Dr Sabrina Sofia Burgener

 

Dr Sabrina Sofia Burgener

 

Deputy Lab Head
Senior Research Fellow
Inflammasome Lab

 

 

After obtaining her professional training as a Veterinary Technician, Sabrina Sofia Burgener completed her PhD in Immunology under supervision of Associate Professor Charafa Benarafa at the University of Bern, Switzerland in 2017. For her work on the cytoprotective role of Serpinb1 and Serpinb6 in neutrophils she received several international awards such as the Society of Leukocyte Biology Presidential Award in 2016 and the Dr Lutz Zwillenberg Prize in 2020. Before joining the Inflammasome Lab in 2019, Sabrina was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Virology and Immunology at the Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Bern. In the Schroder lab, Sabrina's research program focuses on how caspase-1 drives inflammatory diseases and the therapeutic potential of targeting caspase-1 in diseases such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and Alzheimer’s disease. Her research is funded by SNSF Postdoc Mobility Fellowship (2020-2022) and the Medical-Biological Research Fellowship from the Novartis Foundation (2022-2023).

 

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

Mahatma Gandhi

 

CONTACTS AND LINKS

 

Email: s.burgener@imb.uq.edu.au

Office Telephone: +61 7 3346 2076

 

Institute for Molecular Bioscience

Google Scholar

ORCID

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Linkedin

 

AWARDS AND PUBLICATIONS

 

 

AWARDS, GRANTS AND PRIZES

 

2022 Novartis Foundation for Medical-Biological Research Fellowship, Switzerland

2020 Dr Lutz Zwillenberg Price, University of Bern, Switzerland.

2020 Early Postdoc Mobility Fellowship, Swiss National Science Foundation, Switzerland.

2020 Leading Edge Leadership Scholarship, Women in Leadership, Australia.

2017 Travel Award, International Proteolysis Society Meeting, Banff, Canada.

2017 Travel Award, Society of Leukocyte Biology, Vancouver, Canada.

2017 Postdoctoral Fellow Scholarship, Janggen-Pöhn Foundation, St.Gallen, Switzerland.

2017 1st place Science Slam, Graduate School Symposium, University of Bern, Switzerland.

2016 Society of Leukocyte Presidential Award, Verona, Italy.

2014 Travel Award, Serpin Meeting, Leogang, Austria.

 

EDUCATION

 

2019  Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland.

2017  PhD, in Immunology, University of Bern, Switzerland.

2014  Master in Molecular Biology, University of Bern, Switzerland.

2011  Bachelor in Molecular Bioanalytics, Applied University of Nordwesthern Switzerland, Switzerland.

2007  Professional Training Veterinary Technician, Zurich, Switzerland.

 

 

Milner MT, Lawrence GM, Holley CL, Bodea LG, Götz J, Burgener SS, Schroder K (2022).
Isolation and culture of pure adult mouse microglia and astrocytes for in vitro characterization and analyses. STAR Protocols Apr 11;3(2):101295. Pubmed

 

Lucas RM, Liu L, Curson JEB, Koh YWH, Tuladhar N, Condon ND, Das Gupta K, Burgener SS, Schroder K, Ingley E, Sweet MJ, Stow JL, Luo L. (2021).
SCIMP is a spatiotemporal transmembrane scaffold for Erk1/2 to direct pro-inflammatory signaling in TLR-activated macrophages. Cell Reports Sep 7;36(10):109662. Pubmed

 

Burgener SS, Schroder K. (2021).
Placental inflammasome signaling: Protection for mother and baby. Journal of Experimental Medicine Jan 4;218(1):e20201738. Pubmed

 

Milner MT, Maddugoda M, Götz J, Burgener SS, Schroder K (2021).
The NLRP3 inflammasome triggers sterile neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's disease. Current Opinion in Immunology Feb;68:116-124. Pubmed

 

Burgener SS, Schroder K (2020).
Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Host Defense. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology Jul 1;12(7):a037028. Pubmed

 

Burgener SS, Bruegger M, Leborgne NGF, Sollberger S, Basilico P, Kaufmann T, Bird PI, Benarafa C (2021).
Granule leakage induces cell-intrinsic, granzyme B-mediated apoptosis in mast cells. Frontiers Cell Development Biology Nov 8;9:630166. Pubmed

 

Hillty M., Wuethrich T.M, Godel A, Adelfio R, Aebi S, Burgener S.S, Illgen-Wilcke B, Benarafa C. (2020).
Chronic cigarette smoke exposure and pneumococcal infection induce oropharyngeal microbiota dysbiosis and contribute to long-lasting lung damage in mice. Microbial Genomics Dec;6(12). Pubmed

 

Burgener SS, Leborgne N, Snipas S, Salvesen G, Bird PI and Benarafa C. (2019).
Cathepsin G inhibition by Serpinb1 and Serpinb6 prevents programmed necrosis in neutrophils and monocytes and reduces GSDMD-driven inflammation. Cell Reports Jun 18;27(12):3646-3656.e5. Pubmed

 

Enzmann G, Adelfio R, Godel A, Haghayegh Jahromi N, Tietz S, Burgener SS, Deutsch U, Wekerle H, Benarafa C, Engelhardt B. (2019).
The genetic background of mice influences the effects of cigarette smoke on onset and severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. International Journal of Molecular Science Mar 21;20(6). pii: E1433. Pubmed

 

Ohayon D, De Chiara A, My-Chan Dang P, Marzaioli V, Burgener S.S, Mocek J, Candalh C, Tacnet-Delorme P, Walker F, Desplanc D, Weiss E, Benarafa C, Housset D, Marie J-C, Frachet P, El-Benna J, Witko-Sarsat V. (2018).
Targeting PCNA-p47phox interaction inhibits NADPH oxidase NOX2 activation in neutrophils and protects against in vivo inflammation. Journal of Experimental Medicine Nov 4;216(11):2669-2687. Pubmed

 

Baumgartner U, Berger F, Hashemi Gheinani A, Burgener SS, Monastyrskaya K, Vassella E. (2018).
miR-19b enhances proliferation and apoptosis restrance via the EGFR signaling pathway by targeting PP2A and BIM in non-small cell lung cancer. Molecular Cancer Feb 19;17(1):44. Pubmed

 

Martin KR, Pederzoli-Ribeil M, Pacreau E, Burgener SS, Dahdah A, Candalh C, Lauret E, Foretz M, Mouthon L, Lucas B, Thieblemont N, Benarafa C, Launay P, Witko-Sarsat V. (2017).
Transgenic mice expressing human Proteinase 3 exhibit sustained neutrophil-associated peritonitis. The Journal of Immunology 1;199(11):3914-3924. Pubmed

 

Burgener SS, Baumann M, Basilico P, Remold-O’Donnell E, Touw IP, Benarafa C. (2016).
Myeloid conditional deletion and transgenic models reveal a threshold for the neutrophil survival factor Serpinb1. Biological Chemistry Sep 1;397(9):897-905. Pubmed