Team > Prof. Dr. Holger Kress

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics & Computer Science
Department of Physics

Curriculum Vitae

• 2012 - present     Professor for Biological Physics at the University of Bayreuth
  
• 2010 - 2012     Assistant Professor for Nanotechnologies for Biomolecular Physics at Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
  
• 2007 - 2010     Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University with Eric. R. Dufresne, New Haven, Connecticut, USA(fellowship from the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina)
  
• 2006 - 2007     Postdoctoral Fellow at the EMBL Heidelberg with Ernst H.K. Stelzer (European Molecular Biology Laboratory)
  
• 2006     PhD in Physics, University of Heidelberg
  
• 2002 – 2006     PhD student at the EMBL Heidelberg with Alexander Rohrbach and Ernst H.K. Stelzer(fellowship from the German National Academic Foundation from 2002-2005)
  
• 2002     Diploma in Physics, University of Heidelberg
  
• 1997 – 2002     Studies of Physics at the University of Heidelberg(fellowship from the German National Academic Foundation from 1999-2002)
  

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics & Computer Science
Department of Physics

Publications

2025

S. Wieland, C. Steininger, D. Gitschier, M. Kaiser, W. Groß, A. Chaudhary, J. Ritschar, C. Laforsch, A. Hendricks and H. Kress
Many dynein teams collectively generate high forces during the transport of large organelles
Biophys. J. , (2025)
doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2025.09.012

A. Ramsperger, S. Wieland, M. Wilde, T. Fröhlich, H. Kress and C. Laforsch
Cellular internalization pathways of environmentally exposed microplastic particles : Phagocytosis or macropinocytosis?
J. Hazard. Mater. 489, 137647 (2025)
doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137647

C. Laforsch, E. Vizsolyi, A. Ramsperger, S. Wieland, J. Brehm, S. Ritschar, H. Kress and M. Löder
Environmental Fate and Effects of Microplastics on Organisms
In: Springer Handbook of Circular Plastics Economy, eds.: Andrea Buettner, Eckhard Weidner
Cham : Springer, 793-807 (2025)
doi:10.1007/978-3-031-66209-6_40

M. Schwarzer, J. Brehm, D. Gitschier, L. Liprandi, A. Ramsperger, S. Ritschar, J. Schmitt, R. Thomas, S. Wieland, M. Löder, H. Kress and C. Laforsch
Properties and Related Effects of Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment : From the Organismic to Cellular Level
In: Micro and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environment, eds.: Ashok Vaseashta, Maris Klavins, Olena Stabnikova
Boca Raton : CRC Press, (2025)
doi:10.1201/9781003389460-3

2024

S. Wieland, A. Ramsperger, W. Groß, M. Lehmann, T. Witzmann, A. Caspari, M. Obst, S. Gekle, G. Auernhammer, A. Fery, C. Laforsch and H. Kress
Nominally identical microplastic models differ greatly in their particle-cell interactions
Nat. Commun. 15, 922 (2024)
Featured in Nature Communications Editor’s Highlights
doi:10.1038/s41467-024-45281-4

2023

A. Ramsperger, E. Bergamaschi, M. Panizzolo, I. Fenoglio, F. Barbero, R. Peters, A. Undas, S. Purker, B. Giese, C. Lalyer, A. Tamargo, M. Moreno-Arribas, H. Grossart, D. Kühnel, J. Dietrich, F. Paulsen, A. Afanou, S. Zienolddiny-Narui, S. Eriksen Hammer, T. Ervik, P. Graff, B. Brinchmann, K. Nordby, H. Wallin, M. Nassi, F. Benetti, M. Zanella, J. Brehm, H. Kress, M. Löder and C. Laforsch
Nano- and microplastics : a comprehensive review on their exposure routes, translocation, and fate in humans
NanoImpact 29, 100441 (2023)
doi:10.1016/j.impact.2022.100441

M. Eisentraut, A. Sabri and H. Kress
The spatial resolution limit of phagocytosis
Biophys. J. 122, 868-879 (2023)
doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2023.01.030

2022

A. Ramsperger, J. Jasinski, M. Völkl, T. Witzmann, M. Meinhart, V. Jérôme, W. Kretschmer, R. Freitag, J. Senker, A. Fery, H. Kress, T. Scheibel and C. Laforsch
Supposedly identical microplastic particles substantially differ in their material properties influencing particle-cell interactions and cellular responses
J. Hazard. Mater. 425, 127961 (2022)
doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127961

S. Wieland, A. Balmes, J. Bender, J. Kitzinger, F. Meyer, A. Ramsperger, F. Roeder, C. Tengelmann, B. Wimmer, C. Laforsch and H. Kress
From properties to toxicity : comparing microplastics to other airborne microparticles
J. Hazard. Mater. 428, 128151 (2022)
C. Laforsch and H. Kress are joint corresponding authors
doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.128151

J. Brehm, M. Wilde, L. Reiche, L. Leitner, B. Petran, M. Meinhart, S. Wieland, S. Ritschar, M. Schott, J. Boos, S. Frei, H. Kress, J. Senker, A. Greiner, T. Fröhlich and C. Laforsch
In-depth characterization revealed polymer type and chemical content specific effects of microplastic on Dreissena bugensis
J. Hazard. Mater. 437, 129351 (2022)
doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129351

T. Witzmann, A. Ramsperger, S. Wieland, C. Laforsch, H. Kress, A. Fery and G. Auernhammer
Repulsive Interactions of Eco-corona-Covered Microplastic Particles Quantitatively Follow Modeling of Polymer Brushes
Langmuir 38, 8748-8756 (2022)
featured as journal cover image
doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c03204

2021

K. Berghoff, W. Gross, M. Eisentraut and H. Kress
Using Blinking Optical Tweezers to Study Cell Rheology During Initial Cell-Particle Contact
Biophys. J. 120, 3527-3537 (2021)
doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2021.04.034

2020

A. Ramsperger, V. Narayana, W. Gross, J. Mohanraj, M. Thelakkat, A. Greiner, H. Schmalz, H. Kress and C. Laforsch
Environmental exposure enhances the internalization of microplastic particles into cells
Sci. Adv. 6, eabd1211 (2020)
H. Kress and C. Laforsch are joint senior authors
doi:10.1126/sciadv.abd1211

A. Rohrbach, T. Meyer, E. Stelzer and H. Kress
Measuring Stepwise Binding of Thermally Fluctuating Particles to Cell Membranes without Fluorescence
Biophys. J. 118, 1850-1860 (2020)
doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2020.03.005

A. Ramsperger, A. Stellwag, A. Caspari, A. Fery, T. Lüders, H. Kress, M. Löder and C. Laforsch
Structural Diversity in Early-Stage Biofilm Formation on Microplastics Depends on Environmental Medium and Polymer Properties
Water 12, 3216 (2020)
Selected as Editor’s Choice Article
doi:10.3390/w12113216

H. Spanke, R. Style, C. François-Martin, M. Feofilova, M. Eisentraut, H. Kress, J. Agudo-Canalejo and E. Dufresne
Wrapping of Microparticles by Floppy Lipid Vesicles
Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 198102 (2020)
Selected as editors' Suggestion
doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.198102

2019

W. Gross and H. Kress
Optimization of experimental parameters for the mechanical characterization of thin elastic films
J. Phys. Commun. 3, 055021 (2019)
doi:10.1088/2399-6528/ab2374

2018

M. Werner, T. Auth, P. Beales, J. Fleury, F. Höök, H. Kress, R. Van Lehn, M. Müller, E. Petrov, L. Sarkisov, J. Sommer and V. Baulin
Nanomaterial interactions with biomembranes: Bridging the gap between soft matter models and biological context
Biointerphases 13, 028501 (2018)
doi:10.1116/1.5022145

2017

S. Keller, K. Berghoff and H. Kress
Phagosomal transport depends strongly on phagosome size
Sci. Rep. 7, 17068 (2017)
doi:10.1038/s41598-017-17183-7

C. Zahn, S. Keller, M. Toro-Nahuelpan, P. Dorscht, W. Gross, M. Laumann, S. Gekle, W. Zimmermann, D. Schüler and H. Kress
Measurement of the magnetic moment of single Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense cells by magnetic tweezers
Sci. Rep. 7, 3558 (2017)
doi:10.1038/s41598-017-03756-z

W. Gross and H. Kress
Simultaneous measurement of the Young's modulus and the Poisson ratio of thin elastic layers
Soft Matter 13, 1048-1055 (2017)
doi:10.1039/C6SM02470J

M. Harman, A. Hamby, R. Boltyanskiy, A. Belperron, L. Bockenstedt, H. Kress, E. Dufresne and C. Wolgemuth
Vancomycin Reduces Cell Wall Stiffness and Slows Swim Speed of the Lyme Disease Bacterium
Biophys. J. 112, 746-754 (2017)
doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2016.12.039

K. Berghoff, S. Keller, W. Gross, L. Gebhardt and H. Kress
Application of optical tweezers for biochemical and thermal cell stimulation
In: Light Robotics : Structure-Mediated Nanobiophotonics, eds.: Jesper Glückstad, Darwin Palima
Amsterdam : Elsevier, 385-410 (2017)
doi:10.1016/B978-0-7020-7096-9.00013-6

2016

G. Sitters, N. Laurens, E. de Rijk, H. Kress, E. Peterman and G. Wuite
Optical Pushing : A Tool for Parallelized Biomolecule Manipulation
Biophys. J. 110, 44-50 (2016)
doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2015.11.028

2014

H. van Zijp, A. Barendrecht, J. Riegman, J. Goudsmits, A. de Jong, H. Kress and M. Prins
Quantification of platelet-surface interactions in real-time using intracellular calcium signaling
Biomed Microdevices 16, 217-227 (2014)
doi:10.1007/s10544-013-9825-1

2013

C. Mejean, A. Schaefer, K. Buck, H. Kress, A. Shundrovsky, J. Merrill, E. Dufresne and P. Forscher
Elastic Coupling of Nascent apCAM Adhesions to Flowing Actin Networks
PLOS ONE 8, e73389 (2013)
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0073389

M. Irmscher, A. de Jong, H. Kress and M. Prins
A method for time-resolved measurements of the mechanics of phagocytic cups
J. R. Soc. Interface 10, 20121048 (2013)
H. Kress and M. Prins are joint corresponding authors
doi:10.1098/rsif.2012.1048

2012

M. Irmscher, A. de Jong, H. Kress and M. Prins
Probing the Cell Membrane by Magnetic Particle Actuation and Euler Angle Tracking
Biophys. J. 102, 698-708 (2012)
H. Kress and M. Prins are joint corresponding authors
doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2011.12.054

2011

D. Hawlena, H. Kress, E. Dufresne and O. Schmitz
Grasshoppers alter jumping biomechanics to enhance escape performance under chronic risk of spider predation
Funct. Ecol. 25, 279-288 (2011)
Featured in the Journal of Experimental Biology 214, vi (2011) http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.049684
doi:10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01767.x

2010

W. Xu, P. Wang, B. Petri, Y. Zhang, W. Tang, L. Sun, H. Kress, T. Manes, Y. Shi, P. Kubes and D. Wu
Integrin-Induced PIP5K1C Kinase Polarization Regulates Neutrophil Polarization, Directionality, and In Vivo Infiltration
Immunity 33, 340-350 (2010)
doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2010.08.015

2009

H. Kress, J. Park, C. Mejean, J. Forster, J. Park, S. Walse, Y. Zhang, D. Wu, O. Weiner, T. Fahmy and E. Dufresne
Cell stimulation with optically manipulated microsources
Nat. Methods 6, 905-909 (2009)
doi:10.1038/nmeth.1400

J. Colombelli, A. Besser, H. Kress, E. Reynaud, P. Girard, E. Caussinus, U. Haselmann, J. Small, U. Schwarz and E. Stelzer
Mechanosensing in actin stress fibers revealed by a close correlation between force and protein localization
J. Cell Sci. 122, 1665-1679 (2009)
doi:10.1242/jcs.042986

2007

H. Kress, E. Stelzer, D. Holzer, F. Buss, G. Griffiths and A. Rohrbach
Filopodia act as phagocytic tentacles and pull with discrete steps and a load-dependent velocity
PNAS 104, 11633-11638 (2007)
Named by Discover Magazine as one of the "Top 100 Science Stories of 2007"
doi:10.1073/pnas.0702449104

2006

E. Anes, P. Peyron, L. Staali, L. Jordao, M. Gutierrez, H. Kress, M. Hagedorn, I. Maridonneau-Parini, M. Skinner, A. Wildeman, S. Kalamidas, M. Kuehnel and G. Griffiths
Dynamic life and death interactions between Mycobacterium smegmatis and J774 macrophages
Cell. Microbiol. 8, 939-960 (2006)
doi:10.1111/j.1462-5822.2005.00675.x

H. Kress
Cell mechanics during phagocytosis studied by optical tweezers-based microscopy
Dissertation (2006), Universität Heidelberg

2005

H. Kress, E. Stelzer, G. Griffiths and A. Rohrbach
Control of relative radiation pressure in optical traps : Application to phagocytic membrane binding studies
Phys. Rev. E 71, 061927 (2005)
doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.71.061927

H. Kress, E. Stelzer and A. Rohrbach
Measuring and adjusting the trapping position in optical tweezers
DGaO-Proceedings , (2005)

2004

A. Rohrbach, H. Kress and E. Stelzer
Reply to comment on "Trapping force, force constant, and potential depths for dielectric spheres in the presence of spherical aberrations"
Appl. Opt. 43, 1827-1829 (2004)
doi:10.1364/AO.43.001827

H. Kress, E. Stelzer and A. Rohrbach
Tilt angle dependent three-dimensional-position detection of a trapped cylindrical particle in a focused laser beam
Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 4271-4273 (2004)
doi:10.1063/1.1737056

2003

A. Rohrbach, H. Kress and E. Stelzer
Three-dimensional tracking of small spheres in focused laser beams : influence of the detection angular aperture
Opt. Lett. 28, 411-413 (2003)
doi:10.1364/OL.28.000411

J. Jonkman, J. Swoger, H. Kress, A. Rohrbach and E. Stelzer
Resolution in optical microscopy
In: Biophotonics. Part A, eds.: Gerard Marriott, Ian Parker
Amsterdam : Academic Press, 416-446 (2003)
doi:10.1016/S0076-6879(03)60122-9

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics & Computer Science
Department of Physics

Prof. Dr. Holger Kress
Professor

Universität Bayreuth
Biologische Physik
Universitätsstraße 30
95447 Bayreuth

Phone: +49 (0)921 55-2505
E-mail: holger.kress@uni-bayreuth.de