INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER

Leo Eberl studied Chemistry at the Technical University of Graz, Austria, where he earned his PhD in Biotechnology (1992). He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Technical University of Denmark (1992-1996) and the Technical University of Munich (1997 to 1998) within the framework of the EU Biotechnology RTD Program. From 1999-2003 he was an independent group leader at the same Institute. He was appointed as Assistent Professor at the University of Zurich in 2003 and promoted to Full Professor in 2006.

Leo Eberl’s research aims at understanding the molecular basis and ecological importance of cell-to-cell signalling, referred to as quorum sensing (QS), between bacteria, particularly in multicellular aggregates, and to elucidate its role in virulence. His group investigates QS systems in various strains of the genera Pseudomonas and Burkholderia, which utilize structurally diverse signal molecules. More recently, his group has unravelled a novel mechanism for bacterial membrane vesicle (MV) biogenesis that is based on the enzymatic action of phage-derived endolysins. Ongoing research investigates how MV formation routes determine the structures and compositions of MVs and whether certain vesicle types serve particular biological functions.