Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology

At the Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology (TOXI), we explore how the human body responds to bioactive chemicals at the molecular level. Our mission is to uncover the complex molecular mechanism, our body’s molecular machines, that determine whether a chemical compound leads to therapeutic benefits or harmful effects.
A central goal of our research is to generate cutting-edge knowledge that drives the development of innovative, effective, and safe pharmaceuticals. Through our work, we contribute to advancing precision medicine and improving drug safety for the future.

Director of the Institute

We Promote the Next Generation of Toxicologists

Our research targets the interface between biomedicine and chemistry from complementary perspectives. Specific projects may start from:

elicited by a small chemical in mice or man

pathways

for novel chemical matter that could address a promising pharmacologic target

screens to unravel the mechanism behind a physiological response to a chemical challenge

Our research aims at identifying novel targets for small molecules that could modulate intermediary metabolism in order to control body weight or pathologies associated with metabolic disorders such as metabolic syndrome, steatosis hepatis or diabetes.

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We focus on Mitochondrial Damage upon diverse aspects of cell-toxic conditions in human disease, e.g. metabolic diseases, neurodegeneration, cancer, organ failure.

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A specific molecule excreted by methane-oxidizing bacteria could be most suitable for therapy against Wilson’s disease (WD). This is what researchers led by Helmholtz Munich scientist Hans Zischka have found in a new study. In a WD rat model, the…

Medical concept of cancer. 3d illustration of T cells or cancer cells.

A small molecule has entered a novel clinical trial for cancer immunotherapy. The molecule inhibits an enzyme called MALT1 that plays a critical role in suppressing immune reactions against tumor cells. Preclinical studies showed that blocking MALT1…

Prof. Martin Göttlicher

Director of the Institute for Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology / Group Leader Small Molecule Modulators of Intermediary Metabolism

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Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Hans Zischka

Group Leader Oxidative Cell Death

Dr. Adrian Jauch

Postdoc Zischka Lab

A lot of people figures and comment clouds above their heads.

Join our Team

10

Employees

1

Postdocs

4

Doctoral Researchers

3

Technicians

Engler, J. ; Kim, E.J. ; Kim, D. ; Shibata, N.M. ; Lynderup, E.M. ; Vendelbo, M.H. ; Akdogan, B. ; Sailer, J. ; Fontes, A. ; Eberhagen, C. ; Rieder, T. ; Reinold, Q. ; Lee, H. ; Park, D. ; Jung, C. ; Im, W. ; Wudy, S.I. ; Kleigrewe, K. ; Engelhardt, S. ; DiSpirito, A.A. ; Sandahl, T.D. ; Medici, V. ; Eun, S.Y. ; Zischka, H.

Rapid transcellular hepatic copper depletion by ARBM-101 rescues severe liver damage in Wilson disease rodents.

Ramasubramanian, S. ; Öllinger, R. ; Eberhagen, C. ; Zischka, H. ; Schmid, R.M. ; Einwächter, H.

Mitochondrial superoxide dismutase controls metabolic plasticity in pancreatic cancer.

Lynderup, E.M. ; Vendelbo, M.H. ; Kirk, F.T. ; Vase, K.H. ; Alstrup, A.K.O. ; Rieder, T. ; DiSpirito, A.A. ; Semrau, J.D. ; Laursen, T.L. ; Ott, P. ; Zischka, H. ; Sandahl, T.D.

Methanobactin rapidly facilitates biliary copper excretion in a Wilson disease rat model visualised by ⁶⁴Cu PET/MRI.

Cáceres, A. ; Shibata, N.M. ; Davalos-Gutierrez, C.D. ; Sarode, G.V. ; Hussan, H. ; Bettencourt, M. ; Fontes, A. ; Zischka, H. ; Lutsenko, S. ; Heffern, M.C. ; Medici, V.

Inactivation of Atp7b copper transporter in intestinal epithelial cells is associated with altered lipid processing and cell growth machinery independent from hepatic copper accumulation and severity of liver histology.

Iturbide Martinez De Albeniz, A. ; Ruiz Tejada Segura, M.L. ; Noll, C. ; Schorpp, K.K. ; Rothenaigner, I. ; Ruiz-Morales, E.R. ; Lubatti, G. ; Agami, A. ; Hadian, K. ; Scialdone, A. ; Torres-Padilla, M.E.

Addendum: Retinoic acid signaling is critical during the totipotency window in early mammalian development.

Bremer, J. ; Nagel, J. ; Zschüntzsch, J. ; Zajt, K.K. ; Palaz, T. ; Blank, T. ; Ikis, A. ; Fischer, L.A. ; Sensmeyer, A.S.M. ; Wiechers, L. ; Reichelt, J.J. ; Hofmann, K.P. ; Wolf, M.J. ; Leuchtenberger, C. ; Tripathi, P. ; Einer, C. ; Zischka, H. ; Rothermel, U. ; Eck, A.L. ; Reimann, R. ; Kana, V. ; Rushing, E. ; Aguzzi, A. ; Prinz, M. ; Liebetanz, D. ; Odoardi, F. ; Kuo, C.C. ; Weis, J. ; Kraft, F. ; Schmidt, J. ; Heikenwälder, M.

Mutual reinforcement of lymphotoxin-driven myositis and impaired autophagy in murine muscle.

Jauch, A.T. ; Sailer, J. ; Braun, J. ; Czeslik, E. ; Geyer, J. ; Eberhagen, C. ; Vollmar, A.M. ; Zischka, H. ; Sieber, S.A. ; Zahler, S.

Neocarzilin A induces apoptosis and mitochondrial disturbance by targeting reticulon 4-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Deschler, S. ; Pohl-Topcu, J. ; Ramsauer, L. ; Meiser, P. ; Erlacher, S. ; Schenk, R.P. ; Maurer, H.C. ; Shen, P. ; Kager, J. ; Zink, J.I. ; Pistrenko, K. ; Monte, E.R. ; Weber, J. ; Wasmaier, L. ; Laschinger, M. ; Hüser, N. ; Geisler, F. ; Thorburn, D. ; Nieß, H. ; Wiedemann, G.M. ; Zischka, H. ; Heikenwälder, M. ; Kleigrewe, K. ; Mogler, C. ; Böttcher, J.P. ; Knolle, P.A. ; Schmid, R.M. ; Böttcher, K.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid-induced metabolic exhaustion and ferroptosis impair the anti-tumour function of MAIT cells in MASLD.

Sailer, J. ; Schmitt, S. ; Zischka, H. ; Gnaiger, E.

Direct effects of clinically relevant antibiotics on mitochondrial respiration.

Petruzzelli, R. ; Catalano, F. ; Crispino, R. ; Polishchuk, E.V. ; Elia, M. ; Masone, A. ; Lavigna, G. ; Grasso, A. ; Battipaglia, M. ; Sepe, L.V. ; Akdogan, B. ; Reinold, Q. ; Del Prete, E. ; Carrella, D. ; Torella, A. ; Nigro, V. ; Caruso, E. ; Innocenti, N. ; Biasini, E. ; Puchkova, L.V. ; Indrieri, A. ; Ilyechova, E.Y. ; Piccolo, P. ; Zischka, H. ; Chiesa, R. ; Polishchuk, R.S.

Prion protein promotes copper toxicity in Wilson disease.