Research

Research priorities: Molecular biology of animal viruses

Thomas C. Mettenleiter is a molecular biologist and virologist. His main research area is molecular biology and the pathogenesis of animal viruses. In addition to studies on the basic processes of virus-host interaction, he focuses on the development of novel vaccines using molecular techniques.

Mettenleiter investigates herpes viruses, in particular herpes viruses of animals. His scientific work on the molecular biology and pathogenesis of animal herpes viruses has made an important contribution to the understanding of the structure, replication, virulence and tropism of herpes viruses as well as to the development of novel vaccines.

His research contributed significantly to the first development of marked vaccines and thus the efficient control and eradication of Aujeszky’s disease in pigs.

Career

• since 2021 Co-Chairperson, One Health High Level Expert Panel, World Health Organization (WHO), World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as well as UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
• since 2020 Chairperson, Advisory Board “One Health”, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany
• since 2020 Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research (TZR), Freie Universität (FU) Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• 2019-2020 Chairperson, Advisory Board “Animal Health”, BMZ, Germany
• since 2019 Honorary Professor for Virology in Livestock Farming, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
• 2014-2022 Serial Editor, Advances in Virus Research
• 2012-2018 Member, Board of Directors, European Society for Veterinary Virology (ESVV)
• 2012-2018 Member, Board of Directors, European Society for Virology (ESV)
• 2010-2022 Member, Scientific Advisory Board, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, UK
• since 2010 Guest Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Berlin, Germany
• 2009-2015 Member, BioEconomy Council, Berlin, Germany
• 2009-2015 Member, Scientific Committee on Animal Health, WOAH (until 2022: Office International des Epizooties, OIE)
• since 2008 Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Centre for Veterinary Public Health, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
• 2006-2010 President, Senate, Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), Germany
• 2006-2009 Chairperson, Scientific Advisory Board, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
• 2001-2006 Member, Scientific Advisory Board, FBN, Dummerstorf, Germany
• 1999-2000 Vice President, Senate, BLE, Germany
• since 1998 Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), Langen, Germany
• since 1997 Adjunct Professor, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
• 1997-2023 President, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
• 1996 Head of Federal Research Centre for Virus Diseases of Animals (BFAV, today: part of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut), Tübingen, Germany
• 1995 Acting Head, BFAV, Germany
• 1993-2018 Head, Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology (IMVZ), FLI, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
• 1990 Habilitation, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
• 1987-1993 Head, Laboratory, Institute for Vaccines, BFAV, Tübingen, Germany
• 1986-1987 Postdoc, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
• 1985 Doctorate, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
• 1983-1985 Researcher, BFAV, Tübingen, Germany
• 1977-1982 Degree in Biology, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

Projects

• since 2017 Coordinator, Project “DELTA-FLU – Dynamics of avian influenza in a changing world”, FLI, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
• 2011-2013 Member, Scientific Committee, Project “FLUPIG – Pathogenesis and transmission of influenza virus in pigs”, 7th Framework Research Programme (FRP), European Union (EU)
• 2010-2015 Principal Investigator, Subproject, “The OMICS-processes in medical diagnostics at cattle and hog”, Joint Project PHÄNOMICS, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany
• 2006-2012 Member, Scientific Committee, Project “EPIZONE – European Network of Excellence for Epizootic Disease Diagnosis and Control”, 6th FRP, EU
• 2006-2009 Principal Investigator, “Research programme Influenza”, FLI, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
• 2005-2012 Principal Investigator, Subproject, “Molecular mechanisms of primary and secondary envelopment in herpesvirus morphogenesis”, Priority Programme “Dynamics of Cellular Membranes and their Exploitation by Viruses”, German Research Foundation (DFG), Germany

Honours and Memberships

• 2024 Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse, Federal Republic of Germany
• 2023 Professor Niklas-Medaille, Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Germany
• 2023 Gold Medal, WOAH
• 2022 Honorary Doctorate, Faculty Veterinary Medicine, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen, Germany
• since 2021 Senator, Section Veterinary Medicine, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany
• 2020-2021 Deputy Senator, Section Veterinary Medicine, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany
• 2017 Veterinary Herpesvirus Award, ESVV
• 2014 Robert-von-Ostertag-Plakette, Bundestierärztekammer, Germany
• 2014 Greifswald Research Award, Greifswald University Club (GUC), University of Greifswald, Germany
• since 2011 Membre correspondant (étranger), Académie royale de Médecine de Belgique, Belgium
• 2010 Rubenow Medal of Honour, Hanseatic and University City of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
• since 2009 Member, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
• since 2008 Member, Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg, Germany
• 2007 Honorary Doctorate, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo), Hannover, Germany
• 2007 Martin Lerche Research Award, German Society of Veterinary Medicine (DVG), Germany
• since 2000 Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany
• 1998-2010 Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Gesellschaft für Virologie, Heidelberg, Germany
• 1993 Aladár Aujeszky Memorial Medal, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary