochschulrat, Universität zu Köln
• 2008 Biological Councilor, International Society for Analytical Cytology (ISAC)
• 2007-2008 President, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Rheumatologie
• 2005 Associated Member. Wissenschaftlicher Ausschuss der Schering Stiftung
• 2003 Fachimmunologe, Deutsche Gesellschaft f. Immunologie
• since 2002 Henry Kunkel Society
• 1994-1996 President, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zytometrie

Honours and Memberships

(Selection)

• 2014 Avery Landsteiner-Preis, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Immunologie
• since 2014 Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)
• 2011 ERC “Advanced Grant“
• 2011 Carol Nachman Prize for Rheumatology
• 2009 Member, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (Biowissenschaftlich-Medizinische Klasse)
• 2008 Bundesverdienstkreuz
• 2000 Aronson Prize
• 1994 Karl-Heinz Beckurts Prize, jointly with Stefan Miltenyi (Technologietransferpreis)
• 1981 Otto Westphal Prize, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Immunologie
• 1980 Promotionspreis, Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät der Universität zu Köln
• 1974-78 Scholarship, Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes