Olaf Groß

Prof. Dr.
Principal Investigator

Center for Pathology,
Institute for Neuropathology
Medical Center – University of Freiburg

Breisacher Straße 64
79106 Freiburg i. Brsg.

Current position

Full Professor (W3), Institute of Neuropathology, Medical Center – University of Freiburg

Academic training

1997 - 2003 Study of Biology, Technical University of Munich, Germany

Scientific qualifications

2014 Habilitation in Molecular Medicine, Technical University of Munich
2008 Dissertation (Dr. rer. nat.), Technical University of Munich

Postgraduate positions

since 2017 Full Professor (W3) for Experimental Neuropathology, Head of Metabolism and Inflammation Laboratory, Medical Center University of Freiburg
2012 - 2017 Independent Research Group Leader, Medical Center Technical University of Munich
2008 - 2012 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Biochemistry, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

Miscellaneous (Honors, Awards)

2012 Independent Junior Research Group funding within the Bavarian Research Network for Molecular Biosystems
2009 EMBO long-term Fellowship
2009 Robert-Koch Post-doctoral Award in Immunology
2006 Young Scientist Award of the German Society for Haematology and Oncology

link to all publications from O. Groß: Pubmed

Publications based on CRC1160 funding

Hersperger F, Meyring T, Weber P, Chhatbar C, Monaco G, Dionne MS, Paeschke K, Prinz M, Groß O, Classen AK, Kierdorf K. 2024. DNA damage signaling in Drosophila macrophages modulates systemic cytokine levels in response to oxidative stress. Elife. 2024 Jan 8;12:RP86700. doi: 10.7554/eLife.86700.

Caceres L, Abogunloko T, Malchow S, Ehret F, Merz J, Li X, Sol Mitre L, Magnani N, Tasat D, Mwinyella T, Spiga L, Suchanek D, Fischer L, Gorka O, Colin Gissler M, Hilgendorf I, Stachon P, Rog-Zielinska E, Groß O, Westermann D, Evelson P, Wolf D, Marchini T. 2023. Molecular mechanisms underlying NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL-1β production in air pollution fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-primed macrophages. Environ Pollut. 2023 Nov 22;341:122997. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122997.

Winkler F, Hipp AV, Ramirez C, Martin B, Villa M, Neuwirt E, Gorka O, Aerssens J, Johansson SE, Rana N, Llewellyn-Lacey S, Price DA, Panning M, Groß O, Pearce EL, Hermann CM, Schumann K, Hannibal L, Neumann-Haefelin C, Boettler T, Knolle P, Hofmann M, Wohlleber D, Thimme R, Bengsch B. 2023. Enolase represents a metabolic checkpoint controlling the differential exhaustion programmes of hepatitis virus-specific CD8+ T cells. Gut. 72(10):1971-1984. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2022-328734.

Eisenbeis, V. B., D. Qiu, O. Gorka, L. Strotmann, G. Liu, I. Prucker, X. B. Su, M. S. C. Wilson, K. Ritter, C. Loenarz, Gross, A. Saiardi, and H. J. Jessen. 2023. beta-lapachone regulates mammalian inositol pyrophosphate levels in an NQO1- and oxygen-dependent manner. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 120: e2306868120.

Griewahn L, Müller-Foxworth M, Peintner L, Wissler M, Weiss M, Brauns-Schubert P, Massoumi R, Borner C, Groß O, Yabal M, Charvet C, Maurer U. 2023. SPATA2 restricts OTULIN-dependent LUBAC activity independently of CYLD. Cell Rep. 42(1):111961. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111961.

Rapp, J., M. Jung, R. F. U. Klar, J. Wolf, J. Arnold, O. Gorka, O. Gross, C. Lange, H. Agostini, G. Schlunck, and F. Bucher. 2022. STAT3 signaling induced by IL-6 family cytokines modulates angiogenesis. J Cell Sci. :jcs.260182. doi: 10.1242/jcs.260182.

Carvalho LAR, Ross B, Fehr L, Bolgi O, Wöhrle S, Lum KM, Podlesainski D, Vieira AC, Kiefersauer R, Félix R, Rodrigues T, Lucas SD, Groß O, Geiss-Friedlander R, Cravatt BF, Huber R, Kaiser M, Moreira R. 2022. Chemoproteomics-Enabled Identification of 4-Oxo-β-Lactams as Inhibitors of Dipeptidyl Peptidases 8 and 9. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 61(47):e202210498. doi: 10.1002/anie.202210498.

Gruninger, P. K., F. Uhl, H. Herzog, G. Gentile, M. Andrade-Martinez, T. Schmidt, K. Han, D. W. Morgens, M. C. Bassik, M. L. Cleary, O. Gorka, R. Zeiser, O. Gross, and J. Duque-Afonso. 2022. Functional characterization of the PI3K/AKT/MTOR signaling pathway for targeted therapy in B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cancer Gene Ther. pii: 10.1038/s41417-022-00491-0. doi: 10.1038/s41417-022-00491-0.

Carvalho, L. A. R., B. Ross, L. Fehr, O. Bolgi, S. Wohrle, K. M. Lum, D. Podlesainski, A. C. Vieira, R. Kiefersauer, R. Felix, T. Rodrigues, S. D. Lucas, O. Gross, R. Geiss-Friedlander, B. F. Cravatt, R. Huber, M. Kaiser, and R. Moreira. 2022. Chemoproteomics-Enabled Identification of 4-Oxo-beta-Lactams as Inhibitors of Dipeptidyl Peptidases 8 and 9. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 61: e202210498. doi: 10.1002/anie.202210498.

Aktories, P., P. Petry, P. Glatz, G. Andrieux, A. Oschwald, H. Botterer, O. Gorka, D. Erny, M. Boerries, P. Henneke, O. Gross, M. Prinz, and K. Kierdorf. 2022. An improved organotypic cell culture system to study tissue-resident macrophages ex vivo. Cell Rep Methods 2: 100260. doi: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100260.

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.

Vogelmann A, Schiedel M, Wössner N, Merz A, Herp D, Hammelmann S, Colcerasa A, Komaniecki G, Hong JY, Sum M, Metzger E, Neuwirt E, Zhang L, Einsle O, Groß O, Schüle R, Lin H, Sippl W, Jung M. 2022. Development of a NanoBRET assay to validate inhibitors of Sirt2-mediated lysine deacetylation and defatty-acylation that block prostate cancer cell migration. RSC Chem Biol 3(4):468-485. doi: 10.1039/d1cb00244a.

Merz J, Nettesheim A, von Garlen S, Albrecht P, Saller BS, Engelmann J, Hertle L, Schäfer I, Dimanski D, König S, Karnbrock L, Bulatova K, Peikert A, Hoppe N, Hilgendorf I, von Zur Mühlen C, Wolf D, Groß O, Bode C, Zirlik A, Stachon P. 2021. Pro- and anti-inflammatory macrophages express a sub-type specific purinergic receptor profile. Purinergic Signal. 17(3):481-492.

Hatscher L, Lehmann CHK, Purbojo A, Onderka C, Liang C, Hartmann A, Cesnjevar R, Bruns H, Gross O, Nimmerjahn F, Ivanović-Burmazović I, Kunz M, Heger L, Dudziak D. 2021. Select hyperactivating NLRP3 ligands enhance the TH1- and TH17-inducing potential of human type 2 conventional dendritic cells. Sci Signal. 14(680):eabe1757.

Neuwirt E, Gorka O, Saller BS, Groß CJ, Madl T, Groß O. 2021. NLRP3 as a sensor of metabolism gone awry. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 68:300-309.

Emig, R., W. Knodt, M. J. Krussig, C. M. Zgierski-Johnston, O. Gorka, O. Gross, P. Kohl, U. Ravens, and R. Peyronnet. 2021. Piezo1 Channels Contribute to the Regulation of Human Atrial Fibroblast Mechanical Properties and Matrix Stiffness Sensing. Cells 10: 663.

Bauer C, Quante M, Breunis WB, Regina C, Schneider M, Andrieux G, Gorka O, Groß O, Boerries M, Kammerer B, Hettmer S. 2021. Lack of Electron Acceptors Contributes to Redox Stress and Growth Arrest in Asparagine-Starved Sarcoma Cells. Cancers (Basel). 13(3):412.

Hamarsheh, S., O. Gross, T. Brummer, and R. Zeiser. 2020. Immune modulatory effects of oncogenic KRAS in cancer. Nat Commun 11: 5439.

Uhl, F. M., S. Chen, D. O’Sullivan, J. Edwards-Hicks, G. Richter, E. Haring, G. Andrieux, S. Halbach, P. Apostolova, J. Buscher, S. Duquesne, W. Melchinger, B. Sauer, K. Shoumariyeh, A. Schmitt-Graeff, M. Kreutz, M. Lubbert, J. Duyster, T. Brummer, M. Boerries, T. Madl, B. R. Blazar, O. Gross, E. L. Pearce, and R. Zeiser. 2020. Metabolic reprogramming of donor T cells enhances graft-versus-leukemia effects in mice and humans. Sci Transl Med 12:eabb8969. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abb8969.

Hamarsheh, S., L. Osswald, B. S. Saller, S. Unger, D. De Feo, J. M. Vinnakota, M. Konantz, F. M. Uhl, H. Becker, M. Lubbert, K. Shoumariyeh, C. Schurch, G. Andrieux, N. Venhoff, A. Schmitt-Graeff, S. Duquesne, D. Pfeifer, M. A. Cooper, C. Lengerke, M. Boerries, J. Duyster, C. M. Niemeyer, M. Erlacher, B. R. Blazar, B. Becher, O. Gross, T. Brummer, and R. Zeiser. 2020. Oncogenic Kras(G12D) causes myeloproliferation via NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Nat Commun 11: 1659.