Dr Kami Alexander Pekayvaz
Research areas: Cardiovascular immunology, peripheral neuro-immune interfaces, immunothrombosis, atherosclerosis, single-cell biology
Kami Alexander Pekayvaz is a DZHK Junior Research Group Leader for catecholamine mediated neutrophil-coagulation interplay in septic and sterile cardiovascular inflammation
Research focus
Dr. Pekayvaz’s research focusses on employing single-cell analyses for characterizing inflammatory cardiovascular disease settings and subsequently reversely translating these into in vivo and in vitro models, allowing mechanistic validation. With the DZHK Junior Research Group Leader position he is currently focusing on the role of catecholamine signaling as a key modulator of neutrophil-coagulation interplay.
Neutrophils are first and numerous responders to multiple acute stressors. This includes septic as well as sterile inflammatory stressors but also non-inflammatory environmental stress. In parallel, the neuro-endocrine system also rapidly reacts to these inflammatory or non-inflammatory stressors, predominantly by secreting catecholamines into the circulation. In line, settings of acute environmental as well as septic and sterile inflammatory stress have been described to be associated with an increased risk for micro- and macrothrombotic events. Beyond the regulation of vascular tone, in previous in vitro studies, catecholamines have been described to be able to regulate inflammatory responses. It however remains unclear whether and how catecholamines can affect neutrophils as the central effector arm of septic and sterile thrombosis. This catecholamine-neutrophil axis might form a conserved interface that has evolutionary relevance for bacterial containment on the one hand but can also induce harmful macrovascular thrombosis in the context of modern environmental stress settings on the other hand.
With his junior research group leader position, Dr. Pekayvaz will investigate the exact interplay of circulating catecholamines with neutrophils in the context of physiological septic immune-defence by microthrombotic pathogen containment, but also in the context of detrimental macrovascular thrombosis in sterile settings. The strategic positioning of his lab at the cross-road between basic and translational research with modern immune-profiling methods as well as reverse translational in vitro and in vivo disease models will allow a comprehensive understanding of the catecholamine-neutrophil axis for immune-coagulation interplay in septic and sterile cardiovascular inflammation.
Major achievements and awards
- Clinician Scientist of the Year, LMU Klinikum (2025)
- DZHK Junior Research Group Leader (2025)
- Awardee of the Bayer Thrombosis Research Award (2025)
- Lead author of several Paper-of-the-months (DZHK, LMU Klinikum, Else-Kröner-Fresenius Stiftung)
- Awardee of the Rolf-Becker-Preis (2021)
- Awardee of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (2015) and the Deutschlandstipendium
Key publications
Immunothrombolytic monocyte-neutrophil axes dominate the single-cell landscape of human thrombosis. Pekayvaz K, Kilani B, Joppich M, Eivers L, Bramb S, Knottenberg V, Akgöl S, Yue K, Li L, Martinez-Navarro A, Kaiser R, Meißner N, Schulz H, Belz L, Akhalkatsi A, Stockhausen S, Mueller TT, Millonig S, Hartelt L, Gold C, Janjic A, Polewka V, Wendler F, Droste zu Senden A, Titova A, Leunig A, Voelkl M, Engelmann B, Hernandez Petzsche MR, Boeck-Behrens T, Liebig T, Winning S, Fandrey J, Dichgans M, Enard W, Zimmer R, Tiedt S, Massberg S, Nicolai L, Stark. Immunity, 2025 April. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2025.03.020
Multiomic analyses uncover immunological signatures in acute and chronic coronary syndromes. Pekayvaz K*, Losert C*, Knottenberg V*, Gold C, Blokland IV, Oelen R, Groot HE, Benjamins JW, Brambs S, Kaiser R, Gottschlich A, Hoffmann GV, Eivers L, Martinez-Navarro A, Bruns N, Stiller S, Akgöl S, Yue K, Polewka V, Escaig R, Joppich M, Janjic A, Popp O, Kobold S, Petzold T, Zimmer R, Enard W, Saar K, Mertins P, Huebner N, van der Harst P, Franke LH, van der Wijst MGP, Massberg S, Heinig M, Nicolai L, Stark K. Nature Medicine, 2024 May 21. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-02953-4
Peripheral priming induces plastic transcriptomic and proteomic responses in circulating neutrophils required for pathogen containment. Kaiser R, Gold C, Joppich M, Loew Q, Akhalkatsi A, Mueller T, Offensperger F, Droste A, Popp O, di Fina L, Knottenberg V, Martinez-Navarro A, Eivers L, Anjum A, Escaig R, Bruns N, Briem E, Dewender R, Muraly A, Akgöl S, Ferraro B, Hoeflinger J, Polewka V, Khaled NB, Allgeier J, Tiedt S, Dichgans M, Engelmann B, Enard W, Mertins P, Hubner N, Weckbach L, Zimmer R, Massberg S, Stark K**, Nicolai L**, Pekayvaz K**. Science Advances, 2024 Mar 22. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adl1710
Mural cell-derived chemokines provide a protective niche to safeguard vascular macrophages and limit chronic inflammation. Pekayvaz K, Gold C, Hoseinpour P, Engel A, Martinez-Navarro A, Eivers L, Coletti R, Joppich M, Dionísio F, Kaiser R, Tomas L, Janjic A, Knott M, Mehari F, Polewka V, Kirschner M, Boda A, Nicolai L, Schulz H, Titova A, Kilani B, Lorenz M, Fingerle-Rowson G, Bucala R, Enard W, Zimmer R, Weber C, Libby P, Schulz C, Massberg S, Stark K.
Immunity. 2023 October; 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2023.08.002
Thrombocytopenia and splenic platelet-directed immune responses after IV ChAdOx1 nCov-19 administration. Nicolai L*, Leunig A*, Pekayvaz K*, Esefeld M, Anjum A, Rath J, Riedlinger E, Ehreiser V, Mader M, Eivers L, Hoffknecht ML, Zhang Z, Kugelmann D, Rossaro D, Escaig R, Kaiser R, Polewka V, Titova A, Petzold T, Spiekermann K, Iannacone M, Thiele T, Greinacher A, Stark K, Massberg S. Blood. 2022 Aug 4. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2021014712
Protective immune trajectories in early viral containment of non-pneumonic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Pekayvaz K*, Leunig A*, Kaiser R, Joppich M, Brambs S, Janjic A, Popp O, Nixdorf D, Fumagalli V, Schmidt N, Polewka V, Anjum A, Knottenberg V, Eivers L, Wange LE, Gold C, Kirchner M, Muenchhoff M, Hellmuth JC, Scherer C, Rubio-Acero R, Eser T, Deák F, Puchinger K, Kuhl N, Linder A, Saar K, Tomas L, Schulz C, Wieser A, Enard W, Kroidl I, Geldmacher C, von Bergwelt-Baildon M, Keppler OT, Munschauer M, Iannacone M, Zimmer R, Mertins P, Hubner N, Hoelscher M, Massberg S, Stark K, Nicolai L. Nat Commun. 2022 Feb 23. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28508-0
Self-sustaining IL-8 loops drive a prothrombotic neutrophil phenotype in severe COVID-19. Kaiser R*, Leunig A*, Pekayvaz K*, Popp O, Joppich M, Polewka V, Escaig R, Anjum A, Hoffknecht ML, Gold C, Brambs S, Engel A, Stockhausen S, Knottenberg V, Titova A, Haji M, Scherer C, Muenchhoff M, Hellmuth JC, Saar K, Schubert B, Hilgendorff A, Schulz C, Kääb S, Zimmer R, Hübner N, Massberg S, Mertins P, Nicolai L, Stark K. JCI Insight. 2021 Sep 22. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.150862
Vascular neutrophilic inflammation and immunothrombosis distinguish severe COVID-19 from influenza pneumonia. Nicolai L, Leunig A, Brambs S, Kaiser R, Joppich M, Hoffknecht ML, Gold C, Engel A, Polewka V, Muenchhoff M, Hellmuth JC, Ruhle A, Ledderose S, Weinberger T, Schulz H, Scherer C, Rudelius M, Zoller M, Keppler OT, Zwißler B, von Bergwelt-Baildon M, Kääb S, Zimmer R, Bülow RD, von Stillfried S, Boor P, Massberg S, Pekayvaz K**, Stark K**. J Thromb Haemost. 2021 Feb. https://doi.org/10.1111/jth.15179
Immunothrombotic Dysregulation in COVID-19 Pneumonia Is Associated With Respiratory Failure and Coagulopathy. Nicolai L, Leunig A, Brambs S, Kaiser R, Weinberger T, Weigand M, Muenchhoff M, Hellmuth JC, Ledderose S, Schulz H, Scherer C, Rudelius M, Zoller M, Höchter D, Keppler O, Teupser D, Zwißler B, von Bergwelt-Baildon M, Kääb S, Massberg S, Pekayvaz K**, Stark K**. Circulation. 2020 Sep 22. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.048488
*Joint first authors.
**Joint senior authors.
News
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