1994 Ludwig Heilmeyer Price of the University of Freiburg for best experimental doctoral thesis
1998-2000 DFG Postdoctoral Fellowship
2000 American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) Research Award
2000-2003 Postdoctoral Fellowship Award of the Cancer Research Institute, New York, USA
2001-2007 DFG Emmy Noether-Programme
2001 Research Award of the American Liver Foundation, San Diego, USA
2002 Junior Investigator Award International HCV Meeting
2003 Heine Medin Award of the European Society of Clinical Virology
2004/2005 Elected into the International Emerging Leaders Programme of Gastroenterology.
2007 Thieme Award for Medicine from Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina
2007 Kussmaul-Price of Gastroenterology
2007 Dr. Norbert Henning Award, University Erlangen
2008- DFG Heisenberg Professorship

Billerbeck E, Kang YH, Walker L, Lockstone H, Grafmueller S, Fleming V, Flint J, Willberg CB, Bengsch B, Seigel B, Ramamurthy N, Zitzmann N, Barnes EJ, Thevanayagam J, Bhagwanani A, Leslie A, Oo YH, Kollnberger S, Bowness P, Drognitz O, Adams DH, Blum HE, Thimme R, Klenerman P. (2010) Analysis of CD161 expression on human CD8+ T cells defines a distinct functional subset with tissue-homing properties. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 107(7):3006-11. Abstract

Bengsch B, Seigel B, Ruhl M, Timm J, Kuntz M, Blum HE, Pircher H, Thimme R. (2010) Coexpression of PD-1, 2B4, CD160 and KLRG1 on exhausted HCV-specific CD8+ T cells is linked to antigen recognition and T cell differentiation. PLoS Pathog. 10;6(6):e1000947 Abstract

Neumann-Haefelin C, Timm J, Schmidt J, Kersting N, Fitzmaurice K, Oniangue-Ndza C, Kemper MN, Humphreys I, McKiernan S, Kelleher D, Lohmann V, Bowness P, Huzly D, Rosen HR, Kim AY, Lauer GM, Allen TM, Barnes E, Roggendorf M, Blum HE, Thimme R. (2010) Protective effect of human leukocyte antigen B27 in hepatitis C virus infection requires the presence of a genotype-specific immunodominant CD8+ T-cell epitope. Hepatology, 51(1):54-62. Abstract

Dazert E, Neumann-Haefelin C, Bressanelli S, Fitzmaurice K, Kort J, Timm J, McKiernan S, Kelleher D, Gruener N, Tavis JE, Rosen HR, Shaw J, Bowness P, Blum HE, Klenerman P, Bartenschlager R, Thimme R. (2009) Loss of viral fitness and cross-recognition by CD8+ T cells limit HCV escape from a protective HLA-B27-restricted human immune response. J Clin Invest., 119(2):376-86. Abstract

Jo J, Aichele U, Kersting N, Klein R, Aichele P, Bisse E, Sewell AK, Blum HE, Bartenschlager R, Lohmann V, Thimme R. (2009) Analysis of CD8+ T cell-mediated inhibition of hepatitis C virus replication using a novel immunological model. Gastroenterology,136(4):1391-401. Abstract

Thimme R, Neagu M, Boettler T, Neumann-Haefelin C, Kersting N, Geissler M, Makowiec F, Obermaier R, Hopt UT, Blum HE, Spangenberg HC. (2008) Comprehensive analysis of the alpha-fetoprotein-specific CD8+ T cell responses in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology, 48(6):1821-33. Abstract

Neumann-Haefelin C, Timm J, Spangenberg HC, Wischnowski N, Nazarova N, Kersting N, Roggendorf M, Allen TM, Blum HE, Thimme R. (2008) Virological and immunological determinants of intrahepatic virus-specific CD8+ T cell failure in chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Hepatology, 47 (6): 1824-36.Abstract

Bengsch B, Spangenberg HC, Kersting N, Neumann-Haefelin C, Panther E, von Weizsäcker F, Blum HE, Pircher H, Thimme R. (2007) Analysis of CD127 and KLRG1 expression on hepatitis C virus-specific CD8+ T cells reveals the existence of different memory T-cell subsets in the peripheral blood and liver. J Virol 81, 945-53. Abstract

Boettler T., Panther E., Bengsch B., Nazarova N., Spangenberg H.C., Blum H.E., Thimme R. (2006) Expression of the interleukin 7 receptor alpha chain on virus-specific CD8+ T cells identifies functionally and phenotypically defined memory T cells in acute resolving hepatitis B virus infection. J Virol 80, 3532-40. Abstract

Track 2:
Tobias Flecken (since January 2011)
Alexander Hoh (since April 2012)

Alumni:
Track 1:
Bertram Bengsch (04/2009 - 02/2013)
Juandy Jo (11/2007 - 05/2010)

Track 2:
Eva Billerbeck (07/2005 - 03/2009)
Bianca Seigel (06/2008 - 05/2012)