Research Interest

Molecular mechanism and diagnostics of neurodegenerative diseases associated with protein aggregation.

Special focus and specific projects

• Analysis of protein aggregation in neurodegerative diseases e.g.Parkinson's disease and prion diseases using biophysical techniques
• development of highly sensitive diagnostics based on single particle detection
• interaction studies of proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases and membranes
• analysis of age related protein modifications e.g. Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs)

Selected Publications

1. Hübinger S, Bannach O, Funke SA, Willbold D, Birkmann E, Detection of alpha-synuclein aggregates by fluorescence microscopy. Rejuvenation Res. 15(2), 213-6 (2012) PubMed

2. Stöhr J, Elfrink K, Weinmann N, Wille H, Willbold D, Birkmann E and Riesner D, In vitro conversion and seeded fibrillization of posttranslationally modified prion protein. Biol. Chem. 392, 415-421 (2011) PubMed

3. Luers L, Panza G, Henke F, Aygenim T, Weiß J, Willbold D, Birkmann E, Amyloid formation: Age-related mechanism in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease? Rejuvenation Res. 13, 214-216 (2010) PubMed

4. Panza G, Luers L, Stöhr J, Nagel-Steger L, Wei? J, Riesner D, Willbold D, Birkmann E, Molecular interactions between prions as seeds and recombinant prion proteins as substrates resemble the biological interspecies barrier in vitro. PLoS ONE 5, e14283 (2010) PubMed

5. Kaimann T, Metzger S, Kuhlmann K, Brandt B, Birkmann E, Höltje HD, Riesner D, Molecular model of an alpha-helical prion protein dimer and its monomeric subunits as derived from chemical cross-linking and molecular modeling calculations. J.Mol.Biol. 376, 582-596 (2008) PubMed

6. Panza G, Stöhr J, Dumpitak C, Papathanassiou D, Weinmann N, Weiß J, Riesner D, Willbold D, Birkmann E, Spontaneous and BSE-prion-seeded amyloid formation of full length recombinant bovine Prion Protein. Biochem. Biophys. Research Comm. 373, 493.497 (2008) PubMed

7. Stöhr J, Weinmann N, Wille H, Kaimann T, Nagel-Steger L, Birkmann E,
Panza G, Prusiner SB, Eigen M, Riesner D, Mechanisms of prion protein assembly into amyloid. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A 105, 2409-2414 (2008) PubMed

8. Birkmann E, Henke F, Weinmann N, Dumpitak C, Groshup M, Funke SA, Willbold D, Riesner D, Counting of single prion particles bound to a capture-antibody surface (surface-FIDA), Vet. Microbiol. 123, 294-304 (2007) PubMed

9. Funke SA, Birkmann E, Henke F, Görtz P, Lange-Asschenfeldt C, Riesner D, Willbold D, Single particle detection of amyloid-ß aggregates associated with
Alzheimer's disease. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 364, 902-907 (2007) PubMed

10. Birkmann E, Schafer O, Weinmann N, Dumpitak C, Beekes M, Jackman R,
Thorne L, Riesner D, Detection of prion particles in samples of BSE and scrapie by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy without proteinase K digestion.
Biol Chem. 387, 95-102 (2006) PubMed