Profile

Professional career

• 01/1987 - 12/1988
  Postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology (supervised by Prof. Dr. Dietrich Hammer)
• 01/1988 - 12/1991
  Postdoc at National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA (supervised by Dr. Henry Metzger) (Fogarty International Program)
• 01/1992 - 12/1992
  Research associate at the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology (supervised by Porf. Dr. Michael Reth) (habilitation stipend by the German Research Foundation)
• 01/1993 - 03/1996
  Project leader for the field of host defence in preclinical research, Dept. of Infectious Diseases, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
• since 04/1996
  Professor of Immunology (Veterinary Medicine) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig

Education

• since 07/1996
  Habilitation and Venia legendi for Immunology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Supervisor Prof. Dr. Mathias Ackermann)
• 10/1978 - 02/1984
  Study of Veterinary Medicine (Free University of Berlin)
• 03/1984 - 12/1986
  Dissertation at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin (Supervisor Prof. Dr. Gerhard Reuter)

The current scientific focus of Gottfried Alber is:

• Cellular and humoral immunity during infection of pigs with Streptococcus suis
• Phenotype and function of canine non-conventional T cells
• T-helper subpopulations in the murine model of pulmonary cryptococcosis (Cryptococcus neoformans), model of allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis), antigen identification by immunoproteomic techniques

Together with Christoph Baums (Institute of Bacteriology and Mycology), Gottfried Alber's team is working on the investigation of the host-pathogen interaction of S. suis. In addition to basic research, the goal - together with a pharmaceutical company - is to develop an S. suis vaccine.

Since 2009, non-conventional canine T-cell populations have been studied.

Fungal infections of humans and animals are still a challenge for therapy and vaccination prophylaxis. Since 1993, the research group of Gottfried Alber has been dealing with the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. This has led to the characterization of the role of the interleukin-12 cytokine family in the antifungal immune response. Likewise, mechanisms of a misdirected T-helper 2 immune response could be deciphered. Currently, new immunogenic proteins recognized by antibodies have been identified in patients with cryptococcal meningitis.

Our research projects are mainly funded by the German Research Foundation.

• Immunglobulin M-degrading enzyme of Streptococcus suis (IdeSsuis): modulation of B-cell function and consequences for mucosal colonization

  Alber, Gottfried

  Duration: 04/2020 – 09/2023

  Funded by: DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Immunologie; Institut für Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
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• Protection against Streptococcus suis across serotypes

  Alber, Gottfried

  Duration: 10/2020 – 12/2022

  Funded by: Sächsische Wirtschaft

  Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Immunologie; Institut für Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
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• Antigen identification and characterization of adaptive immune responses in severe Equine Asthma (sEA)

  Schnabel, Christiane Liliane

  Duration: 01/2020 – 12/2022

  Funded by: DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Immunologie; Bioanalytik; Strukturanalytik von Biopolymeren; Veterinärpharmakologie und Arzneiverordnungslehre; Institut für Parasitologie; Institut für Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Klinik für Pferde
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• Functional analysis of nonconventional TCRαβ+ CD4-CD8α- double-negative canine T cells

  Eschke, Maria

  Duration: 08/2021 – 07/2024

  Funded by: DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Molekulare Pathogenese; Institut für Immunologie
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more projects

• Gressler, A. E.; Volke, D.; Firacative, C.; Schnabel, C. L.; Müller, U.; Krizsan, A.; Schulze-Richter, B.; Brock, M.; Brombacher, F.; Brombacher, F.; Escandon, P.; Hoffmann, R.; Alber, G.

  Identification of Disease-Associated Cryptococcal Proteins Reactive With Serum IgG From Cryptococcal Meningitis Patients

  Front. Immunol.. 2021.

  DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.709695
  show details
• Breitfelder, A. K.; Schrödl, W.; Rungelrath, V.; Baums, C. G.; Alber, G.; Schütze, N.; Müller, U.

  Immunoglobulin M-degrading enzyme of Streptococcus suis (IdeSsuis) impairs porcine B cell signaling

  Frontiers in immunology. 2023.

  DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1122808
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• Eschke, M.; Moore, P.; Chang, H.; Alber, G.; Keller, S.

  Canine peripheral blood TCRαβ T cell atlas: Identification of diverse subsets including CD8A+ MAIT-like cells by combined single-cell transcriptome and V(D)J repertoire analysis

  Frontiers in immunology. 2023.

  DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1123366
  show details
• Schnabel, C. L.; Fletemeyer, B.; Lübke, S.; Marti, E.; Wagner, B.; Alber, G.

  CD154 Expression Indicates T Cell Activation Following Tetanus Toxoid Vaccination of Horses

  Frontiers in immunology. 2022.

  DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.805026
  show details
• Rabiger, F. V.; Rothe, K.; von Buttlar, H.; Bismarck, D.; Buettner, M.; Moore, P.; Eschke, M.; Alber, G.

  Distinct Features of Canine Non-conventional CD4−CD8α− Double-Negative TCRαβ+ vs. TCRγδ+ T Cells

  frontiers in Immunology. 2019.

  DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02748
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more publications

• Molekulare Pathogenese; Bioanalytik; Institut für Immunologie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)

  Identifizierung von Antigenen des Pilzes Cryptococcus neoformans

  Start Date of Collaboration: 01/07/2016

  Involved persons: Alber, Gottfried; Firacative, Carolina; Hoffmann, Ralf; Gressler, Elisabeth
  show details
• Molekulare Pathogenese; Institut für Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Institut für Immunologie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)

  Zelluläre Immunreaktionen von Schweinen bei Infektion und Vakzinierung

  Start Date of Collaboration: 01/04/2015

  Involved persons: Alber, Gottfried; Baums, Christoph Georg
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• Molekulare Pathogenese; Medizinische Fakultät und Universitätsklinikum AöR; Institut für Immunologie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)

  Mikroskopische Untersuchungen von Alveolarepithel während der pulmonalen Kryptokokkose

  Start Date of Collaboration: 01/01/2015

  Involved persons: Alber, Gottfried; Gericke, Martin; Heyen, Laura; Piehler, Daniel; Müller, Uwe
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more cooperations

The main focus of Gottfried Alber's university teaching is Immunology. The main lecture Immunology takes place in the 5th semester for students of veterinary medicine. Main contents of this lecture are

• Basics of Immunology
• Host defense and vaccination
• Immunopathology in domestic animals
• Clinical immunology (e.g. allergies, autoimmunity, immune deficiencies in small animals and livestock)

Seminars are integrated in this lecture. The whole staff of the Institute of Immunology contributes to the realization of these seminars. Here, groups of five students are given the opportunity to actively work on important immunological topics including the evaluation of immunological methods.

Furthermore, Prof. Alber and his staff participate in interdisciplinary focus events in the thematic areas of

• Recognition, understanding and control of infectious diseases
• Movement
• Digestion
• Respiration
• Blood
• Skin
• Poultry
• Neurology

• Lecture & Seminar "Fundamentals of Host Defense, Immunopathology and Clinical Immunology".

  • Innate immunity  
  • Acquired humoral immunity   
  • Acquired cellular immunity  
  • Blood leukocytes (Seminar 1)
  • Th1/Th2: Leishmaniasis (dog)
  • Immunity against bacteria and viruses    
  • Antibodies: Phagocytosis and Burst (Seminar 2)  
  • Vaccination
  • Immunodeficiencies  
  • Tuberculosis (bovine) + type IV hypersensitivity
  • Allergy, autoimmunity, immune complex diseases (hypersensitivity reactions type I + II + III)   
  • Autoimmunity + regulatory T cells  
  • Immune tolerance in BVD/MD  
  • Tumor defense 

• Laboratory Animal Science

  • The mouse as a laboratory animal   
  • Mouse models in Alzheimer research  
  • Alternative methods to animal experiments: Organoids and organ-on-chip as microphysiological systems  
  • Ethical aspects of animal experiments   
  • Zebrafish and Xenopus as laboratory animals  
  • The naked mole rat as laboratory animal  
  • Animal experiments in pharmacological toxicology  
  • The pig in animal experiments (incl. xenotransplantations)  
  • The dog as an experimental animal  
  • Primates 
  • The horse as an experimental animal