RIEGGER LAB
Meet the Team
Group Leader & Head of Division
Prof. Dr. biol. hum. Jana Riegger-Koch
Jana Riegger-Koch obtained her M.Sc. in Biology, focus on Molecular Biosciences, at the University of Ulm in 2014. Afterwards, she joined the Division for Biochemistry of Joint and Connective Tissue Diseases (Prof. Brenner) at the Department of Orthopedics, University of Ulm for her PhD thesis and holds a Dr. biol. hum. (summa cum laude) since 2019. In 2020, Jana received a Margarete von Wrangell Habilitation Fellowship and became an independent junior research group leader. In October 2024, she completed her habilitation (venia legendi: Experimental Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery) and become interim head of the Division for Biochemistry of Joint and Connective Tissue Diseases after the retirement of Prof. Brenner. In 2026, she was appointed Professor of Musculoskeletal Inflammation in Traumatology at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU).
Foto:Elvira Eberhardt
Her research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying musculoskeletal degeneration and regeneration, with a particular emphasis on osteoarthritis and post-traumatic osteoarthritis. She investigates how injury, oxidative stress, cellular senescence, mitochondrial alterations, and complement activation shape cell fate and tissue repair. Her research further extends to osteoporosis and intervertebral disc degeneration, as well as tissue-specific progenitor cells, biomaterials, and tissue engineering approaches to promote musculoskeletal regeneration. Her work has received national and international recognition through several scientific awards, including the Basic Research Award of the German Society for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery in 2017 (Riegger et al., Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 2016), the Young Investigator Award of the German Society for Matrix Biology in 2019 (Riegger et al., eCM, 2018), and the GRAMMER European Spine Journal Award in 2021 (Teixeira et al., European Spine Journal, 2021).
Team members at the
Division of Experimental Orthopedics (Ulm)
PhD Student (Dr. biol. hum.)
M. Sc. Tanja Frey
Topic: Unravelling the pathomechanisms of compromised fracture healing in osteoporosis:
Consequences of mitochondrial dysfunction (CRC1149 – B09)
Tanja Frey obtained her M.Sc. in Human and Molecular Biology at Saarland University in 2023. She performed her master’s thesis at the Institute of Virology, Saarland University Hospital under the supervision of Dr Lise Lauterbach-Rivière. The object of her master’s thesis was the study of the influence of the transcription factor IRF-1 on BK polyomavirus. In 2023, she joined the Division for Biochemistry of Joint and Connective Tissue Diseases for her PhD studies. Her PhD project focuses on the consequences of mitochondrial dysfunction in osteoporotic fracture healing. Tanja is particularly interested in the role of oxidative stress on cellular behavior and fate, including regulated cell death and senescence of chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and respective progenitor cells.
Meet the Team
Mira Grohe
Doctoral student (Dr. med.)
Topic: Senolytics
Sara Marques
Doctoral student (Dr. med.)
Topic: GDF15 in PTOA
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Yuta Nakano
Doctoral student (Dr. med.)
Topic: Senolytics
Alumni
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Larissa Martens (Bachelor Thesis – Molecular Medicine)
Topic: Paracrine effects of adipocytes on osteogenic differentiation
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Svenja Maurer (Doctoral thesis – Dr. rer. nat.)
Topic: Therapeutic strategies for initial harm reduction and support of regenerative processes in osteoarthritis
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Victoria-Tasja Karpe (Bachelor Thesis – Molecular Medicine)
Topic: Genetically modified porcine chondrocytes as xenogenic approach in cartilage engineering
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Molecular Hannah Vogg (external Master Thesis – Nutrition Science/ Uni Hohenheim)
Topic: Paracrine influence of scenecent cells on osteogenic differentiation of human MSC
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Leonie Ruths (Doctoral thesis – Dr. rer. nat.)
Topic: Role of anaphylatoxins and their receptors in cartilage calcification
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Pelin Sezer (Master Thesis – Molecular Medicine)
Topic: Cytotoxic effects of anaphylatoxins on chondrocytes under pro-inflammatory conditions
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Jana Hengge (Master Thesis – Biochemistry)
Topic: Involvement of interleukin-6 and complement activation products in senescence of human articular chondrocytes
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Alexandra Liebaug (Master Thesis – Biochemistry)
Topic: Investigation of GDF-15 expression and its effects in cartilage degeneration and regeneration after injury
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Valeria Kirsch (Master Thesis – Molecular Medicine)
Topic: Senolytics as therapeutic option to target cellular senescence in osteoarthritis
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Julia Baumert (Doctoral Thesis – Dr. med.)
Topic: Pathogenic implication and therapeutic influence of the hexosamine pathway after cartilage trauma
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Hannah de Hesselle (Bachelor Thesis – Molecular Medicine)
Topic: Expression of CXCR4 on human chondrocytes – Testing of potential sensitization towards SDF-1 signalling by IL-1β stimulation or ex vivo cartilage trauma