Prof. Dr. Matthias Hammerschmidt

Different and even contrary activities have been assigned to Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (Bmps), regulating cell differentiation, cell proliferation, stem cell maintenance, cell survival, and chemotaxis, in a positive or negative manner. Many of these roles are of high clinical relevance. Based on the cloning of zebrafish mutations, we have previously identified different Bmps and components of the Bmp signal transduction pathway to be essential for early dorsoventral patterning of the gastrula embryo. Using genetic, molecular and embryological approaches, we are extending these studies, analyzing in more depth the exact in vivo effects of BMP signalling on the cellular and molecular level. In addition, initially motivated by the reported involvement of BMPs, we have started to study various later processes of zebrafish development: pituitary development, cartilage and bone development, skin development and wound healing. To study the role of Bmp signalling in these processes we have generated transgenic lines expressing Bmp2b or the Bmp inhibitor Noggin3 under the control of the heat-inducible hsp70 promoter. In addition, as a systematic approach to identify further essential regulators, we employ large-scale screens for chemically induced or insertional mutations causing specific defects in these different processes. Some of these ongoing projects and the identified genes are described in more detail below.

  Curriculum vitae
  
   1962
   Born in Villmar, Germany
  
   1983-1989
   Undergraduate studies of
   Biochemistry at the University
   in Tübingen, Germany

1990-1993
Graduate studies in the laboratory of Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, MPI for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany

1994-1995
Postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Andrew McMahon at Harvard University, Cambridge, USA

1996-2001
Independent Junior Group leader at the MPI for Immunobiology, Freiburg, Germany

Since 2002
Tenured Group leader at the MPI for Immunobiology, Freiburg, Germany
Privatdozent at the University of Freiburg

Since 2006
Full Professor at the Institute for Developmental Biology, University of Cologne, Germany