Prof. Dr. Sina Bartfeld, Technische Universität Berlin

Of particular interest to Prof. Dr. Sina Bartfeld is the interface between the human body and the outside world. The Brain City Ambassador heads the Department of Medical Biotechnology at Technische Universität Berlin and is co-spokesperson of the research center “Der Simulierte Mensch."

“I’m fascinated by how our body defends itself against invaders and how the unique conditions at such boundary layers can lead to disease,” explains Brain City Ambassador Prof. Dr. Sina Bartfeld, describing her research focus. At the Bartfeld Lab, located in the Technologie-Park Humboldthain Berlin, everything revolves around the molecular foundations of diseases at the intersection of infection biology, immunology, and cancer research.

A prime example of such an interface is the gastrointestinal tract: “It’s essentially just a somewhat complicated tube,” says Sina Bartfeld. “The epithelial cells lining this tube are exposed to challenging conditions. They are in constant exchange with the external environment; they must absorb nutrients but also fend off pathogens. When this balance is disrupted, chronic inflammation and even cancer can occur.” The epithelia of the gastrointestinal tract thus offer a way to explore fundamental questions. To do so, Sina Bartfeld and her team use miniature organ models from the lab, known as organoids. “The better these models become, the more we can contribute to reducing animal testing.”

Since 2021, Sina Bartfeld has led the Department of Medical Biotechnology at Technische Universität Berlin. And since 2023, she has also been co-spokesperson of “Der Simulierte Mensch” (Si-M). In this joint research cente by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and TU Berlin, new technologies are being developed to mimic the functions of human cells and tissues, aiming to reduce or replace animal testing. It is still under construction.

Sina Bartfeld’s passion for biomedical research in cancer, immunology, and infections was sparked during her biology studies in Hamburg, Berlin, and Melbourne. “Back then, I joined as many research groups as I could. After completing my doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, everything clicked. From there, the questions just kept getting bigger.” Since then, Sina Bartfeld has been researching the gastric epithelium, epithelial immune recognition, and the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which can cause chronic infections and even cancer. She first worked as a postdoc with Dutch molecular geneticist Professor Hans Clevers at the Hubrecht Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in Utrecht, and later led a junior research group at Universität Würzburg.

Four years ago, Sina Bartfeld returned to her birthplace, Berlin. She specifically applied for the professorship at the Institute of Biotechnology at TU Berlin “I came to Berlin for the research building ‘Der Simulierte Mensch.’ It is an incubator where medical questions meet technological developments. Scientists from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and TU Berlin work side by side here. The entire facility is designed for collaboration, to develop better human models for medical research. I find that exciting. I wanted to be part of it.”

Another advantage of Brain City Berlin is its high density of research institutions. Sina Bartfeld and her team actively leverage the local network. “Clinicians, immunologists, chemists, partner companies – the critical mass for my topics is here,” says Sina Bartfeld, specifying: “In general, our medically oriented collaboration partners at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) are essential, especially in surgery, gastroenterology, immunology, pediatrics, and pathology. We also collaborate with Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), the two Max Planck Institutes, and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). And of course, with Berlin-based companies like Bayer, TissUse, and Cellbricks. Researching fundamental biological questions often requires stepping out of your comfort zone,” says Bartfeld.

One example of such collaboration is “CRC 1449”. The Collaborative Research Center “Dynamic Hydrogels at Biointerfaces” is coordinated by FU Berlin. Other institutions such as BIH, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and MDC are also involved. “We bring our mucus samples from the gastrointestinal tract to our partners, with whom we then conduct joint analyses. We couldn’t do it without them,” explains Bartfeld. For the molecular fine analysis of sugar appendages on proteins in epithelial mucus, the Bartfeld Lab collaborates with the University of Copenhagen at European level. “In the doctoral network TopGut, organoids of the gastrointestinal tract are systematically characterized and developed into more complex models. Twenty partners from the European Union and Switzerland are working closely together.”

Sina Bartfeld advises young scientists to trust their own interests and not to follow trends too closely. “What drives you? What do you want to discover? Of course, you have to fit into a certain research landscape. But I believe research works more through genuine intrinsic interest than through adaptation,” she says. Her second piece of advice: “Go where you can best realize your ideas. If that’s Berlin, great.” According to the Brain City Ambassador, those who work with passion and perseverance will find many opportunities in Berlin: “The Berlin research landscape is open to new ideas – take advantage of that. Find mentors, teams, and scientific friends. In Berlin, people help each other – if you take the first step.” (vdo)