Group Leader, Antiviral Therapies
Room: P101f
Phone: +49.531.391.5758
email: f.bertoglio(at)tu-braunschweig.de
Research interests
My passion is to combat infectious diseases with 21st-century biologicals, focusing on recombinant antibodies produced from our extremely diverse phage display libraries of human antibodies, and by exploring the vast new possibilities offered by genetic engineering today that enable pathogens to be combated with molecular structures from our own bodies in ways that exceed the capabilities of our immune system. A recent examples are the development of anti-Staphylococcus aureus coagulase antibodies or the development of an Fc-silenced antibody against the pandemic virus SARS-CoV2 that reached clinical use in very short time.
Education
2013 B.Sc, Biology, Biomolecular track, University of Pavia (Italy)
2015 M.Sc, Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Pavia (Italy)
2017 Research internship at Centre for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases (CIID), Institute of Biosciences and Technology (IBT), Texas A&M University Health Science Centre, Houston, USA
2020 Doctoral degree, Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology, School for Advanced Studies IUSS
and University of Pavia, Italy
Positions
2020 - 2022 Research Associate, Dept. of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
2022 - 2023 Lead of Protein Engineering, Choose Life Biotech SA, Bellinzona, Switzerland
2024 - present Research Associate, Dept. of Medical Biotechnology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
Honors and Awards
2015 Competitive Erasmus traineeship scholarship from University of Pavia
2016 Competitive Erasmus traineeship “Bet for Jobs” scholarship from University of Pavia
2020 Awardee of a research travel grant from Italian Society of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (SIB)
2020 Innovation Award of the State of Lower Saxony, Germany (as part of the CORAT Team)
Publications
Zuo, F., Sun, R., Abolhassani, H., Du, L., Wang, Y., Vlachiotis, S., Bertoglio, F., Schubert, M., Rezaei, N., Chavoshzadeh, Z., et al. (2023). Heterologous inactivated virus/mRNA vaccination response to BF.7, BQ.1.1, and XBB.1. Lancet. Reg. Health. West. Pac. 33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100762.
Zuo, F., Cao, Y., Sun, R., Wang, Q., Simonelli, L., Du, L., Bertoglio, F., Schubert, M., Guerra, C., Cavalli, A., et al. (2025). Ultrapotent IgA dimeric antibodies neutralize emerging Omicron variants. J. Virol. 99. https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.01740-24.
Zuo, F., Cao, Y., Sun, R., Yisimayi, A., Du, L., Bertoglio, F., Schubert, M., Guerra, C., Cavalli, A., Hust, M., et al. (2024). Neutralisation activity of mucosal IgA against XBB sublineages and BA.2.86. Lancet Infect. Dis. 24, e7–e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00732-6.
Zuo, F., Abolhassani, H., Du, L., Piralla, A., Bertoglio, F., de Campos-Mata, L., Wan, H., Schubert, M., Cassaniti, I., Wang, Y., et al. (2022). Heterologous immunization with inactivated vaccine followed by mRNA-booster elicits strong immunity against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. Nat. Commun. 13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30340-5.
Yang, W., Fortunati, E., Bertoglio, F., Owczarek, J.S., Bruni, G., Kozanecki, M., Kenny, J.M., Torre, L., Visai, L., and Puglia, D. (2018). Polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan hydrogels with enhanced antioxidant and antibacterial properties induced by lignin nanoparticles. Carbohydr Polym 181, 275–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.10.084.
Yalcinkaya, E.E., Puglia, D., Fortunati, E., Bertoglio, F., Bruni, G., Visai, L., and Kenny, J.M. (2017). Cellulose nanocrystals as templates for cetyltrimethylammonium bromide mediated synthesis of Ag nanoparticles and their novel use in PLA films. Carbohydr Polym 157, 1557–1567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.11.038.
Villani, M., Consonni, R., Canetti, M., Bertoglio, F., Iervese, S., Bruni, G., Visai, L., Iannace, S., and Bertini, F. (2020). Polyurethane-based composites: Effects of antibacterial fillers on the physical-mechanical behavior of thermoplastic polyurethanes. Polym. 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12020362.
Villani, M., Bertoglio, F., Restivo, E., Bruni, G., Iervese, S., Arciola, C.R., Carulli, F., Iannace, S., Bertini, F., and Visai, L. (2020). Polyurethane-based coatings with promising antibacterial properties. Mater. 13, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13194296.
Vercellino, M., Ceccarelli, G., Cristofaro, F., Balli, M., Bertoglio, F., Bruni, G., Benedetti, L., Avanzini, M.A., Imbriani, M., and Visai, L. (2016). Nanostructured TiO2 surfaces promote human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells differentiation to osteoblasts. Nanomaterials 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano6070124.
Steinke, S., Roth, K.D.R., Ruschig, M., Langreder, N., Polten, S., Schneider, K.-T., Ballmann, R., Russo, G., Zilkens, K.J.K., Schubert, M., et al. (2023). Antibody Selection via Phage Display in Microtiter Plates. In Methods Mol. Biol. (Humana Press Inc.), pp. 247–260. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3381-6_12.
Steinke, S., Roth, K.D.R., Englick, R., Langreder, N., Ballmann, R., Fühner, V., Zilkens, K.J.K., Moreira, G.M.S.G., Koch, A., Azzali, F., et al. (2023). Mapping Epitopes by Phage Display. In Methods Mol. Biol. (Humana Press Inc.), pp. 563–585. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3381-6_28.
Sherina, N., Piralla, A., Du, L., Wan, H., Kumagai-Braesch, M., Andréll, J., Braesch-Andersen, S., Cassaniti, I., Percivalle, E., Sarasini, A., et al. (2021). Persistence of SARS-CoV-2-specific B and T cell responses in convalescent COVID-19 patients 6–8 months after the infection. Med. 2, 281-295.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medj.2021.02.001.
Sevenich, M., Thul, E., Lakomek, N.-A., Klünemann, T., Schubert, M., Bertoglio, F., van den Heuvel, J., Petzsch, P., Mohrlüder, J., and Willbold, D. (2022). Phage Display-Derived Compounds Displace hACE2 from Its Complex with SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. Biomedicines 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10020441.
Schubert, M., Nimtz, M., Bertoglio, F., Schmelz, S., Lukat, P., and van den Heuvel, J. (2021). Reproducible and Easy Production of Mammalian Proteins by Transient Gene Expression in High Five Insect Cells. In Methods Mol. Biol. (Humana Press Inc.), pp. 129–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1406-8_6.
Schubert, M., Bertoglio, F., Steinke, S., Heine, P.A., Ynga-Durand, M.A., Maass, H., Sammartino, J.C., Cassaniti, I., Zuo, F., Du, L., et al. (2022). Human serum from SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated and COVID-19 patients shows reduced binding to the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. BMC Med. 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-022-02312-5.
Ruschig, M., Heine, P.A., Fühner, V., Zilkens, K.J.K., Steinke, S., Schubert, M., Bertoglio, F., and Hust, M. (2023). Construction of Human Immune and Naive scFv Phage Display Libraries. In Methods Mol. Biol. (Humana Press Inc.), pp. 15–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3381-6_2.
Roth, K.D.R., Wenzel, E.V., Ruschig, M., Steinke, S., Langreder, N., Heine, P.A., Schneider, K.-T., Ballmann, R., Fühner, V., Kuhn, P., et al. (2021). Developing Recombinant Antibodies by Phage Display Against Infectious Diseases and Toxins for Diagnostics and Therapy. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2021.697876.
Peneda Pacheco, D., Bertoglio, F., Butnarasu, C., Suarez Vargas, N., Guagliano, G., Ziccarelli, A., Briatico-Vangosa, F., Ruzzi, V., Buzzaccaro, S., Piazza, R., et al. (2023). Heterogeneity Governs 3D-Cultures of Clinically Relevant Microbial Communities. Adv. Funct. Mater. 33. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202306116.
Pallavicini, P., Arciola, C.R., Bertoglio, F., Curtosi, S., Dacarro, G., D’Agostino, A., Ferrari, F., Merli, D., Milanese, C., Rossi, S., et al. (2017). Silver nanoparticles synthesized and coated with pectin: An ideal compromise for anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm action combined with wound-healing properties. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 498, 271–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2017.03.062.
Oriano, M., Zorzetto, L., Guagliano, G., Bertoglio, F., van Uden, S., Visai, L., and Petrini, P. (2020). The Open Challenge of in vitro Modeling Complex and Multi-Microbial Communities in Three-Dimensional Niches. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.539319.
Metzdorf, K., Jacobsen, H., Kim, Y., Teixeira Alves, L.G., Kulkarni, U., Brdovčak, M.C., Materljan, J., Eschke, K., Chaudhry, M.Z., Hoffmann, M., et al. (2024). A single-dose MCMV-based vaccine elicits long-lasting immune protection in mice against distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants. Front. Immunol. 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1383086.
Matešić, M.P., Brlić, P.K., Roviš, T.L., Šafranko, Ž.M., Chaouat, A.E., Miklić, K., Malić, S., Ivanković, N., Schubert, M., Bertoglio, F., et al. (2022). Collection of Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Proteins. Viruses 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14020443.
Marcotte, H., Piralla, A., Zuo, F., Du, L., Cassaniti, I., Wan, H., Kumagai-Braesh, M., Andréll, J., Percivalle, E., Sammartino, J.C., et al. (2022). Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 up to 15 months after infection. iScience 25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.103743.
Marcotte, H., Cao, Y., Zuo, F., Simonelli, L., Sammartino, J.C., Pedotti, M., Sun, R., Cassaniti, I., Hagbom, M., Piralla, A., et al. (2024). Conversion of monoclonal IgG to dimeric and secretory IgA restores neutralizing ability and prevents infection of Omicron lineages. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2315354120.
Lizundia, E., Armentano, I., Luzi, F., Bertoglio, F., Restivo, E., Visai, L., Torre, L., and Puglia, D. (2020). Synergic Effect of Nanolignin and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles into Poly(l-lactide) Bionanocomposites: Material Properties, Antioxidant Activity, and Antibacterial Performance. ACS Appl. Bio Mater. 3, 5263–5274. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.0c00637.
Langreder, N., Schäckermann, D., Unkauf, T., Schubert, M., Frenzel, A., Bertoglio, F., and Hust, M. (2023). Antibody Affinity and Stability Maturation by Error-Prone PCR. In Methods Mol. Biol. (Humana Press Inc.), pp. 395–410. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3381-6_20.
Korn, J., Schäckermann, D., Kirmann, T., Bertoglio, F., Steinke, S., Heisig, J., Ruschig, M., Rojas, G., Langreder, N., Wenzel, E.V., et al. (2020). Baculovirus-free insect cell expression system for high yield antibody and antigen production. Sci. Rep. 10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78425-9.
Kim, Y., Zheng, X., Eschke, K., Chaudhry, M.Z., Bertoglio, F., Tomić, A., Krmpotić, A., Hoffmann, M., Bar-On, Y., Boehme, J., et al. (2022). MCMV-based vaccine vectors expressing full-length viral proteins provide long-term humoral immune protection upon a single-shot vaccination. Cell. Mol. Immunol 19, 234–244. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41423-021-00814-5.
Jaron, M., Lehky, M., Zarà, M., Zaydowicz, C.N., Lak, A., Ballmann, R., Heine, P.A., Wenzel, E.V., Schneider, K.-T., Bertoglio, F., et al. (2022). Baculovirus-Free SARS-CoV-2 Virus-like Particle Production in Insect Cells for Rapid Neutralization Assessment. Viruses 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14102087.
Heine, P.A., Ruschig, M., Langreder, N., Wenzel, E.V., Schubert, M., Bertoglio, F., and Hust, M. (2023). Antibody Selection in Solution Using Magnetic Beads. In Methods Mol. Biol. (Humana Press Inc.), pp. 261–274. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3381-6_13.
Geisen, U.M., Rose, R., Neumann, F., Ciripoi, M., Vullriede, L., Reid, H.M., Berner, D.K., Bertoglio, F., Hoff, P., Hust, M., et al. (2022). The long term vaccine-induced anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune response is impaired in quantity and quality under TNFα blockade. J. Med. Virol. 94, 5780–5789. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.28063.
Cokarić Brdovčak, M., Materljan, J., Šustić, M., Ravlić, S., Ružić, T., Lisnić, B., Miklić, K., Brizić, I., Pribanić Matešić, M., Juranić Lisnić, V., et al. (2022). ChAdOx1-S adenoviral vector vaccine applied intranasally elicits superior mucosal immunity compared to the intramuscular route of vaccination. Eur. J. Immunol. 52, 936–945. https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.202249823.
Brondino, N., Fusar-Poli, L., Rocchetti, M., Bertoglio, F., Bloise, N., Visai, L., and Politi, P. (2018). BDNF levels are associated with autistic traits in the general population. Psychoneuroendocrinology 89, 131–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.01.008.
Brondino, N., Bertoglio, F., Forneris, F., Faravelli, S., Borghesi, A., Damiani, S., Provenzani, U., Nola, M., Olivola, M., Caviglia, M., et al. (2021). A pilot study on covid and autism: Prevalence, clinical presentation and vaccine side effects. Brain Sci. 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070860.
Brlić, P.K., Pavletić, M., Lerga, M., Krstanović, F., Matešić, M.P., Miklić, K., Malić, S., Mikša, L., Pajcur, M., Peruč, D., et al. (2022). SARS-CoV-2 Spike and Nucleocapsid Antibody Response in Vaccinated Croatian Healthcare Workers and Infected Hospitalized Patients: A Single Center Cohort Study. Viruses 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14091966.
Bloise, N., Petecchia, L., Ceccarelli, G., Fassina, L., Usai, C., Bertoglio, F., Balli, M., Vassalli, M., De Angelis, M.G.C., Gavazzo, P., et al. (2019). The effect of pulsed electromagnetic field exposure on osteoinduction of human mesenchymal stem cells cultured on nano-TiO2 surfaces. PLoS ONE 13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199046.
Bertoglio, F., Meier, D., Langreder, N., Steinke, S., Rand, U., Simonelli, L., Heine, P.A., Ballmann, R., Schneider, K.-T., Roth, K.D.R., et al. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing human recombinant antibodies selected from pre-pandemic healthy donors binding at RBD-ACE2 interface. Nat. Commun. 12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21609-2.
Bertoglio, F., Ko, Y.-P., Thomas, S., Giordano, L., Scommegna, F.R., Meier, D., Polten, S., Becker, M., Arora, S., Hust, M., et al. (2023). Antibodies to coagulase of Staphylococcus aureus crossreact to Efb and reveal different binding of shared fibrinogen binding repeats. Front. Immunol. 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1221108.
Bertoglio, F., Fühner, V., Ruschig, M., Heine, P.A., Abassi, L., Klünemann, T., Rand, U., Meier, D., Langreder, N., Steinke, S., et al. (2021). A SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody selected from COVID-19 patients binds to the ACE2-RBD interface and is tolerant to most known RBD mutations. Cell Rep. 36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109433.
Bertoglio, F., de Vita, L., D’Agostino, A., Fernandez, Y.D., Falqui, A., Casu, A., Merli, D., Milanese, C., Rossi, S., Taglietti, A., et al. (2020). Increased antibacterial and antibiofilm properties of silver nanoparticles using silver fluoride as precursor. Molecules 25. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25153494.
Bertoglio, F., Bloise, N., Oriano, M., Petrini, P., Sprio, S., Imbriani, M., Tampieri, A., and Visai, L. (2018). Treatment of biofilm communities: An update on new tools from the nanosized world. Appl. Sci. 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/app8060845.
Ballmann, R., Hotop, S.-K., Bertoglio, F., Steinke, S., Heine, P.A., Chaudhry, M.Z., Jahn, D., Pucker, B., Baldanti, F., Piralla, A., et al. (2022). ORFeome Phage Display Reveals a Major Immunogenic Epitope on the S2 Subdomain of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. Viruses 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14061326.
Antunes, A., Alvarez-Vallina, L., Bertoglio, F., Bouquin, N., Cornen, S., Duffieux, F., Ferré, P., Gillet, R., Jorgensen, C., Leick, M.B., et al. (2023). 10th antibody industrial symposium: new developments in antibody and adoptive cell therapies. mAbs 15. https://doi.org/10.1080/19420862.2023.2211692.
Abassi, L., Bertoglio, F., Mačak Šafranko, Ž., Schirrmann, T., Greweling-Pils, M., Seifert, O., Khan, F., Katzmarzyk, M., Jacobsen, H., Gödecke, N., et al. (2023). Evaluation of the Neutralizing Antibody STE90-C11 against SARS-CoV-2 Delta Infection and Its Recognition of Other Variants of Concerns. Viruses 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15112153.
ORCID (Original Citation ID) 0000-0001-6477-1785