Andreas Meyerhans

Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)

Life & Medical Sciences

University Education:

- 1987 PhD in Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Germany.
- 1982 Diploma in Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Germany.

Professional Positions:

- Since 2010 ICREA Research Professor at Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona.
- 1998-2009 Full Professor, Saarland University, Germany.
- 1990-1998 Assistant Professor, University of Freiburg, Germany.
- 1988-1990 Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute Pasteur, Paris, France.
- 1987-1988 Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute Biotechnological Research, Braunschweig, Germany.


Research interests

Infections with non-cytopathic viruses usually have 2 different outcomes. They may be eliminated by host immune responses (acute infections) or they may persist lifelong (persistent infections). Medically important examples are the Hepatitis B virus (HBV), the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) that in adults usually follow an acute (HBV), a persistent (HIV) or an either acute or persistent (HCV) infection course. My laboratory is interested in: (i) understanding the factors that regulate the decision between an acute versus a persistent infection course, (ii) defining the factors that control the dynamic balance of virus expansion and immune control in persistent infections and (iii) identifying small chemical compounds with broad-spectrum antiviral activities.

Selected publications

– Latorre I, Esteve-Sole A, Redondo D, Giest S, Argilaguet J, Alvarez S, Peligero C, Forstmann I, Crespo M, Pascual J & Meyerhans A 2016, ‘Calcineurin and mTOR inhibitors have opposing effects on regulatory T cells while reducing regulatory B cell populations in kidney transplant recipients’, Transplant Immunology, 35, 1 – 6.

– Sanchez-Merino V, Fabra-Garcia A, GonzalezN, Nicolas D, Merino-Mansilla A, Manzardo C, Ambrosioni J, Schultz A, Meyerhans A, Mascola JR, Gatell JM, Alcami J, Miro JM & Yuste E 2016, ‘Detection of Broadly Neutralizing Activity within the First Months of HIV-1 Infection’, Journal Of Virology, 90, 11, 5231 – 5245.

– Tsunetsugu-Yokota Y, Kobayahi-Ishihara M, Wada Y, Terahara K, Takeyama H, Kawana-Tachikawa A, Tokunaga K, Yamagishi M, Martinez JP, Meyerhans A 2016, ‘Homeostatically Maintained Resting Naive CD4(+) T Cells Resist Latent HIV Reactivation’, Frontiers In Microbiology, 7, 1944.

– Bocharov G, Meyerhans A, Bessonov N, Trofimchuk S & Volpert V 2016, ‘Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Virus Infection Spreading in Tissues’ PLoS One 11(12):e0168576.

– Brai A, Fazi R, Tintori C, Zamperini C, Bugli F, Sanguinetti M, Stigliano E, Esté J, Badia R, Franco S, Martinez MA, Martinez JP, Meyerhans A, Saladini F, Zazzi M, Garbelli A, Maga G, Botta M 2016, ‘Human DDX3 protein is a valuable target to develop broad spectrum antiviral agents’,  Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 113(19):5388-93.

– Carreras-Sureda A, Rubio-Moscardo F, Olvera A, Argilaguet J, Kiefer K, Mothe B, Meyerhans A, Brander C & Vicente R 2016, ‘Lymphocyte activation dynamics is shaped by hereditary components at chromosome region 17q12-q21’, PlosOne 11(11):e0166414.