Prof. Dr. Ulrike Protzer
Academic Career and Research Areas
Professor Protzer is an expert in the virus-host interaction. Her research aims to advance our understanding of the molecular and immunological mechanisms of virus control. She uses the knowledge gained together with her work group to develop new therapeutic approaches to cure chronic hepatitis B and treat secondary diseases caused by the virus. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she focused on the immune control of SARS-CoV-2 and served as an expert in national and international committees.
Professor Protzer studied medicine at the universities of Erlangen, Basel, and Durban (South Africa) and obtained her doctorate in Erlangen in 1989. After further training in Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases in Frankfurt and Mainz, she obtained specialist qualifications in internal medicine in 1996 and in microbiology and virology in 2005. She spent a postdoctoral period at the Center for Molecular Biology in Heidelberg from 1996 to 2000, completed her postdoctoral teaching qualification in Virology in 2000, and led a junior research group at the University of Cologne’s Center for Molecular Medicine from 202 to 2007. In late 2007, she was appointed Chair of Virology at TUM and has since been director of the Institute of Virology at TUM and at Helmholtz Munich.
Awards
- Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2025)
- German Medical Award – Female Physician of the Year (2025)
- Order of Merit, issued by the prime minister of the state of Bavaria (2022)
- Award for Excellence in Translational Infection Research, German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) (2021)
- Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Medal of TUM (2020)
Key Publications
Wratil PR, Stern M, Priller A, Willmann A, Almanzar G, Vogel E, Feuerherd M, Cheng CC, Yazici S, Christa C, Jeske S, Lupoli G, Vogt T, Albanese M, Mejías-Pérez E, Bauernfried S, Graf N, Mijocevic H, Vu M, Tinnefeld K, Wettengel J, Hoffmann D, Muenchhoff M, Daechert C, Mairhofer H, Krebs S, Fingerle V, Graf A, Steininger P, Blum H, Hornung V, Liebl B, Überla K, Prelog M, Knolle P, Keppler OT, Protzer U. Three exposures to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 by either infection or vaccination elicit superior neutralizing immunity to all variants of concern. Nature Medicine 2022, 28:496-503. PMID: 35090165.
AbstractMichler T, Kosinska A, Festag J, Bunse T, Su J, Ringelhan M, Imhof H, Grimm D, Steiger K, Mogler C, Heikenwalder M, Michel ML, Guzman CA, Milstein S, Sepp-Lorenzio L, Knolle P, Protzer U. Knockdown of Virus Antigen Expression Increases Therapeutic Vaccine Efficacy in High-titer HBV Carrier Mice. Gastroenterology 2020,158: 1762-1775. PMID: 32001321.
AbstractWisskirchen K*, Kah J*, Malo A, Asen T, Volz T, Allweiss L, Wettengel JM, Lütgehetmann M, Urban S, Bauer T, Dandri M*, Protzer U*. T-Cell Receptor Grafting allows Virological Control of Hepatitis B Virus Infection. Journal Clinical Investigation 2019, 129(7):2932-2945. Doi 10.1172/JCI120228. PMID 31039136.
AbstractLucifora J, Xia Y, Reisinger F, Zhang K, Stadler D, Cheng X, Sprinzl M, Koppensteiner H, Li Y, Makowska Z, Volz T, Remouchamps C, Chou W-M, Thasler W, Hüser N, Durantel D, Münk C, Heim MH, Browning JL, Dejardin E, Dandri M, Schindler M, Heikenwalder M, Protzer U. Specific and non-hepatotoxic degradation of nuclear hepatitis B virus cccDNA. Science. 2014; 343(6176): 1221-1228.
AbstractProtzer U, Maini M, Knolle P. Living in the Liver. Nature Reviews in Immunology. 2012; 12(3): 201-213.
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