Lab members
Current members
Prof Dr Michael Lanzer (Group leader, 1999 - present)
Cecilia Sanchez, PhD (Senior scientist, 1999 - present)
Dr. Guillermo Gómez (PhD student, 2020 - 2024; Postdoc, presently)
Dr. Jessica Kehrer (microscope specialist)
Kim Carlstedt (PhD student, 2023 - present)
Soria Gasparini (PhD student, 2023 - present)
Daniele Gueiber (PhD student in collaboration with HS MA, 2023 - present)
Violeta Pancakova (PhD student, 2020 - 2024)
Atdhe Kernaja (Technician)
Marina Müller (Technician)
& various BSc students :-)
Research interest
The pathogenicity of human malaria parasites
The pioneering work of Sir Ronald Ross, demonstrating that malaria is a vector-borne disease, celebrated its centennial anniversary in 1997. More than one-hundred years later, malaria still remains a major threat to mankind, responsible for an estimated 250 million clinical cases and almost 1 million deaths annually. The malaria situation is expected to get worse as once effective weapons against this infectious disease have lost their edge. Chemotherapeutics now frequently fail due to wide spread resistance mechanisms, and insecticides, once widely used to eradicate the malaria vectors, are now disqualified because of environmental considerations. New and affordable drugs, suitable for mass application in developing countries, are not on the horizon, neither is a widely effective malaria vaccine. In order to develop sustainable means to control malaria, a better understanding of the etiological agents that cause malaria, their biology, virulence and pathogenicity is imperative.
Our objectives are to provide a better understanding of the biology, virulence and pathogenicity of malaria parasites, in an effort to develop new regimens for the treatment of this important disease. In particular, we are investigating:
- the molecular mechanisms of immune evasion and cytoadhesion and how these pathogenetic mechanisms affect the pathogenesis of the disease;
- the genesis of chloroquine drug resistance;
- mechanisms of ion homeostasis;
- the application of ionic exchangers as novel targets for rational drug development programmes.
Selected publications of the Lanzer group
Most recent (last 5 years)
Rathay V, Fürle K, Kiehl V, Ulmer A, Lanzer M, Thomson-Luque R. (2024) IgG Subclass Switch in Volunteers Repeatedly Immunised with the Full-Length Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein 1 (MSP1). Vaccines. 12(2):208. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12020208
Alder A, Sanchez CP, Russell MRG, Collinson LM, Lanzer M, Blackman MJ, Gilberger TW, Matz JM (2023) The role of Plasmodium V-ATPase in vacuolar physiology and antimalarial drug uptake. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Jul 25;120(30):e2306420120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2306420120. Epub 2023 Jul 18. PMID: 37463201; PMCID: PMC10372686.
Rosenkranz M, Fürle K, Hibbert J, Ulmer A, Ali A, Giese T, Blank A, Haefeli WE, Böhnlein E, Lanzer M, Thomson-Luque R (2023) Multifunctional IgG/IgM antibodies and cellular cytotoxicity are elicited by the full-length MSP1 SumayaVac-1 malaria vaccine. NPJ Vaccines. Aug 9;8(1):112. doi: 10.1038/s41541-023-00701-2. PMID: 37558673; PMCID: PMC10412566.
Berger F, Gomez GM, Sanchez CP, Posch B, Planelles G, Sohraby F, Nunes-Alves A, Lanzer M (2023) pH-dependence of the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter is linked to the transport cycle. Nat Commun. Jul 15;14(1):4234. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39969-2. PMID: 37454114; PMCID: PMC10349806.
Gomez GM, D'Arrigo G, Sanchez CP, Berger F, Wade RC, Lanzer M (2023) PfCRT mutations conferring piperaquine resistance in falciparum malaria shape the kinetics of quinoline drug binding and transport. PLoS Pathog. Jun 7;19(6):e1011436. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011436. PMID: 37285379; PMCID: PMC10281575.
Haag M, Kehrer J, Sanchez CP, Deponte M, Lanzer M (2022) Physiological jump in erythrocyte redox potential during Plasmodium falciparum development occurs independent of the sickle cell trait. Redox Biol. Nov 10;58:102536. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102536. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36401887; PMCID: PMC9673094.
Tanaka M, Lanzer M (2022) Receptor-Functionalized Lipid Membranes as Biomimetic Surfaces for Adhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-Infected Erythrocytes. Methods Mol Biol. 2470:601-613. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2189-9_45. PMID: 35881377.
Karathanasis C, Sanchez CP, Heilemann M, Lanzer M (2022) Assessing Antigen Presentation on the Surface of Plasmodium falciparum-Infected Erythrocytes by Photoactivated Localisation Microscopy (PALM). Methods Mol Biol. 2470:457-466. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2189-9_34. PMID: 35881366.
Cyrklaff M, Sanchez CP, Hanebutte L, Jäger J, Schwarz US, Lanzer M (2022) An Improved Method for Assessing Antigen Presentation on the Surface of Plasmodium falciparum-Infected Erythrocytes by Immuno-Electron Microscopy. Methods Mol Biol. 2470:445-455. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2189-9_33. PMID: 35881365.
Sanchez CP, Manson EDT, Moliner Cubel S, Mandel L, Weidt SK, Barrett MP, Lanzer M (2022) The Knock-Down of the Chloroquine Resistance Transporter PfCRT Is Linked to Oligopeptide Handling in Plasmodium falciparum. Microbiol Spectr. Aug 31;10(4):e0110122. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01101-22. Epub 2022 Jul 18. PMID: 35867395; PMCID: PMC9431119.
Wai CH, Jin J, Cyrklaff M, Genoud C, Funaya C, Sattler J, Maceski A, Meier S, Heiland S, Lanzer M, Frischknecht F, Kuhle J, Bendszus M, Hoffmann A (2022) Neurofilament light chain plasma levels are associated with area of brain damage in experimental cerebral malaria. Sci Rep Jun 24;12(1):10726. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-14291-x. PMID: 35750882; PMCID: PMC9232608.
Jäger J, Patra P, Sanchez CP, Lanzer M, Schwarz US (2022) A particle-based computational model to analyse remodelling of the red blood cell cytoskeleton during malaria infections. PLoS Comput Biol. Apr 8;18(4):e1009509. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009509. PMID: 35394995.
Jin J, Ba MA, Wai CH, Mohanty S, Sahu PK, Pattnaik R, Pirpamer L, Fischer M, Heiland S, Lanzer M, Frischknecht F, Mueller AK, Pfeil J, Majhi M, Cyrklaff M, Wassmer SC, Bendszus M, Hoffmann A (2022) Transcellular blood-brain barrier disruption in malaria-induced reversible brain edema. Life Sci Alliance. Mar 8;5(6):e202201402. doi: 10.26508/lsa.202201402. PMID: 35260473; PMCID: PMC8905774.
Sanchez CP, Patra P, Chang SS, Karathanasis C, Hanebutte L, Kilian N, Cyrklaff M, Heilemann M, Schwarz US, Kudryashev M, Lanzer M (2022) KAHRP dynamically relocalises to remodeled actin junctions and associates with knob spirals in Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes. Mol Microbiol. Feb;117(2):274-292. doi: 10.1111/mmi.14811. Epub 2021 Sep 22. PMID: 34514656.
Dijkman PM, Marzluf T, Zhang Y, Chang SS, Helm D, Lanzer M, Bujard H, Kudryashev M (2021) Structure of the merozoite surface protein 1 from Plasmodium falciparum. Sci Adv. Jun 2;7(23):eabg0465.
Fröhlich B, Dasanna AK, Lansche C, Czajor J, Sanchez CP, Cyrklaff M, Yamamoto A, Craig A, Schwarz US, Lanzer M, Tanaka M (2021) Functionalized supported membranes for quantifying adhesion of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes. Biophys J. Jul 8:S0006-3495(21)00552-X
Bukau B, Lanzer M, Melchers F, Wallon G (2020) Hermann Bujard (1934 - 2020) - pioneering researcher and visionary science politician EMBO J. Dec 1;39(23):e106981
Frohlich B, Yang Y, Thoma J, Czajor J, Lansche C, Sanchez C, Lanzer M, Cloetens P, Tanaka M (2020) Nanofocused Scanning X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy Revealing an Effect of Heterozygous Hemoglobin S and C on Biochemical Activities in Plasmodium falciparum-Infected Erythrocytes. Anal Chem 92: 5765-5771
Blank A, Furle K, Jaschke A, Mikus G, Lehmann M, Husing J, Heiss K, Giese T, Carter D, Bohnlein E, Lanzer M, Haefeli WE, Bujard H (2020) Immunization with full-length Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 is safe and elicits functional cytophilic antibodies in a randomized first-in-human trial. NPJ Vaccines 5: 10
Jankowska-Dollken M, Sanchez CP, Cyrklaff M, Lanzer M (2019) Overexpression of the HECT ubiquitin ligase PfUT prolongs the intraerythrocytic cycle and reduces invasion efficiency of Plasmodium falciparum. Scientific reports 9: 18333
Frohlich B, Jager J, Lansche C, Sanchez CP, Cyrklaff M, Buchholz B, Soubeiga ST, Simpore J, Ito H, Schwarz US, Lanzer M, Tanaka M (2019) Hemoglobin S and C affect biomechanical membrane properties of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes. Communications biology 2: 311
Sanchez CP, Moliner Cubel S, Nyboer B, Jankowska-Dollken M, Schaeffer-Reiss C, Ayoub D, Planelles G, Lanzer M (2019) Phosphomimetic substitution at Ser-33 of the chloroquine resistance transporter PfCRT reconstitutes drug responses in Plasmodium falciparum. J Biol Chem
Sanchez CP, Karathanasis C, Sanchez R, Cyrklaff M, Jager J, Buchholz B, Schwarz US, Heilemann M, Lanzer M (2019) Single-molecule imaging and quantification of the immune-variant adhesin VAR2CSA on knobs of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes. Communications biology 2: 172
News - Lanzer group
DGP Conference in Gießen (15-17 March 2023)
From 15-17 March 2023 the world of parasitology was guest in Gießen where this year's annual meeting of the German Society for Parasitology (DGP) took place.
It was a quite successful meeting for our staff members: our PhD student Monami Roy Chowdhury(Frischknecht lab) won the 1st poster prize, the former Ganter lab PhD student Severina Klaus was awarded the Piekarski Award for her dissertation in 2022 and our department head Michael Lanzer was honoured with the Rudolf-Leuckart Medal for his outstanding services to the advancement of parasitology.
Lab rotations, BSc and MSc projects
We are looking for enthusiastic Bachelor or Master students to join the Lanzer lab for an internship or a BSc / an MSc thesis (focus on the blood stage of the malaria infection).
The project will concentrate on KAHRP, a crucial protein involved in knob formation in infected red blood cells, which significantly affects disease severity.
You will apply advanced cloning, protein expression, and purification techniques under close supervision of a PhD student on the project.
To express interest, please contact our secretary Miriam directly.
