Dr. phil. nat. Ulrich Zißler

Ulrich Zissler wants to decipher the interaction between epithelial and immune cells in the airways. The focus is on the mutual influence against the background of respiratory diseases such as asthma, COPD and cystic fibrosis, investigated in various biomaterials such as induced sputum, nasal brushing and secretions by global transcriptome and proteome analyses.

Ulrich holds a diploma in biology and a PhD in biology.

Ulrich started his career in the field of biomarkers for various respiratory diseases at the Goethe University Hospital in Frankfurt/Main. In 2012, he moved to the Center for Allergy and the Environment (ZAUM) and Institute for Allergy Research at Helmholtz Zentrum München. Since then, he has also been a member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) and is responsible for numerous projects. He became a DZL PI in 2018.

His diverse work is essentially concerned with understanding the cell biology of epithelial cells and their interaction with immune cells and their active involvement in pathomechanisms of predominantly allergy-related diseases such as allergic rhinitis and asthma. These findings will be transferred to national and international study cohorts:

DZL All Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE)

Prospective Allergy and Clinical Immune Function Cohort study (PACIFIC)

I would like to contribute to the elucidation of the pathomechanisms of respiratory diseases and the basics for the development of effective therapies. I would also like to raise public awareness of the individual burdens of respiratory diseases such as allergic asthma, but also of chronic diseases such as COPD and cystic fibrosis (CF) and draw attention to the fate of the patients.

I also try to carry this into politics, which is why I am involved in the Christian Social Union (CSU) in the Health Policy Working Group (GPA) at district, district and state level. I also contribute to the information of decision-makers in the culture and university working group (AKH), where I am particularly involved in the transfer of innovation from science to society.