University training and degree

1986 - 1989 - Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
1983 - 1986 - Chemistry, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf

Advanced academic qualifications

2005 - Habilitation (venia legendi), Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin
1994 - PhD, Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry, AG NMR (Holak), Department of Structural Biology (Huber)

Postgraduate professional career

2018 (Jan-March) - Visiting scholar at the University of California San Francisco
2011 - present - Full professor of Biochemistry (W2), FU Berlin
2000 - 2011 - Independent research group leader, Leibniz-Institute of Molecular Pharmacology, Berlin
1997 - 2000 - Joint appointment post-doctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School/Dana- Farber-Cancer Institute in Boston with Prof. Gerhard Wagner and Prof. E. Reinherz (Scholarship by the Swiss National Funds).
1994 - 1997 - Postdoctoral fellow in the group of Prof. Dr. A. Plückthun, Biochemical Institute of the University of Zürich/Switzerland.

Prof. Christian Freund and his group are actively involved in teaching at Freie Universität Berlin. Their courses include Biochemie III (Erkennung, Transport und Modifikation von Proteinen), Fortgeschrittene Biochemie – Teil 1 (Nukleinsäuren und Proteine), and practical classes on nucleic acids, proteins, and enzyme kinetics. They also supervise seminars and laboratory practicals and coordinate a Research Practical on research design and grant writing, supporting students in developing the skills needed for independent scientific work.

Recent publications

1. Abualrous, E. T., Stolzenberg, S., Sticht, J., Wieczorek, M., Roske, Y., Günther, M., Dähn, S., Boesen, B. B., Calvo, M. M., Biese, C., Kuppler, F., Medina-García, Á., Álvaro-Benito, M., Höfer, T., Noé, F. & Freund, C. MHC-II dynamics are maintained in HLA-DR allotypes to ensure catalyzed peptide exchange. Nature Chemical Biology 19, 1196-1204 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-023-01316-3
2. Lan, H., Abualrous, E. T., Sticht, J., Fernandez, L. M. A., Werk, T., Weise, C., Ballaschk, M., Schmieder, P., Loll, B. & Freund, C. Exchange catalysis by tapasin exploits conserved and allele-specific features of MHC-I molecules. Nature Communications 12, 4236 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24401-4
3. Vardar, G., Gerth, F., Schmitt, X. J., Rautenstrauch, P., Trimbuch, T., Schubert, J., Lerche, H., Rosenmund, C. & Freund, C. Epilepsy-causing STX1B mutations translate altered protein functions into distinct phenotypes in mouse neurons. Brain 143, 2119-2138 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaa151
4. Morrison, E., Wegner, T., Zucchetti, A. E., Álvaro-Benito, M., Zheng, A., Kliche, S., Krause, E.,  Brügger, B., Hivroz, C. & Freund, C. Dynamic palmitoylation events following T-cell receptor signaling. Communications Biology 3, 368 (2020).  https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-1063-5
5. Álvaro-Benito, M., Morrison, E., Ebner, F., Abualrous, E. T., Urbicht, M., Wieczorek, M. & Freund, C. Distinct editing functions of natural HLA-DM allotypes impact antigen presentation and CD4+ T cell activation. Cellular & Molecular Immunology 17, 133-142 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41423-018-0181-1
6. Gerth, F., Jäpel, M., Pechstein, A., Kochlamazashvili, G., Lehmann, M., Puchkov, D., Onofri, F., Benfenati, F., Nikonenko, A. G., Fredrich, K., Shupliakov, O., Maritzen, T., Freund, C. & Haucke, V. Intersectin associates with synapsin and regulates its nanoscale localization and function. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114, 12057-12062 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1715341114
7. Henning, L. M., Santos, K. F., Sticht, J., Jehle, S., Lee, C.-T., Wittwer, M., Urlaub, H., Stelzl, U., Wahl, M. C. & Freund, C. A new role for FBP21 as regulator of Brr2 helicase activity. Nucleic Acids Research 45, 7922-7937 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkx535
8. Wieczorek, M., Sticht, J., Stolzenberg, S., Günther, S., Wehmeyer, C., El Habre, Z., Álvaro-Benito, M., Noé, F. & Freund, C. MHC class II complexes sample intermediate states along the peptide exchange pathway. Nature Communications 7, 13224 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13224
9. Kuropka, B., Witte, A., Sticht, J., Waldt, N., Majkut, P., Hackenberger, C. P. R., Schraven, B., Krause, E., Kliche, S. & Freund, C. Analysis of Phosphorylation-dependent Protein Interactions of Adhesion and Degranulation Promoting Adaptor Protein (ADAP) Reveals Novel Interaction Partners Required for Chemokine-directed T cell Migration*. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 14, 2961-2972 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1074/mcp.M115.048249
10. Günther, S., Schlundt, A., Sticht, J., Roske, Y., Heinemann, U., Wiesmüller, K.-H., Jung, G., Falk, K., Rötzschke, O. & Freund, C. Bidirectional binding of invariant chain peptides to an MHC class II molecule. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107, 22219-22224 (2010).  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1014708107