Martin Schwemmle

Prof. Dr.
Principal Investigator

Department for Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene
Institute for Virology
Medical Center – University of Freiburg

Hermann Herder Str. 11
79104 Freiburg i. Brsg.

Current position

Professor, Institute for Virology, Department for Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, Medical Center – University of Freiburg

Academic training

1983 – 1989 Study of Biology in Freiburg

Scientific qualifications

2000 Habilitation in Virology, University of Freiburg
(Mentor: Prof. Dr. Otto Haller)
1992 PhD Thesis, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg
(Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Kurt Hilse)

Postgraduate Positions

since 2003 Professor, Institute for Virology, Department for Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, Medical Center - University of Freiburg
2002 – 2003 Group leader, Institute of Virology, University of Zurich, Switzerland
1997 – 2001 Group leader, Institute for Virology, Center for Microbiology and Hygiene, Medical Center - University of Freiburg
1995 – 1997 Postdoctorate, Institute of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, USA
1992 – 1995 Postdoctorate, Institute for Virology, Center for Microbiology and Hygiene, Medical Center - University of Freiburg

Miscellaneous (Honors, Awards)

1992 Hans-Griesebach Award for PhD Thesis

link to all publications from M. Schwemmle: Pubmed

Publications based on CRC1160 funding

Petric PP, Schwemmle M, Graf L. 2023.  Anti-influenza A virus restriction factors that shape the human species barrier and virus evolution. PLoS Pathog. 19(7):e1011450. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011450.

Petric, P. P., J. King, L. Graf, A. Pohlmann, M. Beer, and M. Schwemmle. 2022. Increased Polymerase Activity of Zoonotic H7N9 Allows Partial Escape from MxA. Viruses 14: 2331. doi: 10.3390/v14112331.

Beer, J., S. Crotta, A. Breithaupt, A. Ohnemus, J. Becker, B. Sachs, L. Kern, M. Llorian, N. Ebert, F. Labroussaa, T. T. Nhu Thao, B. S. Trueeb, J. Jores, V. Thiel, M. Beer, J. Fuchs, G. Kochs, A. Wack, M. Schwemmle, and D. Schnepf. 2022. Impaired immune response drives age-dependent severity of COVID-19. J Exp Med 219: pii: 213485. doi: 10.1084/jem.20220621.

Hennig C, Graaf A, Petric PP, Graf L, Schwemmle M, Beer M, Harder T. Porcine Health Manag. 2022. Are pigs overestimated as a source of zoonotic influenza viruses? First published: 2022 Jun 30;8(1):30. doi: 10.1186/s40813-022-00274-x. PMID: 35773676 Free PMC article

Kolter J, Henneke P, Groß O, Kierdorf K, Prinz M, Graf L, Schwemmle M. 2022. Paradoxical immunodeficiencies-When failures of innate immunity cause immunopathology. Eur J Immunol. First published: 2022 May 12. doi: 10.1002/eji.202149531.

Lang-Meli, J., H. Luxenburger, K. Wild, V. Karl, V. Oberhardt, E. Salimi Alizei, A. Graeser, M. Reinscheid, N. Roehlen, D. B. Reeg, S. Giese, K. Ciminski, V. Gotz, D. August, S. Rieg, C. F. Waller, T. Wengenmayer, D. Staudacher, D. Huzly, B. Bengsch, G. Kochs, M. Schwemmle, F. Emmerich, T. Boettler, R. Thimme, M. Hofmann, and C. Neumann-Haefelin. 2022. SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell epitope repertoire in convalescent and mRNA-vaccinated individuals. Nat Microbiol 7: 675-679. doi: 10.1038/s41564-022-01106-y.

Wild, K., M. Smits, S. Killmer, S. Strohmeier, C. Neumann-Haefelin, B. Bengsch, F. Krammer, M. Schwemmle, M. Hofmann, R. Thimme, K. Zoldan, and T. Boettler. 2021. Pre-existing immunity and vaccine history determine hemagglutinin-specific CD4 T cell and IgG response following seasonal influenza vaccination. Nat Commun 12: 6720.

Chen Y, Graf L, Chen T, Liao Q, Bai T, Petric PP, Zhu W, Yang L, Dong J, Lu J, Chen Y, Shen J, Haller O, Staeheli P, Kochs G, Wang D, Schwemmle M, Shu Y. 2021. Rare variant MX1 alleles increase human susceptibility to zoonotic H7N9 influenza virus. Science. 2021 Aug 20;373(6557):918-922. doi: 10.1126/science.abg5953.

Vavassori S, Chou J, Faletti LE, Haunerdinger V, Opitz L, Joset P, Fraser CJ, Prader S, Gao X, Schuch LA, Wagner M, Hoefele J, Maccari ME, Zhu Y, Elakis G, Gabbett MT, Forstner M, Omran H, Kaiser T, Kessler C, Olbrich H, Frosk P, Almutairi A, Platt CD, Elkins M, Weeks S, Rubin T, Planas R, Marchetti T, Koovely D, Klämbt V, Soliman NA, von Hardenberg S, Klemann C, Baumann U, Lenz D, Klein-Franke A, Schwemmle M, Huber M, Sturm E, Hartleif S, Häffner K, Gimpel C, Brotschi B, Laube G, Güngör T, Buckley MF, Kottke R, Staufner C, Hildebrandt F, Reu-Hofer S, Moll S, Weber A, Kaur H, Ehl S, Hiller S, Geha R, Roscioli T, Griese M, Pachlopnik Schmid J. 2021. Multisystem inflammation and susceptibility to viral infections in human ZNFX1 deficiency. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 148(2):381-393. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2021.03.045. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Oberhardt V, Luxenburger H, Kemming J, Schulien I, Ciminski K, Giese S, Csernalabics B, Lang-Meli J, Janowska I, Staniek J, Wild K, Basho K, Marinescu MS, Fuchs J, Topfstedt F, Janda A, Sogukpinar O, Hilger H, Stete K, Emmerich F, Bengsch B, Waller CF, Rieg S, Sagar, Boettler T, Zoldan K, Kochs G, Schwemmle M, Rizzi M, Thimme R, Neumann-Haefelin C, Hofmann M. 2021. Rapid and stable mobilization of CD8+ T cells by SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. Nature.  28. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03841-4.

Schnepf D, Crotta S, Thamamongood T, Stanifer M, Polcik L, Ohnemus A, Vier J, Jakob C, Llorian M, Gad HH, Hartmann R, Strobl B, Kirschnek S, Boulant S, Schwemmle M, Wack A, Staeheli P. 2021. Selective Janus kinase inhibition preserves interferon-λ-mediated antiviral responses. Sci Immunol. 6(59):eabd5318. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abd5318.

Schulien I, Kemming J, Oberhardt V, Wild K, Seidel LM, Killmer S, Sagar, Daul F, Salvat Lago M, Decker A, Luxenburger H, Binder B, Bettinger D, Sogukpinar O, Rieg S, Panning M, Huzly D, Schwemmle M, Kochs G, Waller CF, Nieters A, Duerschmied D, Emmerich F, Mei HE, Schulz AR, Llewellyn-Lacey S, Price DA, Boettler T, Bengsch B, Thimme R, Hofmann M, Neumann-Haefelin C. 2020. Characterization of pre-existing and induced SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 + T cells. Nat Med. 12. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-01143-2.

Vazquez-Armendariz, A. I., M. Heiner, E. El Agha, I. Salwig, A. Hoek, M. C. Hessler, I. Shalashova, A. Shrestha, G. Carraro, J. P. Mengel, A. Gunther, R. E. Morty, I. Vadasz, M. Schwemmle, W. Kummer, T. Hain, A. Goesmann, S. Bellusci, W. Seeger, T. Braun, and Herold. 2020. Multilineage murine stem cells generate complex organoids to model distal lung development and disease. EMBO J: e103476.

Tran V, Ledwith MP, Thamamongood T, Higgins CA, Tripathi S, Chang MW, Benner C, García-Sastre A, Schwemmle M, Boon ACM, Diamond MS, Mehle A. 2020. Influenza virus repurposes the antiviral protein IFIT2 to promote translation of viral mRNAs. Nat Microbiol. doi: 10.1038/s41564-020-0778-x. Online ahead of print.

Lee, S., A. Ishitsuka, M. Noguchi, M. Hirohama, Y. Fujiyasu, P. P. Petric, Schwemmle, P. Staeheli, K. Nagata, and A. Kawaguchi. 2019. Influenza restriction factor MxA functions as inflammasome sensor in the respiratory epithelium. Sci Immunol 4:eaau4643. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aau4643

Dudek, A. H., F. Pfaff, H. Bolte, C. W. Kontchou, and Schwemmle. 2018. Partial inactivation of the chromatin remodelers SMARCA2 and SMARCA4 in virus-infected cells by caspase-mediated cleavage. J Virol. 92 pii: e00343-18. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00343-18.

Dornfeld, D., A. H. Dudek, T. Vausselin, S. C. Gunther, J. F. Hultquist, S. Giese, D. Khokhlova-Cubberley, Y. C. Chew, N. J. Krogan, A. Garcia-Sastre, Schwemmle, and M. L. Shaw. 2018. SMARCA2-regulated host cell factors are required for MxA restriction of influenza A viruses. Sci Rep 8: 2092.

Deeg CM, Hassan E, Mutz P, Rheinemann L, Götz V, Magar L, Schilling M, Kallfass C, Nürnberger C, Soubies S, Kochs G, Haller O, Schwemmle M, Staeheli P. 2017. In vivo evasion of MxA by avian influenza viruses requires human signature in the viral nucleoprotein. J Exp Med. 214(5):1239-1248.

Götz V, Magar L, Dornfeld D, Giese S, Pohlmann A, Höper D, Kong BW, Jans DA, Beer M, Haller O, Schwemmle M. 2016. Influenza A viruses escape from MxA restriction at the expense of efficient nuclear vRNP import. Sci Rep. 6:23138.  Erratum in: Sci Rep. 2016 May 09