معرفی
Sara-Sophie Poethe is a researcher at Bielefeld University, holding dual affiliations with the Faculty of Biology's Prokaryote Genetics department and the Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec) Prokaryote Genetics Group. Her office is located at UHG W6-120, and she can be contacted at sara-sophie.poethe@uni-bielefeld.de or by phone at +49 521 106-5603.
Dr. Poethe's research spans two distinct but equally significant domains in molecular biology. In microbial biotechnology, she focuses on metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for pharmaceutical applications, developing strains that efficiently produce compounds like tyrosol and tyramine which serve as precursors for important drugs. Her work demonstrates how engineered bacterial systems can provide sustainable alternatives to traditional chemical synthesis methods, with particular attention to pathway optimization and alternative carbon source utilization.
In forensic science, Dr. Poethe has developed innovative next-generation sequencing approaches for STR typing that significantly improve analysis of challenging DNA samples including degraded material, mixed samples, and those containing PCR inhibitors. Her maSTR assay combined with the SNiPSTR bioinformatics pipeline offers a cost-effective alternative to commercial forensic STR kits while providing superior performance with difficult samples.
Her publications from 2023-2025 reveal a researcher actively contributing to both pharmaceutical biotechnology and forensic DNA analysis. The progression of her work shows increasing sophistication in metabolic engineering approaches and methodological improvements in DNA analysis techniques. Dr. Poethe is also involved in the iCulture project (2027), a European Union-funded initiative developing a digital bio-platform for sustainable macroalgae utilization, demonstrating her capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration.
Dr. Poethe works within the Prokaryote Genetics Group at CeBiTec, which focuses on fundamental and applied research in bacterial genetics and metabolism. Her work bridges basic microbial research with practical applications in pharmaceutical production and forensic science, contributing to Bielefeld University's strategic research focus on the Material World and its interfaces across biological disciplines.