Frank Brombacher
Scientific Coordinator, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, ICGEB Cape Town
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Wernher and Beit Building (South), Room S1.27,
Anzio Road, Observatory 7925
Cape Town, South Africa
E-mail: frank.brombacher@icgeb.org
Tel.: +27-21-406-6147/6616
Fax: +27-21-406-6029
Education
University of Freiburg, Diploma in Molecular Biology, 1986Max-Planck Institute for Immunobiology, Freiburg, PhD, 1989
Career History
Since May 2008, Coordinator of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, ICGEB Cape Town, South Africa2008-present, South African Research Chair (SARCHi) in Immunology of Infectious Diseases in Africa
2000-present, Director Medical Research Unit, Medical Research Centre (MRC), South Africa
2003-2008, Member, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IIDMM), UCT, South Africa
2000-2008, Head, Division of Immunology (acting), UCT, South Africa (except 2004-2005)
2000-2004, International Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow for Medicine in Africa
1998-2000, Group leader Infectious Disease Unit, Division of Immunology, UCT, South Africa
1994-1998, Group leader, Molecular Immunology, Max-Planck-Institute for Immunobiology, Germany
1991-1993, Research Fellow, Preclinical Research Group of Sandoz Ltd, Switzerland
1989-1991, Postdoctoral Fellow, Max-Planck-Institute for Immunobiology, Germany
Teaching Activity
Since 2001, Full Professor, University of Cape Town, South Africa.2000-present, Visiting Professor University of Strathclyde, UK.
1998-2001, Associate Professor, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
1997-2000, Honorary Lecturer, University of Strathclyde, UK.
Scientific Activity
Research interests are general immunological mechanisms of host protection in human diseases, including Tuberculosis, Listeriosis, African Trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis, four of the major WHO declared threats to combat. Major general topics include cytokine network and regulation, lymphocytes differentiation and function, dendritic cell and macrophage activation, as well as the role of non-immunological effector cells in health/disease like smooth muscle cells, goblet cells, activated by IL-4 and IL13.Selected publications
Perkins, C., Yanase, N., Smulian, G., Gildea, L., Orekov, T., Potter, C., Brombacher, F., Wills-Karp, M., Finkelman, F.D. 2011. Selective stimulation of IL-4 receptor on smooth muscle induces airway hyperresponsiveness in mice. J Exp Med. 208, 853-867 PubMed link
Cook, P.C., Aynsley, S.A., Turner, J.D., Jenkins, G.R., Van Rooijen, N., Leeto, M., Brombacher, F., Mountford, A.P. 2011. Multiple helminth infection of the skin causes lymphocyte hypo-responsiveness mediated by th2 conditioning of dermal myeloid cells. PLoS Pathog. 7:e1001323 Epub PubMed link
Herbert, D.R., Yang, J.Q., Hogan, S.P., Groschwitz, K., Khodoun, M., Munitz, A., Orekov, T., Perkins, C., Wang, Q., Brombacher, F., Urban, J.F. Jr, Rothenberg, M.E., Finkelman, F.D. 2009. Intestinal epithelial cell secretion of RELM-{beta} protects against gastrointestinal worm infection. J Exp Med. 21, 206, 2947-2957 PubMed link
FANTOM Consortium, Suzuki, H., Forrest, A.R., van Nimwegen, E., Daub, C.O., Balwierz, P.J., Irvine, K.M., Lassmann, T., Ravasi, T., Hasegawa, Y., de Hoon, M.J., Katayama, S., Schroder, K., Carninci, P., Tomaru, Y., Kanamori-Katayama, M., Kubosaki, A., Akalin, A., Ando, Y., Arner, E., Asada, M., Asahara, H., Bailey, T., Bajic, V.B., Bauer, D., Beckhouse, A.G., Bertin, N., Björkegren, J., Brombacher, F. [et al.] 2009. The transcriptional network that controls growth arrest and differentiation in a human myeloid leukemia cell line. Nat. Genet. 41, 553-562 PubMed link
Magez, S., Schwegmann, A., Atkinson, R., Claes, F., Drennan, M., De Baetselier, P., Brombacher. F. 2008. The role of B-cells and IgM antibodies in paratemia, anemia, and VSG switching in Trypanosoma brucei-infected mice. PLoSpathogen 4, e000122 PubMed link
Schwegmann, A., Brombacher, F. 2008. Host-directed drug targeting of factors hijacked by pathogens. Science Signaling 1, re8 PubMed link
Schwegmann, A., Guler, R., Cutler, A.J., Arendse, B., Horsnell, W.G., Flemming, A., Kottmann, A.H., Ryan, G., Hide, W., Leitges, M., Seoighe, C., Brombacher, F. 2007. Protein kinase C {delta} is essential for optimal macrophage-mediated phagosomal containment of Listeria monocytogenes. PNAS 104, 16251-16256 PubMed link
Nieuwenhuizen, D.R., Herbert, N., Lopata, A.L., Brombacher, F. 2007. CD4+ T Cell-Specific Deletion of IL-4 Receptor {alpha} Prevents Ovalbumin-Induced Anaphylaxis by an IFN-{gamma}-Dependent Mechanism. J. Immunol. 179, 2758-2765
Odegaard, J.I., Ricardo-Gonzalez, R.E., Goforth, M.H., Morel, C.R., Subramanian, V., Mukundan, L., Red Eagle, A., Vats, D., Brombacher, F., Ferrante, A.W., Chawla, A. 2007. Macrophage-specific PPARg controls alternative activation and improves insulin resistance. Nature 447, 1116-1120 PubMed link
Radwanska, A., Cutler, M., Hoving, C., Magez, S., Holscher, C., Bohms, A., Arendse, B., Kirsch, R., Hunig, T., Alexander, J., Kaye, J., Brombacher. F. 2007. Deletion of IL-4Ralpha on CD4 T cell renders BALB/c mice resistant to Leishmania major phenotype. PLoSpathogen, 3, e68-79
Horsnell, W.G.C., Cutler, A.J., Hoving, C., Mearns, H., Myburg, E., Arendse, B., Finkelman, F.D., Owens, G.K., Erle, D., Brombacher, F. 2007. Delayed goblet cell hyperplasia and worm expulsion in smooth muscle cell specific IL-4Ra deficient mice. PLoS Pathogen, 162, 7302-7308
