Trese Leinders-Zufall

Trese Leinders-Zufall (born January 19, 1963) is a Dutch physiologist and professor at the Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine at the Saarland University, Germany. She is a faculty member in the Department of Physiology at the Faculty of Medicine. She is known for her research investigating the olfactory system. Her work focuses on the mechanisms of odor and pathogen perception, the neural pathways that mediate olfactory-encoded social behaviors, and the function of TRP channels in the neurons of the olfactory, respiratory, and central nervous systems. This endowed professorship has allowed her to establish an internationally recognized research program in Germany, positioned at the interface between the nervous-, endocrine- and immune systems.

Research Leinders-Zufall is known for her work on olfactory systems, neural pathways mediating olfactory-encoded innate social behaviors, and investigations into various TRP channel subtypes. Early in her career, she studied calcium-activated potassium channels.

Leinders-Zufall mainly studies the basic molecular and cellular processes that allow animals to communicate through chemicals. She studies the mechanisms that control complex behaviors, such as aggression, parental care, and reproduction. and modulation of the CNG channels by carbon monoxide and by cyclic GMP." Then, Leinders-Zufall went on to identify odor-induced calcium transients in single olfactory cilia. Leinders-Zufall's research has contributed significantly to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying chemosensation (exteroception)

Awards and honors

Erasmus-stipend, European Community (NUFFIC) (1988) Takasago Award for Research in Olfaction (2002) Endowed Lichtenberg Professorship (Volkswagen Foundation, Hannover, Germany) (2007)

Key papers Leinders-Zufall, Trese; Greer, Charles A.; Shepherd, Gordon M.; Zufall, Frank (1998-08-1) "Imaging odor-induced calcium transients in single olfactory cilia: specificity of activation and role in transduction". J Neurosci. 18 (15):5630-9. PMID 9671654 doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.18-15-05630.1998

Leypold, Bradley G.; Yu, C. Ron; Leinders-Zufall, Trese; Kim Michelle M.; Zufall, Frank; Axel, Richard (2002-04-23) Altered sexual and social behaviors in trp2 mutant mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 99 (9):6376-81. PMID 11972034 DOI:10.1073/pnas.082127599 Müller, Markus; Niemeyer, Konstantin; Ojha, Navin K.; Porav, Sebastian A.; Vinayagam, Deivanayagabarathy.; Urban, Nicole; Büchau, Fanny; Oleinikov, Katharina; Makke, Mazze; Bauer, Claudia C.; Johnson, Aidan V.; Muench, Stephen P.; Zufall, Frank; Bruns, Dieter; Schwarz, Yvonne; Raunser, Stefan; Leinders-Zufall, Trese; Bon, Robin S.; Schaefer, Michael; Thorn-Seshold, Oliver (2026-01-16) Ideal efficacy photoswitches for chemocontrol of TRPC4/5 channel functions in live tissues. Nature Chem Biol. 22 (2):180-191. PMID 41545580 doi:10.1038/s41589-025-02085-x