# Manfred Kopf
**Manfred Kopf** (also printed as Manfred Köpf) is a Swiss-based immunologist who studies innate and adaptive immunity, working on cytokines, lung immunity, and allergy, and is Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Molecular Health Sciences of ETH Zurich.[1](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf.html) Over three decades his laboratory has characterized the in vivo functions of cytokines including IL-1, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-21, IL-36, IFN-γ, and GM-CSF, largely by generating and analyzing knockout mice (mice bred with a specific gene disabled).[2](https://www.toll2024.org/manfred-kopf/) He is a co-founder of an ETH spin-off company that was acquired by Repertoire Immune Medicine.[2](https://www.toll2024.org/manfred-kopf/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current position | Professor Emeritus, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, Department of Biology, ETH Zurich[1](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf.html) |
| Field | Innate and adaptive immunology; cytokine and allergy immunology[1](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf.html) • [2](https://www.toll2024.org/manfred-kopf/) |
| Training | PhD by 1994 in Georges Köhler's laboratory, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology, Freiburg[2](https://www.toll2024.org/manfred-kopf/) |
| Career | Independent scientific member, Basel Institute for Immunology, 1995–2001; Full Professor of Molecular Biomedicine, ETH Zurich, since August 2001[3](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf/biography-kopf.html) |
| Signature work | IL-4 gene disruption blocks Th2 cytokine responses (Nature, 1993); IL-6-deficient mice with impaired acute-phase responses (Nature, 1994); complement C3 in T-cell priming during influenza (Nature Medicine, 2002)[4](https://doi.org/10.1038/362245a0) • [5](https://doi.org/10.1038/368339a0) • [6](https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:45679a27-e8db-4a31-ad57-54eb92aa965f) |
| Awards | Otto Hahn Medal and Hans Spemann prize, 1995[3](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf/biography-kopf.html) |
| Industry | Co-founder of an ETH spin-off acquired by Repertoire Immune Medicine[2](https://www.toll2024.org/manfred-kopf/) |
## Career and training
According to his [ETH Zurich](https://www.edgepedia.org/eth-zurich) biography, Kopf was born in 1960, studied biology in Freiburg, and completed his diploma and doctoral thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology in the laboratory of Nobel laureate [Georges Köhler](https://www.edgepedia.org/georges-kohler), finishing his PhD there by 1994.[3](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf/biography-kopf.html) • [2](https://www.toll2024.org/manfred-kopf/) From 1995 to 2001 he was an independent scientific member (group leader) of the Basel Institute for Immunology, remaining there until the institute's closure.[3](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf/biography-kopf.html) • [2](https://www.toll2024.org/manfred-kopf/) In August 2001 he became Full Professor of Molecular Biomedicine at ETH Zurich.[3](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf/biography-kopf.html) He now holds emeritus status at the Institute of Molecular Health Sciences.[1](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf.html)
In 1995 his studies on the role of cytokines in infectious diseases were awarded the Otto Hahn Medal and the [Hans Spemann](https://www.edgepedia.org/hans-spemann) prize.[3](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf/biography-kopf.html) In the same period he synthesized the knockout-mouse work in a review of immune responses in IL-4-, IL-5-, and IL-6-deficient mice, according to his 1995 article in Immunological Reviews, affiliated with the Basel Institute for Immunology.[7](https://europepmc.org/article/MED/8825282) He also joined the board of the Swiss foundation Forschung für Leben.[8](https://www.forschung-leben.ch/ueber-uns/vorstand/prof-dr-manfred-kopf/)
## Representative work
His 2002 [Nature Medicine](https://www.edgepedia.org/nature-medicine) paper showed that complement component C3 promotes T-cell immunity during acute influenza infection. Mice lacking C3 were highly susceptible to primary influenza virus infection, with delayed viral clearance and increased viral titers in the lung. Priming of T-helper cells and cytotoxic T cells in the lung-draining lymph nodes was reduced, and recruitment into the lung of virus-specific CD4+ and CD8+ effector T cells producing interferon-gamma was severely impaired in C3-deficient but not in Cr2-deficient mice, demonstrating that complement induces specific immunity by promoting T-cell responses.[6](https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:45679a27-e8db-4a31-ad57-54eb92aa965f)
The earlier knockout papers established the cytokine program. In the 1993 Nature paper, IL-4-mutant mice showed that CD4+ T cells from naive IL-4-deficient animals failed to produce Th2-derived cytokines after stimulation; after nematode (Nippostrongylus brasiliensis) infection, IL-5, IL-9, and IL-10 from CD4+ T cells were significantly reduced, and reduced IL-5 correlated with reduced helminth-induced eosinophilia. The authors concluded that IL-4 is required for the generation of Th2-derived cytokines and that immune responses dependent on these cytokines are impaired.[9](https://staging.europepmc.org/article/MED/8384701) The 1994 Nature paper on interleukin-6-deficient mice showed impaired immune and acute-phase responses, defining IL-6's in vivo role.[5](https://doi.org/10.1038/368339a0) A 2014 review in Nature Immunology, [The development and function of lung-resident macrophages and dendritic cells](https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.3052), is among his works.
## Research program at ETH Zurich
The Kopf lab studies innate and adaptive immune responses in defense against microbes, the development of autoimmunity, and inflammatory diseases including asthma, psoriasis, and atherosclerosis.[1](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf.html) A central focus is the crosstalk of dendritic cells and T cells: the activation of naive CD4+ T cells and their differentiation into Th1, Th2, and Th17 effector, and memory subsets.[1](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf.html) The group's methodological signature is a series of knockout mice lacking cytokine or cytokine receptor genes, including IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-16, IL-21R, and IL-36Ra, as well as costimulatory molecules such as OX40.[1](https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf.html)
The disease models span metabolic and barrier tissues: chronic inflammatory diseases studied include atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, psoriasis, asthma, and autoimmune diseases, with T cells, myeloid cells, and cytokines playing a central role.[10](https://www.skintegrity.ch/kopf) The lab has also begun studying major redox pathways, including the glutathione/glutaredoxin, thioredoxin, and Nrf2 pathways, in [T cell](https://www.edgepedia.org/t-cell)- and myeloid cell-mediated inflammation, and has established a technology platform for unbiased identification of peptide epitopes recognized by T cells, intended for personalized immunotherapy of cancer or autoimmunity and vaccination against infectious diseases.[10](https://www.skintegrity.ch/kopf)
## Industry roles
Kopf is a co-founder of an ETH spin-off company that was acquired by Repertoire Immune Medicine.[2](https://www.toll2024.org/manfred-kopf/)
## Recent developments
At the TOLL 2024 conference he lectured on "Life and Death of Alveolar Macrophages", reflecting the group's lung-immunity focus.[2](https://www.toll2024.org/manfred-kopf/) In 2022 his team had shown in mice that embryonic alveolar macrophages rapidly die on influenza infection and are replaced within days by bone-marrow-derived macrophages; mice carrying the bone-marrow-derived cells became much sicker and died, partly because these macrophages drove a cytokine storm.[11](https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2022/07/severe-flu-risk-as-immune-cells-swap-with-age.html) Recent output continues this line.[12](https://www.growkudos.com/profile/manfred_kopf) Earlier allergy-infection work included a 2002 PNAS paper showing allergic airway inflammation is exacerbated during acute influenza infection.[12](https://www.growkudos.com/profile/manfred_kopf) One 2006 review record prints an EPFL affiliation.[13](https://doi.org/10.1038/nri1776)
## References
1. Prof. Dr. Manfred Kopf – Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich. https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf.html
2. Manfred Kopf – TOLL 2024. https://www.toll2024.org/manfred-kopf/
3. Biography – Manfred Kopf, ETH Zurich. https://mhs.biol.ethz.ch/research/kopf/biography-kopf.html
4. Disruption of the murine IL-4 gene blocks Th2 cytokine responses (Nature, 1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/362245a0
5. Impaired immune and acute-phase responses in interleukin-6-deficient mice (Nature, 1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/368339a0
6. Complement component C3 promotes T-cell priming and lung migration to control acute influenza virus infection (ORA record). https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:45679a27-e8db-4a31-ad57-54eb92aa965f
7. Immune responses of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 deficient mice (Immunological Reviews, 1995). https://europepmc.org/article/MED/8825282
8. Prof. em. Dr. Manfred Kopf – Forschung für Leben. https://www.forschung-leben.ch/ueber-uns/vorstand/prof-dr-manfred-kopf/
9. Disruption of the murine IL-4 gene blocks Th2 cytokine responses (Europe PMC abstract). https://staging.europepmc.org/article/MED/8384701
10. Kopf | SKINTEGRITY.CH. https://www.skintegrity.ch/kopf
11. Severe flu risk as immune cells swap with age – ETH Zurich. https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2022/07/severe-flu-risk-as-immune-cells-swap-with-age.html
12. Manfred Kopf – Kudos publication profile. https://www.growkudos.com/profile/manfred_kopf
13. Chemokines: more than just road signs (Nature Reviews Immunology, 2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri1776
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Life and health scientists › Life scientists › Researchers in immunology, microbiology, and virology › Innate and adaptive immunology › Adaptive immunity researchers › B cell and antibody researchers*
*Initially written Sep 21, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 25, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license