Professor Ulf Klein

Profile

I graduated from the University of Cologne in 1993 with a diploma in biology, which included a year abroad at King’s College London where I studied biochemistry (non-award).

I completed my PhD, in which I specialized in immunology, at the University of Cologne in 1998.

I moved to Columbia University, New York City, for my postdoctoral research, supported by EMBO and HFSP fellowships. I stayed at Columbia as an Associate Research Scientist from 2003.

In 2009, I accepted an offer from Columbia University to establish my independent research group as Assistant Professor of Pathology & Cell Biology and Microbiology & Immunology. I was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2016.

In January 2017, I was appointed as Professor in Immunology and Haemato-oncology at the University of Leeds, where I lead the Molecular Haematology group in the Leeds Institute of Medical Research (LIMR) at St. James's.

Responsibilities

• Head of the Molecular Haematology Group

Research interests

The goal of my research group is to understand the oncogenic mechanisms that cause malignant transformation of mature B cells and plasma cells.

Cancers of the B-cell lineage, lymphomas and multiple myeloma, can be very aggressive, and often the cancer rapidly reoccurs after standard therapy. Thus, there is a clinical need for more effective therapies against these malignancies, which requires a better understanding of the biology of these cancers.

My laboratory focusses on the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms that govern the differentiation of B cells. We aim to understand how the disruption of these mechanisms by genetic mutations leads to the development of B-cell and plasma cell malignancies.

The research is expected to identify Achilles’ heels in the tumour cells that are vulnerable for intervention with anti-cancer drugs. This is a prerequisite for the realization of precision medicine in the treatment of haematological malignancies.

Qualifications

• PhD in Genetics
• Diploma in Biology

Professional memberships

• American Society of Hematology
• American Association of Immunologists
• British Society for Immunology
• German Society for Immunology (DGfI)

Student education

I teach students in the MSc Molecular Medicine course and I supervise PhD students.

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's
• Cancer
• Immunity and inflammation

Projects

<li><a href="//phd.leeds.ac.uk/project/1484-limr-haematology:-oncogenic-mechanisms-causing-malignant-transformation-of-b-cells-and-plasma-cells">LIMR Haematology: Oncogenic mechanisms causing malignant transformation of B cells and plasma cells</a></li>