Truttmann recognized for cell stress research

Matthias C Truttmann, assistant professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Michigan, has received the 2025 Ferruccio Ritossa Research Scholar Award from the Cell Stress Society International, or CSSI. This award recognizes early- to mid-career scientists whose work exemplifies the pioneering spirit of Ferruccio Ritossa, who discovered the heat shock response in the early 1960s, a fundamental mechanism by which cells adapt to stress. Truttmann was honored and delivered remarks at the CSSI annual meeting in October.

Matthias Truttmann

Truttmann's research focuses on the regulation of protein quality control mechanisms, particularly the role of heat shock protein 70, or Hsp70, family chaperones. His lab investigates how posttranslational modifications of Hsp70 proteins influence their function in maintaining proteostasis, with implications for aging and age-related diseases, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disorders. By using a multidisciplinary approach that includes molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience and biochemistry, Truttmann's team aims to uncover and exploit novel therapeutic targets for these conditions.

He earned his Ph.D. in infection biology from the Biozentrum University of Basel, Switzerland, and completed postdoctoral work at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston Children’s Hospital. He has received many awards, including the U-M Innovative Multidisciplinary Research Pilot Award and U-M Drug Discovery Award, which both recognized his innovative work in proteostasis and stress biology.

According to the CSSI announcement, Truttmann’s work “advances our understanding of Hsp70 chaperone regulation and its role in proteostasis,” continuing Ritossa’s legacy by linking molecular chaperone biology to human health.