Anja Katrin Bosserhoff

Dr. Anja Bosserhoff, chair of the Institute of Biochemistry, University of Erlangen, received her Diploma of Biology in 1993 from the University of Bielefeld and her PhD in 1995 from the University of Regensburg, Germany. She became lecturer for "Cellular and molecular pathology" in 2000 (Medical Faculty of the RWTH Aachen). In 2002, she joined the Institute of Pathology as Professor of Molecular Pathology; in 2014 she moved to the University of Erlangen as Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine.  Among her major research accomplishments is the characterization of the protein MIA (melanoma inhibitory activity). This protein is known to play an important role in melanoma development and progression. Additionally, the work of Dr. Bosserhoff led to the establishment of MIA as a serum marker in routine diagnostics of malignant melanoma. Research interests include the analysis of regulation of cell-cell- and cell-matrix attachment, the identification of miR and miR processing in melanoma and the characterization of molecular mechanisms in melanocytic differentiation. The molecular basis of malignant melanoma has been one of her major research interests since 1993 and she is currently principal investigator of eight funded projects to clarify the role of distinct genes in melanoma development and progression. Dr. Bosserhoff has published more than 350 original peer-reviewed papers, 34 review articles, and 6 book chapters, and she holds 8 patents.