Who are ...

Cell death is a fundamental biological process that shapes development, maintains immune balance, and defends against pathogens. When tightly regulated, it supports health; when uncontrolled, it can drive chronic inflammation, tissue damage, autoimmunity, and even cancer. Our research focuses on uncovering how these cell death and inflammatory pathways contribute to disease and how they can be harnessed for therapy.

Scientific Career
Prof. Dr. María de las Nieves Peltzer graduated from Quilmes University, Buenos Aires, Argentina, in Biotechnology and performed her Master degree in Toulouse, France. She then moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, where she did her PhD in the laboratory of Professor Christian Widmann at the Physiology Department of the University of Lausanne, awarded in 2012. After her PhD, she moved to London, to the laboratory of Professor Henning Walczak at UCL Cancer Institute where she was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. In 2019 she was awarded with a Group Leader position at the University of Cologne where she established her team. She is currently an associated member of the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC) and the Cologne Excellence Cluster for Aging and Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD). In 2024, Nieves Peltzer was appointed a Junior Professorship at the University of Stuttgart and is the Director of the Genome Editing Department at the Institute of Biomedical Genetics led by Professor Jörn Lausen. 

Research
Peltzer’s research centers on the molecular regulation of cell death and its impact on immunity, inflammation, and cancer biology. Her studies investigate how deregulated cell death pathways contribute to diseases and how they might be modulated for therapeutic benefit. She extends this expertise into biomedical genome editing, with a focus on CRISPR-based approaches for translational applications in cancer, hereditary disorders, and regenerative medicine.

Publications
Her publications span topics such as necroptosis, ubiquitination, inflammatory signaling, and tumor immunology. She has authored papers in leading journals, contributing to the understanding of how regulated cell death shapes disease outcomes. In addition, she has presented her work at international conferences, including invited talks on linear ubiquitination and inflammation.
Link to PubMed

Awards
Nieves Peltzer’s work has been supported by prestigious funding bodies and collaborative research centers (SFBs). She has been actively involved in SFB 1399 (SCLC cancer therapy), SFB 1403 (cell death in immunity and disease), and SFB 1530 (BIRC3 in lymphomagenesis). Her selection for the CMMC Career Advancement Program also underscores recognition of her scientific leadership and potential.

Current work
At the University of Stuttgart, Prof. Peltzer is building a research hub on biomedical genome editing. Her future goals include advancing CRISPR-based methods for precise genetic interventions, integrating cell death biology with editing technologies, and translating these insights using gene therapy. Her group aims to bridge fundamental biology and clinical applications, positioning the concerted efforts between Cologne and Stuttgart as a key centers for genome editing research in Germany.

Ximena Hildebrandt has advanced scientific understanding of cell death and metabolic disease, combined with sustained commitment to mentoring, education, and community. Her career reflects excellence in research, leadership, and international collaboration. 

Lab Affiliation & Supervision
Ximena Hildebrandt is a PhD candidate in the Interdisciplinary Program in Molecular Medicine (IPMM) at the University of Cologne, working with the Peltzer Lab at CMMC and contributing to Project A10 of SFB 1403, which targets inflammation-modulated regulated cell death. Her structured, interdisciplinary PhD training is supported by a robust mentoring system that fosters both scientific and professional growth. Ximena is deeply committed to mentorship, having supervised more than eleven students from bachelor’s to PhD level, and consistently instilling rigorous standards of data quality and integrity. 

Candidates typically enter the IPMM program through a funded PhD position, aligned with a research project hosted in a CMMC-affiliated group or related faculty, and are subsequently evaluated and admitted by the IPMM committee. 

Research Highlights & Publications
Ximena’s research bridges cell death, inflammation, and metabolic disease. In addition to her recent first-author publication at Science Advances, she is credited with the scientific article “Cell death and inflammation during obesity: Know my methods, WAT(son),” co-authored with Mohamed Ibrahim and Nieves Peltzer, and indexed in the University of Cologne’s publication repository (KUPS) in late 2024, positioning adipose inflammation within regulated cell death networks. Throughout her doctoral work, she has contributed to six peer-reviewed papers, including collaborative studies in Nature Metabolism, Molecular Metabolism, EMBO J, and other leading journals.

Scientific Engagements & Presentations
Beyond research, Ximena plays an active role in the academic community. She served as IPMM PhD representative (2023–2025) and as a committee member for the PhD/postdoc training program within the Cell Death & Immunity SFB1403 consortium (2021–2023). She also helped organize the FEBS-IUBMB-ENABLE 2023 International Conference at the University of Cologne as Chair of Sustainability, facilitating the hosting of more than 300 participants.

As part of her PhD training, she was invited to present at the 13th Retreat on Cancer Research and Apoptosis (2025) and the Cell Death Gordon Research Satellite Meeting (USA, 2024). She has also participated in several international conferences, earning Best Poster Awards at the TNF Meeting (2021) and ECDO (2022), as well as local distinctions awarded by her doctoral school, such as Best Scientific Talk (IPMM 2024) and Best Poster (IPMM 2023). These achievements reflect both the quality and impact of her scientific contributions.