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Forschungsinstitut fuer AugenheilkundeForschungsinstitut fuer AugenheilkundeForschungsinstitut fuer Augenheilkunde
Forschungsinstitut fuer Augenheilkunde
INSTITUTE FOR OPHTHALMIC RESEARCH
FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FÜR AUGENHEILKUNDE

Ellen Kilger

Science Management, Dr. rer. nat.
 

Business address

Institute for Ophthalmic Research
University of Tübingen
Elfriede-Aulhorn-Strasse 7
D-72076 Tübingen,
Germany

Phone: +49 (0)7071 29-84947
Fax: +49 (0)7071 29-5777
E-mail: ellen.kilger@uni-tuebingen.de

Academic Education

2014Journalist, Journalism, PR, Freie Journalistenschule (FJS) Berlin
1998Dr. rer. nat., Biochemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich
1994Diploma, Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich

Professional Experience

2016 - presentScience Management, Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen, Institute for Ophthalmic Research
2011 - presentJournalist and Photographer, Science, Biology, Medicine, Travel, Event, Freelance
2003 - 2011Group leader, Cell biology of Neurological Diseases, Alzheimer Research, University of Tübingen, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research
1999 - 2003Postdoc, Alzheimer Research, Genomics, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma KG, Ingelheim und Biberach/Riss
1998 - 1999Postdoc, Viral Vectors, Epstein-Barr-Virus production in cell lines, Institute for Clinical Molecular Biology and Tumor Genetics at GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health in Munich
1995 - 1998PhD student, Epstein-Barr-Virus, Cell Biology, Tumor Virology, Institute for Clinical Molecular Biology and Tumor Genetics at GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health in Munich

Awards

2011Award “Paper of the week” by the Journal of Biological Chemistry for J Biol Chem. 2011 Oct 28;286(43):37446-57. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M111.288373
1999Award from GSF Research Center Munich for best doctoral thesis in biology

Publications

  1. Almansa-García AC, Armento A, Cao B, Petremann-Dumé AS, Salmaso S, Caliceti P, Henes C, Bolz S, Kilger E, Süsskind D, Ueffing M, Arango-Gonzalez B. (2026) Safety and neuroprotective efficacy of the VCP inhibitor ML240 in large-animal and human retinal explants: a preclinical ex vivo study. BMC Med. 2026 Jan 10. doi: 10.1186/s12916-025-04610-0. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41514281.
  2. Armento A, Sonntag I, Almansa-Garcia AC, Sen M, Bolz S, Arango-Gonzalez B, Kilger E, Sharma R, Bharti K, Fernandez-Godino R, de la Cerda B, Clark SJ, Ueffing M. (2025) The AMD-associated genetic polymorphism CFH Y402H confers vulnerability to Hydroquinone-induced stress in iPSC-RPE cells. Front Immunol 16:1527018.
  3. Cao B, Dahlen JV, Sen M, Beyer T, Leonhard T, Kilger E, Arango-Gonzalez B, Ueffing M. (2024) Mutant dominant-negative rhodopsin∆I256 causes protein aggregates degraded via ERAD and prevents normal rhodopsin from proper membrane trafficking. Front Mol Biosci 11:1369000.
  4. Merle, D. A., Provenzano, F., Jarboui, M. A., Kilger, E., Clark, S. J., Deleidi, M., Armento, A., and Ueffing, M. (2021) mTOR Inhibition via Rapamycin Treatment Partially Reverts the Deficit in Energy Metabolism Caused by FH Loss in RPE Cells. Antioxidants (Basel)10(12):1944.
  5. Armento, A., Schmidt, T. L., Sonntag, I., Merle, D. A., Jarboui, M. A., Kilger, E., Clark, S. J., and Ueffing, M. (2021) CFH Loss in Human RPE Cells Leads to Inflammation and Complement System Dysregulation via the NF-kappaB Pathway. Int J Mol Sci22(16):8727.
  6. Armento, A., Murali, A., Marzi, J., Almansa-Garcia, A. C., Arango-Gonzalez, B., Kilger, E., Clark, S. J., Schenke-Layland, K., Ramlogan-Steel, C. A., Steel, J. C., and Ueffing, M. (2021) Complement Factor H Loss in RPE Cells Causes Retinal Degeneration in a Human RPE-Porcine Retinal Explant Co-Culture Model. Biomolecules11(11):1621.
  7. Armento, A., Honisch, S., Panagiotakopoulou, V., Sonntag, I., Jacob, A., Bolz, S., Kilger, E., Deleidi, M., Clark, S., and Ueffing, M. (2020) Loss of Complement Factor H impairs antioxidant capacity and energy metabolism of human RPE cells. Sci Rep 10, 10320
  8. Kilger, E., Buehler, A., Woelfing, H., Kumar, S., Kaeser, S. A., Nagarathinam, A., Walter, J., Jucker, M., and Coomaraswamy, J. (2011) BRI2 protein regulates beta-amyloid degradation by increasing levels of secreted insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE). J Biol Chem 286, 37446-37457
  9. Coomaraswamy, J., Kilger, E., Wolfing, H., Schafer, C., Kaeser, S. A., Wegenast-Braun, B. M., Hefendehl, J. K., Wolburg, H., Mazzella, M., Ghiso, J., Goedert, M., Akiyama, H., Garcia-Sierra, F., Wolfer, D. P., Mathews, P. M., and Jucker, M. (2010) Modeling familial Danish dementia in mice supports the concept of the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107, 7969-7974
  10. Kaeser, S. A., Herzig, M. C., Coomaraswamy, J., Kilger, E., Selenica, M. L., Winkler, D. T., Staufenbiel, M., Levy, E., Grubb, A., and Jucker, M. (2007) Cystatin C modulates cerebral beta-amyloidosis. Nature genetics 39, 1437-1439
  11. Hamid, R., Kilger, E., Willem, M., Vassallo, N., Kostka, M., Bornhovd, C., Reichert, A. S., Kretzschmar, H. A., Haass, C., and Herms, J. (2007) Amyloid precursor protein intracellular domain modulates cellular calcium homeostasis and ATP content. J Neurochem 102, 1264-1275
  12. Eisele, Y. S., Baumann, M., Klebl, B., Nordhammer, C., Jucker, M., and Kilger, E. (2007) Gleevec increases levels of the amyloid precursor protein intracellular domain and of the amyloid-beta degrading enzyme neprilysin. Molecular biology of the cell 18, 3591-3600
  13. Meyer-Luehmann, M., Coomaraswamy, J., Bolmont, T., Kaeser, S., Schaefer, C., Kilger, E., Neuenschwander, A., Abramowski, D., Frey, P., Jaton, A. L., Vigouret, J. M., Paganetti, P., Walsh, D. M., Mathews, P. M., Ghiso, J., Staufenbiel, M., Walker, L. C., and Jucker, M. (2006) Exogenous induction of cerebral beta-amyloidogenesis is governed by agent and host. Science 313, 1781-1784
  14. Dirmeier, U., Hoffmann, R., Kilger, E., Schultheiss, U., Briseno, C., Gires, O., Kieser, A., Eick, D., Sugden, B., and Hammerschmidt, W. (2005) Latent membrane protein 1 of Epstein-Barr virus coordinately regulates proliferation with control of apoptosis. Oncogene 24, 1711-1717
  15. Dirmeier, U., Neuhierl, B., Kilger, E., Reisbach, G., Sandberg, M. L., and Hammerschmidt, W. (2003) Latent membrane protein 1 is critical for efficient growth transformation of human B cells by epstein-barr virus. Cancer Res 63, 2982-2989
  16. Kilger, E., and Hammerschmidt, W. (2001) Genetic analysis and gene expression with mini-Epstein-Barr virus plasmids. Methods Mol Biol 174, 23-35
  17. Kilger, E., Pecher, G., Schwenk, A., and Hammerschmidt, W. (1999) Expression of mucin (MUC-1) from a mini-Epstein-Barr virus in immortalized B-cells to generate tumor antigen specific cytotoxic T cells. J Gene Med 1, 84-92
  18. Gires, O., Kohlhuber, F., Kilger, E., Baumann, M., Kieser, A., Kaiser, C., Zeidler, R., Scheffer, B., Ueffing, M., and Hammerschmidt, W. (1999) Latent membrane protein 1 of Epstein-Barr virus interacts with JAK3 and activates STAT proteins. EMBO J 18, 3064-3073
  19. Kilger, E., Kieser, A., Baumann, M., and Hammerschmidt, W. (1998) Epstein-Barr virus-mediated B-cell proliferation is dependent upon latent membrane protein 1, which simulates an activated CD40 receptor. EMBO J 17, 1700-1709
  20. Kieser, A., Kilger, E., Gires, O., Ueffing, M., Kolch, W., and Hammerschmidt, W. (1997) Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein-1 triggers AP-1 activity via the c-Jun N-terminal kinase cascade. EMBO J 16, 6478-6485