Dr. Johannes Bruno Müller-Reif
(Max Planck Institute of
Biochemistry, Germany) presented his work Immobility-associated Thromboprotection is Conserved across Mammalian Species from Bear to Human in a plenary session at HUPO 2023 in Busan, South Korea
Dr. Johannes Bruno Müller-Reif is a project leader and head of the Pediatric Proteomics Group at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPIB). During his doctorate with Prof. Matthias Mann, he focused on extending proteomics across the tree of life. Following his PhD, he joined the proteomics start-up OmicEra, where he significantly contributed to high-throughput proteomics methods for biomarker discovery and clinical research. Concurrently, Dr. Müller-Reif maintained a relationship with MPIB as a guest scientist, and his growing expertise led him to establish a research group with focus on the intersection of mass spectrometry-based proteomics and pediatrics.
Dr. Müller-Reif’s research is multifaceted. A cornerstone of his work involves applying mass spectrometry-based proteomics to large patient cohorts to enhance biomarker discovery. In this capacity, he co-leads the MOMI cohort’s plasma proteomics efforts to address adverse pregnancy outcomes, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He also focuses on the utilization of proteomics for investigating rare pediatric diseases. Furthermore, Dr. Müller-Reif pioneers the use of proteomics in specialized applications such as platelet biology and studying organisms inaccessible through conventional methods. This innovative approach not only exemplifies the practical versatility of proteomics but also ties back to his doctoral research on the proteome landscape of the kingdoms of life.
Interview with Dr. Johannes Bruno Müller-Reif
What is your current position and affiliation?
I am a project group leader (a position somewhat between postdoc and group leader) at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry within the group of Matthias Mann.
How would you like your work to contribute to the field of proteomics?
I currently focus on clinical mass spectrometry-based proteomics and nearly any project I am working on involves patient samples or is a direct collaboration with clinicians. I would like to continue employing this powerful method to uncover biological mechanisms and better understand diseases, which ultimately will benefit patients with better treatments. In the best case scenario, this leads for example to the discovery of novel biomarkers or therapeutic targets, but also a better functional understanding without the identification of distinct single biomarkers is a step in the right direction. Biomarker discovery is often done with large patient cohorts and I hope to contribute to the field by enabling such studies from a technical perspective and providing the community with unique datasets. In parallel to this work, I would like to transform proteomics from a method for biomarker discovery by retrospective analysis to a tool for pro- and diagnostics in the future.
What have you found in the HUPO community/congress?
I had the chance to attend the HUPO world congresses two times so far. I found it to be a perfect intersection of different interest groups forming a thriving community between biological expertise and technical solutions.
How was your experience/what did it mean to present your work at HUPO?
Having been invited to the ECR manuscript competition to HUPO in Busan to present my work meant a lot to me. Sharing the excitement about new findings is definitely a driver of motivation for me to work as a scientist and being given the opportunity to do so in such a venue has been a major pleasure. I received a plethora of positive feedback from this wonderful community, which is truly motivating.
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