CIMR-Yuval Rinkevich

Research Group

Yuval Rinkevich

yuval.rinkevich(at)cimrbj.ac.cn

Distinguished Investigator

yuval.rinkevich(at)cimrbj.ac.cn

Bachelor of Science (BSc), Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Master of Science (MSc), Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

Doctorate in Biology (PhD), Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

Work Experience

Since 2024

Institute Director, Institute for Regenerative Biology and Medicine (IRBM), CIMR, Beijing, China

Since 2024

Full Professor, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

2021-2024

Institute Director, Institute for Regenerative Biology and Medicine (IRBM), Helmholtz Center Munich, Germany

Since 2019

Tenured Principal Investigator, Institute for Lung Biology and Disease; Helmholtz Center Munich, Germany

2015-2019

PI of Research Group, Institute for Lung Biology and Disease; Helmholtz Center Munich, Germany

2014-2015

Basic Life Science Research Associate, Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University (Prof. Irving L. Weissman, Advisor)

2008-2014

Post doctorate, Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University (Prof. Irving L. Weissman, Advisor)

Research Direction

The lab of Dr. Rinkevich explores the stem cells, embryonic lineages and molecular basis of tissue repair and regeneration as foundation for therapeutic use. Research direction includes discovery of fibroblast lineages in the transition from scarless healing to scar forming tissue responses. His latest work describing the fascia connective tissue, and its mobilization in injury repair in multiple organ systems is reinventing the way we look at tissue repair and regeneration, opening a new biological context to treat and resolve fibrotic diseases.

Major Contributions

1. Established key concepts orchestrating injured organ regeneration from fate-restricted stem cells: in limbs(Nat 2011), at organ surfaces (Nat Cell Biol 2012), and within the kidney (Cell Reports 2012), skin (PNAS 2014), and liver (PNAS 2017)

2. Discovered fibroblast heterogeneity reformulates how and why scarring can occur in mammalian tissues and the mechanisms behind the switch between fetal regenerative healing to scarring (Science 2015, Nat Cell Biol 2018)

3. Development of new clinical interventions for connective tissue pathologies including skin scarring(Science 2015) and internal organ fibroses, including surgical adhesions (PNAS 2017, Sci Trans Med 2017, Nat Commun 2020)

4. Unveiled fascia as a depot of pre-made mobile ECM fueling a new paradigm of tissue repair in multiple organs(Nat 2019, Nat Commun 2020, Nat Immunol 2022, Nat 2023)

Major Research Projects

1. Scarless World, European Commission/ERC Consolidator grant, April 2019-March 2024

2. Perinatal Development of Immune Cell Topology (PILOT), DFG Collaborative Research Center, Jan 2023-Dec 2026

3. A novel approach for studying the formation of abdominal adhesions, Else-Kroner-Fresenius Stiftung, Nov 2016-Nov 2019

4. Studying the Cell-Lineage Accountable for Scarless Skin Regeneration, DFG Basic Module, March 2016-March 2019

5. SkinTerm, European Commission/H2020 Marie Curie ITN, Oct 2020-Oct 2023

Representative Publications *：Co-first author; #：Co-corresponding author

Correa-Gallegos D^*, Ye H^*, Dasgupta B^*, Sardogan A, Kadri S, Kandi R, Dai R, Lin Y, Kopplin R, Shenai Disha S, Wannemacher J, Ichijo R, Jiang D, Strunz M, Ansari M, Angelidis I, Schiller H, Voltz T, Machens HG, Rinkevich Y. Spatiotemporal differentiation of CD201-expressing fascia progenitors choreographs injury repair. Nature, 2023, 623: 792-802. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06725-x

Fischer A^*, Correa-Gallegos D^*, Wannemacher J, Christ S, Machens HG, Rinkevich Y. In vivo fluorescent labeling and tracking of Extracellular Matrix. Nature Protocols, 2023, 18: 2876-2890. DOI: 10.1038/s41596-023-00867-y

Gopal KS^*, Dai R, Stefanska AM^*, Ansari M, Zhao J, Ramesh P, Bagnoli JW, Correa-Gallegos D, Lin Y, Christ S, Angelidis I, Lupperger V, Marr C, Davies LC, Enard W, Machens HG, Schiller HB, Jiang D, Rinkevich Y. Wound infiltrating adipocytes are not myofibroblasts. Nature Communications, 2023, 14: 3020. DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-38591-6

Fischer A^*, Wannemacher J^*, Christ S^*, Koopmans T, Kadri S, Zhao J, Gouda M, Ye H, Mück-Häusl M, Krenn PW, Machens HG, Fässler R, Neuman PA, Hauck S, Rinkevich Y. Neutrophils direct preexisting matrix in to initiate repair of damaged organs. Nature Immunology, 2022, 23: 518–531 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-022-01166-6

Jiang D^*, Christ S^*, Correa-Gallegos D^*, Ramesh P^*, Kalgudde Gopa S, Wannemacher J, Mayr C, Lupperger V, Yu Q, Ye H, Mück-Häusl M, Rajendran V, Wan L, Liu J, Mirastschijski U, Volz T, Marr C, Schiller H, Rinkevich Y. Fascia fibroblasts swarm to drive scar formation through N-cadherin. Nature Communications, 2020, 11: 5653 .DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19425-1

Fischer A^*, Koopmans T^*, Ramesh P, Christ S, Strunz M, Aichler M, Feuchtinger A, Walch A, Ansari M, Theis FJ, Schorpp K, Hadian K, Neumann PA, Schiller HB, Rinkevich Y. Post-surgical adhesions are caused by membrane bridges and fusions between mesothelial surfaces. Nature Communications, 2020, 11: 3068 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16893-3

Correa-Gallegos D^*, Jiang D^*, Christ S, Ramesh P, Ye H, Wannemacher J, Kalgudde Gopal S, Yu Q, Aichler M, Walch A, Mirastschijski U, Volz T, Rinkevich Y. Patch repair of deep wounds by mobilized fascia. Nature, 2019, 576: 287-292 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1794-y

Jiang D^*, Correa-Gallegos D^*, Christ S, Stefanska A, Liu J, Ramesh P, Rajendran V, Wagner D, Rinkevich Y . Two succeeding fibroblastic lineages drive dermal development and the transition from regeneration to scarring. Nature Cell Biology, 2018, 20: 422-431. DOI: 10.1038/s41556-018-0073-8

Tsai JM^*, Sinha R^*, Seita J, Fernhoff N, Christ S, Koopmans T, Krampitz GW, McKenna KM, Xing L, Shoham M, McCracken M, Joubert LM, Gordon SR, Poux N, Wernig G, Norton JA, Sandholzer M, Sales J, Weissman IL, Rinkevich Y . Surgical adhesions in mice are derived from mesothelial cells and can be targeted by antibodies against mesothelial markers. Science Translational Medicine, 2018, 10: 469 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aan6735

Rinkevich Y^*, Walmsley GG^*, Hu MS^*, Maan ZN^*, Newman AM, Drukker M, Lorenz PH, Weissman IL, Longaker MT . Identification and Targeted inhibition of a Dermal Lineage Responsible for Scarring and Cancer Stroma. Science, 2015, 348: 420-431. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa2151