Christiane Berger-Schaffitzel

Christiane Helene Berger-Schaffitzel is a German biochemist and Professor at the University of Bristol. Her research considers the ribosome and translational control mechanism. Her research team identified that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein could bind linoleic acid.

Early life and education Berger-Schaffitzel studied biochemistry in University of Hannover and ETH Zurich. She moved to the University of Zurich for her doctoral research, where she studied ribosomes and the evolution of antibodies against proteins and nucleic acids. She returned to ETH Zurich as a postdoctoral researcher in 2001, and was eventually made a lecturer.

Research and career In 2007 Berger-Schaffitzel was made team leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. She was made a professor of biochemistry at the University of Bristol in 2014. Her research focusses on the complexes involved in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. She makes use of ribosome and naïve antibody display libraries to identify neutralising binders that have high affinity against specific toxins. Supported by a European Research Council Horizon grant, Berger-Schaffitzel developed a snakebite treatment for Sub-Saharan Africa. At Bristol Berger-Schaffitzel established a facility for cryogenic electron microscopy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic Berger-Schaffitzel started working on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. She used cryo em to show it could bind Linoleic Acid. When Linoleic Acid binds to the spike protein it interferes with SARS-CoV-2 infection and inhibits viral replication. Following this discovery Berger-Schaffitzel founded HALO Therapeutics to create a respiratory antiviral spray for coronaviruses. In 2021 Bristol Live named Berger-Schaffitzel one of the most influential women in Bristol.

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