Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP Dr. Sabine Suppmann has been working at Fraunhofer ITMP’s Immunology, Infection and Pandemic Research IIP site in Penzberg/Munich since April 2023. As leader of the Protein Production section, she and her colleagues have been involved in further developing the Penzberg laboratory ever since then. Her responsibilities include taking charge of the »Pandemic Preparedness« project as part of a constantly growing team currently numbering 12 employees and doctoral students. Her research focuses on the production of pathogen-specific antigens and proteins and how to detect them using scientific and technical processes.
Dr. Sabine Suppmann interviewed for »Women in Science«
Who or what made you want to work in health research?
Like many of my colleagues, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was the trigger for me. I was working at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPIB) at the time, supporting basic research by producing recombinant proteins. When the MPIB went into lockdown in March 2020, I received inquiries from the Technical University of Munich and LMU Munich asking whether my team could produce SARS-CoV-2 proteins for diagnostic tests. At that time, there were still no reliable commercial tests on the market. We produced the proteins under intense pressure, working in shifts at the completely deserted institute to avoid contact. It was a completely new experience for me to work on something applied and, above all, something urgently needed and relevant. As a result, I decided to continue my work at the newly founded Fraunhofer ITMP IIP site.
To what extent do you think the dynamics and relevance of health research have changed in recent years? And how has the role of women changed?
As I only switched to health research in 2023, I am unfortunately not in a position to comment on recent developments. However, I strongly suspect that women are still underrepresented here, as in all areas, especially in management positions.
I am particularly aware of this in my private life.
What exactly are you currently working on at Fraunhofer ITMP?
The aim of the Penzberg working group is to establish technology platforms. The purpose of this is to provide diagnoses or therapies that are specifically adapted to the pathogen as quickly as possible in current and future infection situations. In other words, the aim is to ensure »pandemic preparedness.«
We are currently working on viral pathogens such as yellow fever and bacterial pathogens such as tuberculosis. Our strategic partnership with the Department of Infectious and Tropical Medicine at LMU University Hospital Munich and the pharmaceutical company Roche was expanded at the end of 2023 to include a further cooperation project involving tuberculosis research. The »DisTB« study (»Discovery of novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of TB disease«) is aimed at identifying new, highly sensitive and specific biomarkers for diagnosing tuberculosis.
What other goals are on your research agenda and to what extent does your work interact with your private life, with your family and friends?
At the moment, with the increasing influence of artificial intelligence, we have reached a significant point in science. We want to make the best possible use of the rapidly growing potential associated with this technology for our applications. The prediction of protein structures using the AlphaFold2 AI algorithm has revolutionized protein research. In the future, predicting suitable targets on pathogens will significantly speed up the development of diagnostic tests and therapeutics. Soon, a lot of what we currently have to go through lengthy series of experiments to determine will — we hope — be able to be predicted, based on as much data as possible that has been collected to date.
Outside of my laboratory work in protein production and the research projects at the institute, I make a conscious effort to keep work separate from my private life. However, it does come up from time to time, especially when I’m with friends who work in science too.
What advice would you like to give to women who want to start a career in health research?
Based on my own experience, many conversations with female colleagues and some media, I have picked out a few key points for me personally to bear in mind over the years:
- Have confidence in your abilities. Take your career development into your own hands and don’t hide your knowledge and skills
- Don’t expect too much of yourself. Try to appreciate more often that you can’t always do everything, instead of trying to shoulder too much. Constant stress or overload will only have a detrimental impact on those around you.
- Resolve conflicts objectively and try to take professional criticism constructively and not make it personal.
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