Simon Elsässer is the new Endowed Professor for Synthetic Biology at the University of Freiburg
Freiburg, 01/10/2025
Elsässer strengthens the ‘Signals of Life’ research focus as well as the CIBSS Cluster of Excellence at the University of Freiburg. The foundation Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung is providing the professorship with a total of 4.8 million euros in funding over ten years. The funded project will shed light on epigenetic mechanisms in humans. In his work, Elsässer aims to understand the interactions between the epigenome and the environment as well as disease-related changes in order to find possible personalized therapeutic approaches.
Prof. Dr. Simon Elsässer took on the professorship for synthetic biology at the University of Freiburg on 1 October 2025. The biochemist is one of the world’s leading scientists in the technological and methodological further development of epigenetics and synthetic biology. The professorship will be funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation with a total of €4.8 million over ten years and is based at the Faculty of Biology. It is also a core professorship in the CIBSS – Centre for Integrative Biological Signaling Studies cluster of excellence at the University of Freiburg. His appointment will thus also contribute to further expanding and strengthening the entire research focus on “Signals of Life” at the University of Freiburg.
Interactions between the epigenome and the environment
Our genes influence our health, but they explain only a part of the risk of diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, or cancer. This is because our DNA does not encode a fixed programme: The question of when and where which genes are active in our body is governed by the epigenome. It contains chemical modifications like DNA methylation and diverse histone modifications, which do not change the genetic sequence but have a large influence on genetic activity.
In his research, Elsässer is studying how cells in our body interpret external signals and stored epigenetic characteristics in order to control their function. “The particularly fascinating and important thing about the epigenome is that it is fundamentally shaped by one’s individual life story, such as by environmental influences, diet, lifestyle, and health record”, says Elsässer.
“The particularly fascinating and important thing about the epigenome is that it is fundamentally shaped by one’s individual life story, such as by environmental influences, diet, lifestyle, and health record.”
Prof. Dr. Simon Elsässer
Endowed Professor for Synthetic Biology, University of Freiburg
Knowledge about lifestyle, diseases, and therapies
To get to the bottom of the human epigenome, Elsässer is developing non-invasive methods that provide detailed insights into epigenetic regulation in the organism. The basis for this is millions of short DNA fragments released from human tissues into the blood, still carrying their original epigenetic marks.
Elässer reads these fragments with the help of modern sequencing methods, allowing him, for example, to detect changes in the epigenome depending on lifestyle, age, health record, and medical interventions. “Our hope is that such knowledge will help us to identify pathological changes early on and counteract them with new therapeutic approaches”, says Elsässer.
Elsässer is also receiving funding for his research work as Alexander von Humboldt Professor at the University of Freiburg.