Hofmann-Lehmann, Regina

Regina Hofmann-Lehmann holds the position of Professor of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Zurich and has been serving as the Director of the Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services at the University Animal Hospital of the Vetsuisse Faculty since 2017.

With an extensive career, Dr. Hofmann-Lehmann's experience includes a research appointment at the prestigious Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and an instructor role at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1998 to 2001. Notably, she is the only veterinarian to have received a professorship from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), a distinction she held from 2004 to 2010.

Since 2011, she has held the position of the Head of the diagnostic Clinical Laboratory, known for its versatility and its reception of over 30,000 samples annually from animal patients. The laboratory excels in laboratory analyses, particularly serology and molecular diagnostics of infectious diseases, and holds the unique distinction of being the sole lab in Switzerland accredited by the European College of Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ECVCP). In addition, Dr. Hofmann-Lehmann serves as the Head of the Center for Clinical Studies, a vital research facility within the Vetsuisse Faculty, providing support for laboratory-based clinical research, serving 120 users from 30 different research groups.

Dr. Hofmann-Lehmann's contributions extend beyond the laboratory and research. She has held the position of President for the Swiss Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnostics (SVVLD) for several years and is an esteemed board member of the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD) and a member of the standing committee on vaccination in small animals of the Swiss Association for Small Animal Medicine (SVK).

Her research endeavors primarily focus on clinical infectiology and laboratory medicine, with specialized interests in molecular diagnostics, pathogenesis, and prophylaxis of retrovirus and coronavirus infections, as well as haemotropic mycoplasmas, and other infectious diseases, particularly in domestic and wild felids. Dr. Hofmann-Lehmann's scholarly contributions include over 330 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and multiple book chapters, such as in "Ettinger's Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 10th Edition (2022)" and "Greene's Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat, 5th Edition (2022)." Her collaborative research efforts span the globe, involving partnerships with research groups and clinicians worldwide.

Since the spring of 2020, Dr. Hofmann-Lehmann's research team has been at the forefront of investigating SARS-CoV-2 infections in domestic and wild animals, with a particular focus on One Health aspects and infections in pets from COVID-19 affected households. The research group made significant contributions by documenting the first SARS-CoV-2 positive cat in Switzerland and subsequently identifying SARS-CoV-2 infection in several other animal species. Their serological analyses shed light on a higher percentage of pets with SARS-CoV-2 infection than previously assumed.

In a collaborative effort with the Ludwig-Maximilian-University in Munich (LMU) - the “Coronavirus in Cats and Kids” (CICK) collaboration, the study group is dedicated to saving the lives of cats and children through responsible, evidence-based use of antivirals. The CICK collaboration group adopts a highly interdisciplinary approach, uniting veterinary specialists in internal medicine, virology, clinical and anatomic pathology, human medicine specialists in paediatrics and immunology, chemistry specialists for compound analyses, statistics, data analysis and bioinformatics. The group published the first prospective study on "Curing cats with feline infectious peritonitis with an oral multi-component drug containing GS-441524" as a proof-of-concept in 18 FIP-affected cats.

In an ongoing prospective bi-center research initiative, the CICK study group is presently conducting investigations into the oral treatment of a substantial cohort of cats affected by FIP. The primary objective is to identify infrequent occurrences such as therapy failures, side effects, and the development of virus resistance. Patient recruitment is sourced from referrals and individuals seeking care at clinics located in Zurich and Munich.

Dr. Regina Hofmann-Lehmann's distinguished career is marked by her unwavering dedication to advancing the fields of laboratory medicine, clinical research, and One Health, making her a significant asset to the scientific and veterinary communities.