!!Ralf Bartenschlager - Biography
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Ralf Bartenschlager (RB) graduated in Biology from the University of Heidelberg in 1987 and obtained his PhD degree with "summa cum laude" there for his studies on the role of the terminal protein in the replication cycle of the hepatitis B virus in 1990. After a one-year bridging postdoc phase, he joined Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel as postdoctoral fellow to start a hepatitis C virus (HCV) program. There he studied the structure and function of the viral protease, a main target for antiviral therapy. In spite of being successful, RB left industry to take a position as independent research group leader and assistant professor (Habilitand) at Mainz University.  Together with his team he was the first to establish a replication system for HCV that laid the ground for the development of all antivirals that are in clinical use today. \\
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In 2000, RB became full professor of Molecular Virology at Mainz University and in 2002 he accepted the offer to build up the Department of Molecular Virology at Heidelberg University. There he continued his studies on HCV and expanded in addition into RNA viruses with a focus on orthoflaviviruses (dengue, Zika, West-Nile virus). Amongst others, he and his team developed the first HCV infection system and improvements of it, identified HCV and HBV countermeasures against the immune system, established the first 3D structure models of HCV, DENV and ZIKV replication organelles and deciphered the mode-of-action of antiviral drugs against HCV, DENV and SARS-CoV-2.\\
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In 2014, RB accepted to head (in addition to his position at Heidelberg University) a new research department at the German Cancer Research Center dealing with virus-associated carcinogenesis and became speaker of the research program “Infection, Inflammation and Cancer” there. \\
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Regarding training and education, RB established the Major “Infectious Diseases” and a doctoral study program, both at Heidelberg University. He is ever since coordinating both educational activities.\\ \\[{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW edit rbartenschlager}][{ALLOW upload rbartenschlager}][{ALLOW comment All}]