Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Frank Tüttelmann


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E-Mail: Frank Tüttelmann
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  • University training and degree

    1995 – 2002 Studies in Human Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, State examination

  • Advanced academic qualifications

    2013 Habilitation in Human Genetics and Andrology, WWU (mentor: P. Wieacker)
    2006 Dr. med., Institute of Reproductive Medicine, WWU, year of oral exam: 2006 (supervisor: E. Nieschlag)

  • Postgraduate professional career

    2020 – Director, Institute of Reproductive Genetics, WWU and Head of Department (Sektionsleitung), Reproductive Genetics, UKM
    2018 – Full Professor of Reproductive Genetics, WWU
    2017 – Research coordinator DFG Clinical Research Unit ‘Male Germ Cells’
    2016 Professor (apl.) of Human Genetics and Andrology, WWU
    2016 – Deputy Director for Research and Teaching, Institute of Human Genetics
    2014 – Senior Physician (Oberarzt), Institute of Human Genetics
    2012 Specialist in Human Genetics
    2008 – 2014 Clinician Scientist, Institute of Human Genetics, WWU/UKM
    2006 Clinical Andrologist, European Academy of Andrology
    2004 – 2008 Clinician Scientist, Institute of Reproductive Medicine, WWU/UKM

  • Academic memberships and activities

    2021– EU COST Action 20119 ‘AndroNet’, Management Committee and Chair of Working Group 1 ‘Research Coordination’
    2021– Spokesperson Research Focus ‘Cell Differentiation, Regeneration and Neoplasia’, Medical Faculty, WWU
    2020– Founding member and steering committee, Male Reproductive Health Initiative (MRHI)
    2020– Associate editor: Human Genetics and Genomics Advances
    2020– ClinGen Expert Group in Reproduction and Infertility
    2018– Founding member and steering committee, International Male Infertility Genomics Consortium (IMIGC) and head of Clinical Working Group
    2015 Publishing Award Andrology, German Society of Urology for ‘X-Linked TEX11 Mutations, Meiotic Arrest, and Azoospermia in Infertile Men.’
    2013 Young Andrologist Award, International Society of Andrology
    2009– Organiser of EQA scheme for AZF deletion analysis in the European Molecular Genetics Quality Network (EMQN) and author of respective guidelines

  • Selected publications

    All publications by Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Frank Tüttelmann can be found here.

    1. Stallmeyer B, Bühlmann C, Stakaitis R, Dicke AK, Ghieh F, Meier L, Zoch A, MacKenzie MacLeod D, Steingröver J, Okutman Ö, Fietz D, Pilatz A, Riera-Escamilla A, Xavier MJ, Ruckert C, Di Persio S, Neuhaus N, Gurbuz AS, Şalvarci A, Le May N, McEleny K, Friedrich C, van der Heijden G, Wyrwoll MJ, Kliesch S, Veltman JA, Krausz C, Viville S, Conrad DF, O'Carroll D, Tüttelmann F. Inherited defects of piRNA biogenesis cause transposon de-repression, impaired spermatogenesis, and human male infertility. Nat Commun. 2024 Aug 9;15(1):6637. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-50930-9.
    2. Dicke AK, Pilatz A, Wyrwoll MJ, Punab M, Ruckert C, Nagirnaja L, Aston KI, Conrad DF, Di Persio S, Neuhaus N, Fietz D, Laan M, Stallmeyer B*, Tüttelmann F*. DDX3Y is likely the key spermatogenic factor in the AZFa region that contributes to human non-obstructive azoospermia. Commun Biol. 2023 Mar 31;6(1):350. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-04714-4.
    3. Wyrwoll MJ*, Köckerling N*, Vockel M, Dicke AK, Rotte N, Pohl E, Emich J, Wöste M, Ruckert C, Wabschke R, Seggewiss J, Ledig S, Tewes AC, Stratis Y, Cremers JF, Wistuba J, Krallmann C, Kliesch S, Röpke A, Stallmeyer B, Friedrich C*, Tüttelmann F*. Genetic Architecture of Azoospermia-Time to Advance the Standard of Care. Eur Urol. 2022 Jun 8. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2022.05.011.
    4. Wyrwoll MJ*, van Walree SE*, Hamer G, Rotte N, Motazacker MM, Meijers-Heijboer H, Alders M, Meißner A, Kaminsky E, Wöste M, Krallmann C, Kliesch S, Hunt TJ, Clark AT, Silber S, Stallmeyer B, Friedrich C, van Pelt AMM, Mathijssen IB*, Tüttelmann F*. Bi-allelic variants in DNA mismatch repair proteins MutS Homolog MSH4 and MSH5 cause infertility in both sexes. Hum Reprod. 2021 Dec 27. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deab230.
    5. Oud MS, Volozonoka L, Friedrich C, Kliesch S, Nagirnaja L, Gilissen C, O’Bryan MK, McLachlan RI, Aston KI, Tüttelmann F, Conrad DF, Veltman JA. Lack of evidence for a role of PIWIL1 variants in human male infertility. Cell. 2021 Apr 15. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.03.001.
    6. Krausz C*, Riera-Escamilla A*, Moreno-Mendoza D, Holleman K, Cioppi F, Algaba F, Pybus M, Friedrich C, Wyrwoll MJ, Casamonti E, Pietroforte S, Nagirnaja L, Lopes AM, Kliesch S, Pilatz A, Carrell DT, Conrad DF, Ars E, Ruiz-Castañé E, Aston KI, Baarends WM*, Tüttelmann F*. Genetic dissection of spermatogenic arrest through exome analysis: clinical implications for the management of azoospermic men. Genet Med. 2020 Dec. doi: 10.1038/s41436-020-0907-1.
    7. Wyrwoll MJ*, Temel ŞG*, Nagirnaja L, Oud MS, Lopes AM, van der Heijden GW, Heald JS, Rotte N, Wistuba J, Wöste M, Ledig S, Krenz H, Smits RM, Carvalho F, Gonçalves J, Fietz D, Türkgenç B, Ergören MC, Çetinkaya M, Başar M, Kahraman S, McEleny K, Xavier MJ, Turner H, Pilatz A, Röpke A, Dugas M, Kliesch S, Neuhaus N, GEMINI Consortium, Aston KI, Conrad DF, Veltman JA, Friedrich C*, Tüttelmann F*. Biallelic mutations in M1AP are a frequent cause of meiotic arrest and severely impaired spermatogenesis leading to male infertility. Am J Hum Genet. 2020 Aug 6. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2020.06.010.
    8. Schilit SLP, Menon S, Friedrich C, Kammin T, Wilch E, Hanscom C, Jiang S, Kliesch S, Talkowski ME, Tüttelmann F*, MacQueen AJ*, Morton CC*. SYCP2 translocation-mediated dysregulation and frameshift variants cause human male infertility. Am J Hum Genet. 2020 Jan 2. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2019.11.013.
    9. van der Bijl N*, Röpke A*, Biswas U, Wöste M, Jessberger R, Kliesch S, Friedrich C, Tüttelmann F. Mutations in the stromal antigen 3 (STAG3) gene cause male infertility due to meiotic arrest. Hum Reprod. 2019 Nov 1. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dez204.
    10. Yatsenko AN, Georgiadis AP, Röpke A, Berman AJ, Jaffe T, Olszewska M, Westernströer B, Sanfilippo J, Kurpisz M, Rajkovic A, Yatsenko SA, Kliesch S, Schlatt S, Tüttelmann F. XLinked TEX11 Mutations, Meiotic Arrest, and Azoospermia in Infertile Men. N Engl J Med. 2015 May 28. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1406192.

    * contributed equally