Lothar Jänsch

Lothar Jänsch is a Professor and Research Group Leader at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), jointly appointed with the Technical University of Braunschweig. His work bridges proteomics and infection biology, focusing on pathogen-host interactomes and immune response regulation.

• Studied biology at the Free University of Berlin (diploma 1995), earned his doctorate in 1998 (IGF Berlin/University of Hanover)
• Postdoc at GBF (now HZI) since 2000, led projects on virulence factors (2003-2006), and established the Cellular Proteomics group in 2009
• Appointed to the W2 professorship for Proteomics in Infectious Processes in 2011

Research emphasizes translational projects with academic, medical, and industrial partners, particularly on:

• Pathogen-host interactomes (e.g., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Clostridioides difficile, Listeria monocytogenes)
• Immune response control mechanisms in infection models (MAIT cells, NK cells, Tregs)
• Proteomic characterization of extracellular vesicles, biofilms, and subcellular structures
• Drug discovery targeting bacterial virulence factors (e.g., quinoxalinediones for α-hemolysin)

Recent publications highlight interdisciplinary approaches combining mass spectrometry, kinome analysis, and phosphoproteomics to study:

• Bacterial virulence regulation (PqsE chaperone activity, NirS-DnaK-FliC complex)
• Lipid signaling (nSMase2, sphingomyelinase)
• Drug mechanisms (aminoratjadone, salinilactones)
• Stress response pathways (PerR mutation in C. difficile)