ZMB Member Daniel Hoffmann

ZMB Member
Daniel Hoffmann

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portrait photo of ZMB member Daniel Hoffmann
© D. Hoffmann

Prof. Dr. Daniel Hoffmann

Group

Bioinformatics and Computational Biophysics

Faculty of Biology
University of Duisburg-Essen
Universitätsstr. 2
45141 Essen

Research Overview

Quantitative Biology
Biology is a messy science. Its subjects - biomolecules, cells, tissues, organisms, ecosystems, etc. - are highly complex and variable. This makes it difficult to pin down laws as reliably as, say, in physics. It is therefore not surprising that biologists are fully occupied with taming their complex subjects, and with obtaining (using a minimum of mathematics) simple, qualitative results from experiments. However, we know that living systems are essentially quantitative; e.g. it matters a lot whether you have too little or too much of a substance in an organism. If we want to account for this, we have to use quantitative mathematical and computational models of biological systems or biological data. This is exactly what we do.

In our research we are developing mathematical or computational models for biological systems. Often these models are probabilistic because biological systems are variable and not completely characterized, and probabilities are an effective way of dealing with variability. We can then infer quantitative relationships by computational methods such as Bayesian analyses. This is a Swiss knife approach that is basically applicable to all kinds of biology. Accordingly, we have fruitful collaborations with researchers from many areas, e.g. developmental biologists, virologists, immunologists, cancer researchers, or ecologists.
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Selected Publications

    Journal articles

  • Waterkamp, Christoph; Hoffmann, Daniel
    BAYAS : simplifying access to Bayesian analysis for biologists
    In: Bioinformatics , Vol. 41 2025, Nr. 6, btaf276
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Schwarz, Tatjana; Ptok, Johannes; Damagnez, Maximilian; Menne, Christopher; Alizei, Elahe Salimi; Lang-Meli, Julia; Maas, Michelle; Habermann, Daniel; Hoffmann, Daniel; Schulze zur Wiesch, Julian; Lauer, Georg; Kefalakes, Helenie; Cornberg, Markus; Kraft, Anke RM.; Gliga, Smaranda; Bock, Hans H.; Horn, Peter A.; Maini, Mala K.; Thimme, Robert; Wedemeyer, Heiner; Nattermann, Jacob; Heinemann, Falko M.; Luedde, Tom; Neumann-Haefelin, Christoph; Walker, Andreas; Timm, Jörg
    HBV shows different levels of adaptation to HLA class I-associated selection pressure correlating with markers of replication
    In: Journal of Hepatology , Vol. 82 2025, Nr. 5, pp. 805 – 815
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Habermann, Daniel; Kharimzadeh, Hadi; Walker, Andreas; Li, Yang; Yang, Rongge; Kaiser, Rolf; Brumme, Zabrina L.; Timm, Jörg; Roggendorf, Michael; Hoffmann, Daniel
    HAMdetector : A Bayesian regression model that integrates information to detect HLA-associated mutations
    In: Bioinformatics , Vol. 38 2022, Nr. 9, pp. 2428 – 2436
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Meiners, Annika; Bäcker, Sandra; Hadrovic, Inesa; Heid, Christian; Beuck, Christine; Ruiz-Blanco, Yasser B.; Mieres-Perez, Joel; Pörschke, Marius; Grad, Jean-Noël; Vallet, Cecilia; Hoffmann, Daniel; Bayer, Peter; Sánchez-García, Elsa; Schrader, Thomas; Knauer, Shirley
    Specific inhibition of the Survivin–CRM1 interaction by peptide-modified molecular tweezers
    In: Nature Communications , Vol. 12 2021, Nr. 1, pp. 1505
    DOI, Online Full Text (Open Access)
  • Kitanovski, Simo; Hoffmann, Daniel
    IgGeneUsage : differential gene usage in immune repertoires
    In: Bioinformatics , Vol. 36 2020, Nr. 11, pp. 3590 – 3591
    DOI
  • Grüneboom, Anika; Hawwari, Ibrahim; Weidner, Daniela; Culemann, Stephan; Müller, Sylvia; Henneberg, Sophie; Brenzel, Alexandra; Merz, Simon; Bornemann, Lea; Zec, Kristina; Wülling, Manuela; Kling, Lasse; Hasenberg, Mike; Voortmann, Sylvia; Lang, Stefanie; Baum, Wolfgang; Ohs, Alexandra; Kraff, Oliver; Quick, Harald H.; Jäger, Marcus; Landgraeber, Stefan; Dudda, Marcel; Danuser, Renzo; Stein, Jens V.; Rohde, Manfred; Gelse, Kolja; Garbe, Annette I.; Adamczyk, Alexandra; Westendorf, Astrid; Hoffmann, Daniel; Christiansen, Silke; Engel, Daniel Robert; Vortkamp, Andrea; Krönke, Gerhard; Herrmann, Martin; Kamradt, Thomas; Schett, Georg; Hasenberg, Anja; Gunzer, Matthias
    A network of trans-cortical capillaries as mainstay for blood circulation in long bones
    In: Nature Metabolism , Vol. 1 2019, Nr. 2, pp. 236 – 250
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Karimzadeh, Hadi; Kiraithe, Muthamia M.; Oberhardt, Valerie; Salimi Alizei, Elahe; Bockmann, Jan; Schulze zur Wiesch, Julian; Budeus, Bettina; Hoffmann, Daniel; Wedemeyer, Heiner; Cornberg, Markus; Krawczyk, Adalbert; Rashidi-Alavijeh, Jassin; Rodríguez-Frías, Francisco; Casillas, Rosario; Buti, Maria; Smedile, Antonina; Alavian, Seyed Moayed; Heinold, Andreas; Emmerich, Florian; Panning, Marcus; Gostick, Emma; Price, David A.; Timm, Jörg; Hofmann, Maike; Raziorrouh, Bijan; Thimme, Robert; Protzer, Ulrike; Roggendorf, Michael; Neumann-Haefelin, Christoph
    Mutations in Hepatitis D Virus Allow It to Escape Detection by CD8⁺ T Cells and Evolve at the Population Level
    In: Gastroenterology , Vol. 156 2019, Nr. 6, pp. 1820 – 1833
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Alavian, Seyed Moayed; Price, David A.; Panning, Marcus; Neumann-Haefelin, Christoph; Bockmann, Jan; Wiesch, Julian Schulze zur; Wedemeyer, Heiner; Heinold, Andreas; Alizei, Elahe Salimi; Timm, Jörg; Casillas, Rosario; Protzer, Ulrike; Raziorrouh, Bijan; Smedile, Antonina; Rodríguez-Frías, Francisco; Hoffmann, Daniel; Oberhardt, Valerie; Buti, Maria; Thimme, Robert; Roggendorf, Michael; Hofmann, Maike; Gostick, Emma; Budeus, Bettina; Emmerich, Florian; Kiraithe, Muthamia M.; Karimzadeh, Hadi
    Viral escape contributes to the failure of hepatitis D virus-specific CD8+ T-cells and drives evolution of HDV
    In: Journal of Hepatology , Vol. 70 2019, Nr. Suppl. 1, pp. e21
    DOI
  • Tucci, Felicia A.; Kitanovski, Simo; Johansson, Patricia; Klein-Hitpaß, Ludger; Kahraman, Alisan; Dürig, Jan; Hoffmann, Daniel; Küppers, Ralf
    Biased IGH VDJ gene repertoire and clonal expansions in B cells of chronically hepatitis C virus–infected individuals
    In: Blood , Vol. 131 2018, Nr. 5, pp. 546 – 557
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Kefalakes, Helenie; Budeus, Bettina; Walker, Andreas; Jochum, Christoph; Hilgard, Gudrun; Heinold, Andreas; Heinemann, Falko M.; Gerken, Guido; Hoffmann, Daniel; Timm, Jörg
    Adaptation of the Hepatitis B Virus Core Protein to CD8+ T-Cell Selection Pressure
    In: Hepatology , Vol. 62 2015, Nr. 1, pp. 47 – 56
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Skibbe, K.; Budeus, Bettina; Heinemann, Falko M.; Timmer, L.; Horn, Peter; van Esch, W.; Hoffmann, Daniel; Siemann, H.; Scherbaum, Norbert; Timm, Jörg
    HLA-B*27 is protective against HCV genotype 1 and 3 and associated with targeting of distinct genotype-specific CD8(+) cell epitopes
    In: Journal of Hepatology , Vol. 60 2014, Nr. Suppl. 1, pp. 140
    DOI
  • Lättig-Tünnemann, Gisela; Prinz, Manuel; Hoffmann, Daniel; Behlke, Joachim; Palm-Apergi, Caroline; Morano, Ingo; Herce, Henry D.; Cardoso, M. Cristina
    Backbone rigidity and static presentation of guanidinium groups increases cellular uptake of arginine-rich cell-penetrating peptides
    In: Nature Communications , Vol. 2 2011, pp. 453
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Ruhl, Marianne; Knuschke, Torben; Schewior, Kevin; Glavinic, Lejla; Neumann-Haefelin, Christoph; Chang, Dae-In; Klein, Marina; Heinemann, Falko M.; Tenckhoff, Hannelore; Wiese, Manfred; Horn, Peter A.; Viazov, Sergey; Spengler, Ulrich; Roggendorf, Michael; Scherbaum, Norbert; Nattermann, Jacob; Hoffmann, Daniel; Timm, Jörg; East German HCV Study Group
    CD8+ T-Cell Response Promotes Evolution of Hepatitis C Virus Nonstructural Proteins
    In: Gastroenterology , Vol. 140 2011, Nr. 7, pp. 2064 – 2073
    DOI
  • Beerenwinkel, Niko; Sing, Tobias; Lengauer, Thomas; Rahnenführer, Jörg; Roomp, Kirsten; Savenkov, Igor; Fischer, Roman; Hoffmann, Daniel; Selbig, Joachim; Korn, Klaus; Walter, Hauke; Berg, Thomas; Braun, Patrick; Fätkenheuer, Gerd; Oette, Mark; Rockstroh, Jürgen; Kupfer, Bernd; Kaiser, Rolf; Däumer, Martin
    Computational methods for the design of effective therapies against drug resistant HIV strains
    In: Bioinformatics , Vol. 21 2005, Nr. 21, pp. 3943 – 3950
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Beerenwinkel, Niko; Rahnenführer, Jörg; Kaiser, Rolf; Hoffmann, Daniel; Selbig, Joachim; Lengauer, Thomas
    Mtreemix : A software package for learning and using mixture models of mutagenetic trees
    In: Bioinformatics , Vol. 21 2005, Nr. 9, pp. 2106 – 2107
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Beerenwinkel, Niko; Lengauer, Thomas; Däumer, Martin; Kaiser, Rolf; Walter, Hauke; Korn, Klaus; Hoffmann, Daniel; Selbig, Joachim
    Methods for optimizing antiviral combination therapies
    In: Bioinformatics , Vol. 19 2003, Nr. Suppl 1, pp. i16 – i25
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Hoffmann, Daniel
    Web Site : The Protein Information Resource
    In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition , Vol. 41 2002, Nr. 6, pp. 1075 – 1075
    DOI
  • Jacob, Joël; Geßler, Katrin; Hoffmann, Daniel; Sanbe, Haruyo; Koizumi, Kyoko; Smith, Steven M.; Takaha, Takeshi; Saenger, Wolfram
    Strain-Induced “Band Flips” in Cyclodecaamylose and Higher Homologues
    In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition , Vol. 37 1998, Nr. 5
    DOI
  • Saenger, W.; Jacob, J.; Gessler, K.; Steiner, T.; Hoffmann, Daniel; Sanbe, H.; Koizumi, K.; Smith, S.M.; Takaha, T.
    Structures of the Common Cyclodextrins and Their Larger Analogues -- Beyond the Doughnu
    In: Chemical Reviews , Vol. 98 1998, pp. 1787 – 1802
  • Saenger, Wolfram; Jacob, Joël; Gessler, Katrin; Steiner, Thomas; Hoffmann, Daniel; Sanbe, Haruyo; Koizumi, Kyoko; Smith, Steven M.; Takaha, Takeshi
    Structures of the common cyclodextrins and their larger analogues : beyond the doughnut
    In: Chemical Reviews , Vol. 98 1998, Nr. 5, pp. 1787 – 1802
    DOI
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