Prof. Dr. Herbert Schiller

Director, Precision Regenerative Medicine (PRM)

“I am excited about learning how to extend the human Healthspan into very old age by leveraging new opportunities in experimental systems biology and AI to study the genetic and environmental inputs that cause premature aging and the development of chronic lung disease.”

Prof. Dr. Herbert Schiller

Director, Precision Regenerative Medicine (PRM)

“I am excited about learning how to extend the human Healthspan into very old age by leveraging new opportunities in experimental systems biology and AI to study the genetic and environmental inputs that cause premature aging and the development of chronic lung disease.”

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Academic Career and Research Areas

Herbert holds a master's degree in genetics from the University of Vienna (2004) and was afterwards trained in Molecular Immunology during his PhD at the Medical University of Vienna (2008). He continued with his Postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry where he worked in the laboratories of Prof. Reinhard Fässler (Integrin biology) and Prof. Matthias Mann (Proteomics). His mentor Matthias Mann is one of the pioneers of proteomics and the most highly cited researcher in protein biochemistry, which allowed Herbert to work at the forefront of mass spectrometry driven systems biology. Together with Reinhard Fässler, who is a world-renowned expert in cell adhesion and extracellular matrix biology, he applied the proteomics toolbox on various aspects of integrin mediated mechanosensing. During that time, Herbert also established widely used workflows for the mass spectrometry-based characterization of extracellular matrices in tissues.

Herbert started his first independent position at Helmholtz Munich in 2015 and extended his proteomics expertise to the rapidly growing field of single cell genomics. In 2020, he was tenured at Helmholtz Munich and became the Deputy Director of the Institute of Lung Health and Immunity (LHI), heading the research program - Cell Circuits in Systems Medicine of Lung Disease. Since April 2024 Herbert has been heading the newly formed Research Unit for Precision Regenerative Medicine (PRM) at Helmholtz Munich. With his work, Herbert is pursuing a variety of research avenues including pulmonary systems biology, regenerative medicine and stem cell biology, extracellular matrix and mechanobiology, as well as the biology of aging and autoimmune diseases.

Skills

Single Cell Genomics Mass SpectrometryProteomics Systems BiologyImmunology Extracellular MatrixMechanobiologyBiology of Aging Human Lung Organotypic ModelsRegenerative MedicineLung Biology and Disease

Herbert Schiller on his research mission:

"We study mechanisms of failed regeneration in the aging process and chronic lung diseases to develop therapeutic approaches that increase lung health and resilience".

Professional Background

2024

Director, Research Unit for Precision Regenerative Medicine (PRM)

2023

Professor for Systems Biology of the Airways and Lungs, Medical Faculty of Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU)

2021

Adjunct faculty Institute of Lung Health, Giessen, Germany

2020

2020 – 2023 Deputy Director, Institute of Lung Health and Immunity (LHI)

2015

2015 - 2020 Group Leader (tenure track), Helmholtz Munich

2015

2009 - 2015 Postdoctoral scientist, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry

2008

2004-2008 Doctoral thesis in Molecular Immunology, Medical University of Vienna

2004

M.Sc. in Biology and Genetics, University of Vienna

Academic Distinctions

W2 Professorship for Systems Biology of the Airways and Lungs at the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich.
Coordinator of Single Cell Analysis Working group of German Center for Lung Research (DZL) since 2021.
Multiple research grants funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) and the European Commission.
Research prize of the German Respiratory Society (DGP) for the best publication in respiratory research in 2018.
Helmholtz Young Investigator group award with tenure track in 2015.
Awarded the Dick Heinegard European Young Investigator Award for Matrix Biology in 2014.
EMBO long term fellowship from 2009-2011.