Dr. Hess’s research is focused on the translational aspects of lymphocyte function and its metabolic basis. The goal of his work is to understand patients suffering from disorders of immunometabolic regulation.
Biography
After completing medical school in Zürich and Lausanne, Dr. Hess trained for his M.D. and Ph.D. at the University of Basel in Switzerland, before starting his clinical education in Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology in Basel and at Imperial College in London. Subsequently, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked on T cell migration at Harvard Medical School. Returning to Switzerland in 2004, Dr. Hess started his own research group in the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel.
In 2009, he became Professor of Medicine and Head of the Medical Outpatient Division and the Clinical Immunology Service at the University Hospital in Basel. In 2019 he was appointed as Professor of Experimental Medicine at the University of Cambridge.
Research
The metabolic repertoire of immune cells – which encompasses metabolic enzymes/pathways, the available nutrient sensors and metabolic checkpoint kinases, and the epigenetic programming of metabolic genes – enables and modulates specific immune functions. The goal of our research is to delineate the molecular basis of how cellular metabolism is regulated, and itself regulates, immune-function in health and disease states, and to define how environmental cues are integrated at the cellular level by immune cells to shape cellular metabolism and function.
Publications
Müller-Durovic B., J. Jäger, C. Engelmann, P. Schuhmachers, S. Altermatt, Y. Schlup, U. Duthaler, S. Roffeis, G. Unterstab, E. Xhafa, N. Assmann, F. Trulsson, R. Steiner, C. Makowiec, J. Edwards-Hicks, J. West, L. Turner, L. Develioglu, R. Ivanek, T. Azzi, P. Dehio, C. Berger, Swiss Transplant Cohort Study, D. Kuzmin, S. Saboz, J. Mautner, J. Löliger, M. Geigges, D. Palianina, N. Khanna, S. Dirnhofer, C. Münz, G. R. Bantug, C. Hess. A metabolic dependency of EBV can be targeted to hinder B cell transformation. Science 2024. 6704, 385: eadk4898. DOI:10.1126/science.adk4898
Loetscher J., A.-A. Martí i Líndez, N. Kirchhammer, G. Giordano, E. Cribioli, M. Trefny, M. Lenz, P. Strati, M. Künzli, P. Dehio, J. Loeliger, L. Litzler, D. Schreiner, V. Koch, D. Lee, J. Graehlert, A.-V. Burgener, M. L. Balmer, M. Irving, W. Reith, C. G. King, A. Zippelius, C. Hess. Extracellular Mg2+ regulates memory CD8+ T cell effector maturation via LFA-1. Cell 2022. 185:585-602.e29.
Ruffieux H., A. L. Hanson, S. Lodge, N.G. Lawler, L. Whiley, N. Gray, T.H. Nolan, L. Bergamaschi, F. Mescia, L. Turner, A. de Sa, V.S. Pelly; CITIID-NIHR BioResource COVID-19 Collaboration; P. Kotagiri, N. Kingston, J.R. Bradley, E. Holmes, J. Wist, J.K. Nicholson, P.A. Lyons, K.G.C. Smith, S. Richardson, G.R. Bantug, C. Hess. A patient-centric characterization of systemic recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nature Immunology 2023. 24:349-358. DOI:10.1038/s41590-022-01380-2
Hanson A. L., M. P. Mulè, F. Mescia, L. Bergamaschi, V. Pelly, L. Turner, P. Kotagiri, H. Ruffieux, CITIID-NIHR COVID BioResource Collaboration, B. Göttgens, C. Hess, W. Ouwehand, J. R. Bradley, J. Nathan, P. A. Lyons, H. Drakesmith, K.G.C. Smith. Iron Dysregulation and Inflammatory Stress Erythropoiesis Associates with Long-Term Outcome of COVID-19. Nature Immunology 2024. 25:471-482.
Bergamaschi L., F. Mescia, L. Turner, A. Hanson, P. Kotagiri, B. J. Dunmore; H. Ruffieux, A. De Sa, O. Huhn, M. Wills, S. Baker, R. Doffinger, G. Dougan, A. Elmer, I. G. Goodfellow, R. K. Gupta, M. Hosmillo, K. Hunter, N. Kingston, P. J. Lehner, N. J. Matheson, J. K. Nicholson, A. M. Petrunkina, S. Richardson, C. Saunders, J. E. D. Thaventhiran, E. J. M. Toonen, M. P. Weekes, M. Toshner, C. Hess, J. R. Bradley, P. A. Lyons, K. G. C. Smith. Early immune pathology and persistent dysregulation characterize severe COVID-19. Immunity 2021. 8:1257-1275.
Balmer M. L., R. Epple, E. H. Ma, A. Egli, L. Bubendorf, K. Rentsch, A.-K. Woischnig, N. KhannaJ. Loeliger, J. Loetscher, P. Dehio, G. Perrin, J. D. Warncke, O. P. Schären, C. M. Schürch, G. Unterstab, A. Thompson, S. Hapfelmeier, R. G. Jones, C. Hess. Memory CD8+ T cells balance pro- and anti-inflammatory activity by reprogramming cellular acetate handling at sites of infection. Cell Metabolism 2020. 32: 457-467.
Kolev M., E. E. West, N. Kunz, D. Chauss, E. A. Moseman, J. Rahman, T. Freiwald, M. L. Balmer, J. Lötscher, S. Dimeloe, E. C. Rosser, L. R. Wedderburn, P. Lavender, A. Cope, L. Wang, M. J. Kaplan, N. M. Moutsopoulos, D. McGavern, S. M. Holland, C. Hess, M. Kazemian, B. Afzali, C. Kemper. Diapedesis facilitates tissue immunity by inducing immune cell-intrinsic complement C3 expression. Immunity 2020. 52: 513-527.
Künzli M., D. Schreiner, T. Pereboom, N. Swarnalekha, L. C. Litzler, J. Lötscher, Y. I. Ertuna, J. Roux, F. Geier, R. Jakob, T. Maier, C. Hess, J. T. Taylor, C. G. King. Long-lived T follicular helper cells retain plasticity and help sustain humoral immunity. Science Immunology 2020. 5, 45: eaay5552.
Dimeloe S., P. Gubser, J. Loeliger, C. Frick, L. Develioglu, M. Fischer, F. Marquardsen, G. R. Bantug, D. Thommen, Y. Lecoultre, A. Zippelius, A. Langenkamp, C. Hess. Tumor-derived TGF-β inhibits mitochondrial respiration to suppress IFN-γ production by human CD4+ T cells. Science Signaling 2019. 12, 599: eaav3334.
Burgener A.-V., G. R. Bantug, B. Meyer, R. Higgins, A. Ghosh, O. Bignucolo, E. H. Ma, J. Löliger, G. Unterstab, M. Geigges, R. Steiner, M. Enamorado, R. Ivanek, D. Hunziker, A. Schmidt, B. Müller-Durovic, J. Grählert, R. Epple, S. Dimeloe, J. Lötscher, U. Sauder, M. Ebnöther, B. Burger, I. Heijnen, S. Martínez-Cano, N. Cantoni, R. Brücker, C. R. Kahlert, D. Sancho, R. G. Jones, A. Navarini, M. Recher, C. Hess. SDHA gain-of-function engages inflammatory mitochondrial retrograde signaling via KEAP1–Nrf2. Nature Immunology 2019. 20, 1311-1321.
Ishay-Ronen D., M. Diepenbruck, R. K. R. Kalathur, N. Sugiyama, S. Tiede, R. Ivanek, G. Bantug, M. Francesco Morini, J. Wang, C. Hess, G. Christofori. Gain Fat–Lose Metastasis: Converting Invasive Breast Cancer Cells into Adipocytes Inhibits Cancer Metastasis. Cancer Cell 2019. 14:17-32.
Thommen D.S., V.H. Koelzer, K.D. Mertz, P. Herzig, A. Roller, M. Trefny, S. Dimeloe, A. Kiialainen, J. Hanhart, C. Schill, C. Hess, S.S. Prince, M. Wiese, D. Lardinois, P.-C. Ho, C. Klein, V. Karanikas, T.N. Schumacher, A. Zippelius. A transcriptionally and functionally distinct PD-1+ CD8+ T cell pool with predictive potential in non-small cell lung cancer treated with PD-1 blockade. Nature Medicine 2018. 24:994-1004.
Bantug G., M. Fischer, J. Grählert, M.L. Balmer, G. Unterstab, L. Develioglu, R. Steiner, L. Zhang, A.S. Henriques da Costa, P.M. Gubser, A.-V. Burgener, U. Sauder, J. Löliger, R. Belle, S. Dimeloe, J. Lötscher, A. Jauch, M. Recher, G. Hönger, M.N. Hall, P. Romero, C. Frezza, C. Hess. Mitochondria–ER contact sites are immunometabolic hubs that orchestrate the rapid recall response of memory CD8+ T cells. Immunity 2018. 48:542-555.
Schürmann N., P. Forrer, O. Casse, J. Li, B. Felmy, A.-V. Burgener, N. Ehrenfeuchter, W.-D. Hardt, M. Recher, C. Hess, A. Tschan-Plessl, N. Khanna, D. Bumann. Myeloperoxidase targets oxidative host attacks to pathogens and prevents collateral tissue damage. Nature Microbiology 2017. 2:16268.
Ma E.H., G. Bantug, T. Griss, M.J. Verway, R.M. Johnson, S. Condotta, T.C. Raissi, H. Tsui, B. Samborska, G. Boukhaled, M. Balmer, S. Henriques da Costa, C. Frezza, C.M. Krawczyk, M.J. Richer, C. Hess, R.G. Jones. Serine is an essential metabolite for effector T cell expansion. Cell Metabolism 2017. 2:345-357.
Balmer M.L., E.H. Ma, G.R. Bantug, J. Grählert, S. Pfister, T. Glatter, A. Jauch, S. Dimeloe, E. Slack, P. Dehio, M.A. Krzyzaniak, C.G. King, A.-V. Burgener, M. Fischer, L. Develioglu, R. Belle, M. Recher, W.V. Bonilla, A.J. Macpherson, S. Hapfelmeier, R.G. Jones, C. Hess. Memory CD8+ T Cells Require Increased Concentrations of Acetate Induced by Stress for Optimal Function, Immunity 2016. 44:1312-1324.
Kolev M., S. Dimeloe, G. Le Friec, A. Navarini, G. Arbore, G.A. Povoleri, M. Fischer, R. Belle, J. Loeliger, L. Develioglu, G.R. Bantug, J. Watson, L. Couzi, B. Afzali, P. Lavender, C. Hess* and Claudia Kemper* (* equal contribution and corresponding author). CD46 links complement and metabolic reprogramming in human Th1 responses, Immunity 2015. 16:1033-47.
Gubser P., G.R. Bantug, L. Razik, M. Fischer, S. Dimeloe, G. Heonger, B. Durovic, A. Jauch, C. Hess. Rapid effector function of memory CD8+ T cells requires an immediate-early glycolytic switch. Nature Immunology 2013. 14:1064-72.
