Dr. Eberhard Küster

Adress:
Permoserstr. 15
04318 Leipzig, Germany
Building: 6.0
Room: 325
Phone: +49 341 235 1525
Dr. Eberhard Küster

Research Interests
- Mixture toxicity, toxicokinetics and biotransformation of pesticides & pharmaceuticals in zebrafish embryoa
- Further development and use of zebrafish embryos as an animal test replacement alternative and for the assessment of environmental contamination
- Identification of specifically toxic pesticides from complex mixtures such as wastewater or river water samples
- Adaptation of standard tests of ecotoxicology to the special conditions of environmental monitoring
Curriculum Vitae
Since 2010
Research associate, Department Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig
2000 - 2010
several PostDoc positions, Department Chemical Ecotoxicology and Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ
research areas: groundwater remediation evaluation, biomarker development and hazard assessment with different aquatic bioassays
1996 - 2000
PhD thesis (Dr. rer. nat) at the University of Tübingen, Germany in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the year 2000 (Supervisor B. Mühlbauer), „Die Rolle des intrarenalen Dopamins und seiner Rezeptoren bei der Regulation der Nierenfunktion“
1989 - 1996
diploma in biology at the University of Rostock, Germany (Supervisor K. Jürß) after studying in Marburg, Germany, the Juniata College (Pennsylvania, USA) and the Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort (NC, USA), „Einfluss abiotischer Umweltparameter auf Proteine von Polychaeten“
1987 - 1989
Trained as a Biological-Technical Assistant, „Landesanstalt für Fischerei in Nordrhein-Westfalen“ (now „Landesanstalt für Natur, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz, NRW, Fachbereich Fischereiökologie“)
Current Projects
PARC - European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals; 2021- 2027
ETC-ICM - European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine waters; 2019-2022
Development of an indicator for pesticides to be used for hazard assessment in EU waters
Completed Projects
- NeuroBox - Assessment of neurotoxic effects in the water cycle; BMBF financed, 2017-2020
- Kleingewässermonitoring (KGM) – German Monitoring of Plant Protection Products in Small Streams; UBA financed, 2018-2020; Link to UFZ site
DBU-MOE Postgraduiertenstipendium - Linking uptake and effects of environmental pollutants in the zebrafish embryo model; 2017-2018 (E. Jarosz)
- ToxBox - Hazard based risk management for anthropogenic micro pollutants for the protection of drinking water, BMBF financed, 2011- 2015
- ProDarT - „The zebrafish embryo as alternative to the acute fish test: determination of bioconcentration, effective dose and effect of lipophilic organic substances on the proteome“, BMBF financed, 2009- 2013
- CITE-Cat – Chemicals in the Environment - Chemical active transport, financed by UFZ, 2011-2013
- MODELPROBE - Model driven Soil Probing, Site Assessment and Evaluation; financed by EU, 2008- 2012
- POLYCARBOXYLATES - Risk Analysis of Phosphate alternatives in washing detergents, financed by UBA, 2007
- PROTECTOR - Recycling and upgrading of bone meal for environmentally friendly crop protection and nutrition; financed by EU, 2005-2008
SAFIRA - Remediation research in regional contaminated aquifers; financed by BMBF, 2000-2002
Cooperations
- Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria (Faculty of Science, Prof. A.A. Bakare)
- Organisation of the ecotoxicology module in the frame of the postgradual studies „Toxicologie und Umweltschutz“ at the University of Leipzig
OECD Fellowship- Award (2013-2014), Topic: “Aquaculture- Toxicokinetics of co-substances in pesticide mixtures” at the Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomarker Research, National Ocean Service (NOS) at the National Oceanographic and Athmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Publications
2022 (1)
- Liess, M., Liebmann, L., Lück, M., Vormeier, P., Weisner, O., Foit, K., Knillmann, S., Schäfer, R.B., Schulze, T., Krauss, M., Brack, W., Reemtsma, T., Halbach, K., Link, M., Schreiner, V.C., Schneeweiss, A., Möder, M., Weitere, M., Kaske, O., von Tümpling, W., Gunold, R., Ulrich, N., Paschke, A., Schüürmann, G., Schmitt-Jansen, M., Küster, E., Borchardt, D. (2022):
Umsetzung des Nationalen Aktionsplans zur nachhaltigen Anwendung von Pflanzenschutzmitteln (NAP) – Pilotstudie zur Ermittlung der Belastung von Kleingewässern in der Agrarlandschaft mit Pflanzenschutzmittel-Rückständen. Abschlussbericht, Forschungskennzahl 3717 63 403 0
Texte Umweltbundesamt 07/2022
Umweltbundesamt, Dessau-Roßlau, 319 S.
full text (url)
2021 (2)
- Ogungbemi, A.O., Massei, R., Altenburger, R., Scholz, S., Küster, E. (2021):
Assessing combined effects for mixtures of similar and dissimilar acting neuroactive substances on zebrafish embryo movement
Toxics 9 (5), art. 104
full text (doi) - Ogungbemi, A.O., Teixido, E., Massei, R., Scholz, S., Küster, E. (2021):
Automated measurement of the spontaneous tail coiling of zebrafish embryos as a sensitive behavior endpoint using a workflow in KNIME
MethodsX 8 , art. 101330
full text (doi)
2020 (2)
- Mohaupt, V., Völker, J., Altenburger, R., Birk, S., Kirst, I., Kühnel, D., Küster, E., Semeradova, S., Šubelj, G. (2020):
Pesticides in European rivers, lakes and groundwaters – Data assessment
ETC/ICM Technical Report 1/2020
European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine Waters, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ, Magdeburg, 86 pp.
full text (url) - Ogungbemi, A.O., Teixido, E., Massei, R., Scholz, S., Küster, E. (2020):
Optimization of the spontaneous tail coiling test for fast assessment of neurotoxic effects in the zebrafish embryo using an automated workflow in KNIME®
Neurotoxicol. Teratol. 81 , art. 106918
full text (doi)
2019 (3)
- Küster, E., Kalkhof, S., Aulhorn, S., von Bergen, M., Gündel, U. (2019):
Effects of five substances with different modes of action on cathepsin H, C and L activities in zebrafish embryos
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 16 (20), art. 3956
full text (doi) - Massei, R., Hollert, H., Krauss, M., von Tümpling, W., Weidauer, C., Haglund, P., Küster, E., Gallampois, C., Tysklind, M., Brack, W. (2019):
Toxicity and neurotoxicity profiling of contaminated sediments from Gulf of Bothnia (Sweden): a multi‑endpoint assay with zebrafish embryos
Environ. Sci. Eur. 31 , art. 8
full text (doi) - Ogungbemi, A., Leuthold, D., Scholz, S., Küster, E. (2019):
Hypo- or hyperactivity of zebrafish embryos provoked by neuroactive substances: a review on how experimental parameters impact the predictability of behavior changes
Environ. Sci. Eur. 31 , art. 88
full text (doi)
2017 (2)
- Kühnert, A., Vogs, C., Seiwert, B., Aulhorn, S., Altenburger, R., Hollert, H., Küster, E., Busch, W. (2017):
Biotransformation in the zebrafish embryo – temporal gene transcription changes of cytochrome P450 enzymes and internal exposure dynamics of the AhR binding xenobiotic benz[a]anthracene
Environ. Pollut. 230 , 1 - 11
full text (doi) - Välitalo, P., Massei, R., Heiskanen, I., Behnisch, P., Brack, W., Tindall, A.J., Du Pasquier, D., Küster, E., Mikola, A., Schulze, T., Sillanpää, M. (2017):
Effect-based assessment of toxicity removal during wastewater treatment
Water Res. 126 , 153 - 163
full text (doi)
2016 (3)
- Brox, S., Seiwert, B., Haase, N., Küster, E., Reemtsma, T. (2016):
Metabolism of clofibric acid in zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio) as determined by liquid chromatography–high resolution–mass spectrometry
Comp. Biochem. Physiol. C-Toxicol. Pharmacol. 185–186 , 20 - 28
full text (doi) - Brox, S., Seiwert, B., Küster, E., Reemtsma, T. (2016):
Toxicokinetics of polar chemicals in zebrafish embryo (Danio rerio): Influence of physicochemical properties and of niological processes
Environ. Sci. Technol. 50 (18), 10264 - 10272
full text (doi) - Schmidt, S., Busch, W., Altenburger, R., Küster, E. (2016):
Mixture toxicity of water contaminants-effect analysis using the zebrafish embryo assay (Danio rerio)
Chemosphere 152 , 503 - 512
full text (doi)
2015 (3)
- Hachicho, N., Reithel, S., Miltner, A., Heipieper, H.J., Küster, E., Luckenbach, T. (2015):
Body mass parameters, lipid profiles and protein contents of zebrafish embryos and effects of 2,4-dinitrophenol exposure
PLOS One 10 (8), e0134755
full text (doi) - Luckenbach, T., Küster, E., Busch, W., Scholz, S., Altenburger, R. (2015):
What determines chemical uptake by the zebrafish embryo model?
Toxicol. Lett. 238 (2, Suppl.), S54
full text (doi) - Vogs, C., Kühnert, A., Hug, C., Küster, E., Altenburger, R. (2015):
A toxicokinetic study of specifically acting and reactive organic chemicals for the prediction of internal effect concentrations in Scenedesmus vacuolatus
Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 34 (1), 100 - 111
full text (doi)
2014 (2)
- Brox, S., Ritter, A.P., Küster, E., Reemtsma, T. (2014):
Influence of the perivitelline space on the quantification of internal concentrations of chemicals in eggs of zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio)
Aquat. Toxicol. 157 , 134 - 140
full text (doi) - Brox, S., Ritter, A.P., Küster, E., Reemtsma, T. (2014):
A quantitative HPLC–MS/MS method for studying internal concentrations and toxicokinetics of 34 polar analytes in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos
Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 406 (20), 4831 - 4840
full text (doi)
2013 (4)
- Grummt, T., Kuckelkorn, J., Bahlmann, A., Baumstark-Khan, C., Brack, W., Braunbeck, T., Feles, S., Gartiser, S., Glatt, H., Heinze, R., Hellweg, C.E., Hollert, H., Junek, R., Knauer, M., Kneib-Kissinger, B., Kramer, M., Krauss, M., Küster, E., Maletz, S., Meinl, W., Noman, A., Prantl, E.-M., Rabbow, E., Redelstein, R., Rettberg, P., Schadenboeck, W., Schmidt, C., Schulze, T., Seiler, T.-B., Spitta, L., Stengel, D., Waldmann, P., Eckhardt, A. (2013):
Tox-Box: securing drops of life - an enhanced health-related approach for risk assessment of drinking water in Germany. Tox-Box: die Tropfen des Lebens bewahren - gesundheitsbasierte Risikobewertung für Trinkwasser in Deutschland
Environ. Sci. Eur. 25 , art. 27
full text (doi) - Kühnert, A., Vogs, C., Altenburger, R., Küster, E. (2013):
The internal concentration of organic substances in fish embryos - a toxicokinetic approach
Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 32 (8), 1819 - 1827
full text (doi) - Scholz, S., Sela, E., Blaha, L., Braunbeck, T., Galay-Burgos, M., García-Franco, M., Guinea, J., Klüver, N., Schirmer, K., Tanneberger, K., Tobor-Kapłon, M., Witters, H., Belanger, S., Benfenati, E., Creton, S., Cronin, M.T.D., Eggen, R.I.L., Embry, M., Ekman, D., Gourmelon, A., Halder, M., Hardy, B., Hartung, T., Hubesch, B., Jungmann, D., Lampi, M.A., Lee, L., Léonard, M., Küster, E., Lillicrap, A., Luckenbach, T., Murk, A.J., Navas, J.M., Peijnenburg, W., Repetto, G., Salinas, E., Schüürmann, G., Spielmann, H., Tollefsen, K.E., Walter-Rohde, S., Whale, G., Wheeler, J.R., Winter, M.J. (2013):
A European perspective on alternatives to animal testing for environmental hazard identification and risk assessment
Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 67 (3), 506 - 530
full text (doi) - Wahyudi, A., Bartzke, M., Küster, E., Bogaert, P. (2013):
Maximum entropy estimation of a Benzene contaminated plume using ecotoxicological assays
Environ. Pollut. 172 , 170 - 179
full text (doi)
2012 (1)
- Gündel, U., Kalkhof, S., Zitzkat, D.P., von Bergen, M., Altenburger, R., Küster, E. (2012):
Concentration-response concept in ecotoxicoproteomics: effects of different phenanthrene concentrations to the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo proteome
Ecotox. Environ. Safe. 76 (1), 11 - 22
full text (doi)
2011 (1)
- Agbo, S.O., Küster, E., Georgi, A., Akkanen, J., Leppänen, M.T., Kukkonen, J.V.K. (2011):
Photostability and toxicity of pentachlorophenol and phenanthrene
J. Hazard. Mater. 189 (1-2), 235 - 240
full text (doi)
2010 (4)
- Duquesne, S., Küster, E. (2010):
Biochemical, metabolic, and behavioural responses and recovery of Daphnia magna after exposure to an organophosphate
Ecotox. Environ. Safe. 73 (3), 353 - 359
full text (doi) - Gündel, U., Kalkhof, S., von Bergen, M., Altenburger, R., Küster, E. (2010):
Concentration-response concept in ecotoxicoproteomics: an optimised design for the detection of robust chemical stress associated protein markers: Effects of different concentrations of phenanthren to the proteome of Danio rerio embryos
Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A-Mol. Integr. Physiol. 157 (Suppl. 1), S42 - S43
full text (doi) - Hanisch, K., Küster, E., Altenburger, R., Gündel, U. (2010):
Proteomic signatures of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo: sensitivity and specificity in toxicity assessment of chemicals
International Journal of Proteomics 2010 , Article ID 630134 - 13
full text (doi) - Meinert, C., Schymanski, E., Küster, E., Kühne, R., Schüürmann, G., Brack, W. (2010):
Application of preparative capillary gas chromatography (pcGC), automated structure generation and mutagenicity prediction to improve effect-directed analysis of genotoxicants in a contaminated groundwater
Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 17 (4), 885 - 897
full text (doi)
2009 (1)
- Schreiber, R., Altenburger, R., Paschke, A., Schüürmann, G., Küster, E. (2009):
A novel in vitro system for the determination of bioconcentration factors and the internal dose in zebrafish (Danio rerio) eggs
Chemosphere 77 (7), 928 - 933
full text (doi)
2008 (4)
- Küster, E., Altenburger, R. (2008):
Oxygen decline in biotesting of environmental samples - Is there a need for consideration in the acute zebrafish embryo assay?
Environ.Toxicol. 23 (6), 745 - 750
full text (doi) - Mages, M., Bandow, N., Küster, E., Brack, W., von Tümpling, W. (2008):
Zinc and cadmium accumulation in single zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos - A total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry application
Spectroc. Acta Pt. B-Atom. Spectr. 63 (12), 1443 - 1449
full text (doi) - Scholz, S., Fischer, S., Gündel, U., Küster, E., Luckenbach, T., Voelker, D. (2008):
The zebrafish embryo model in environmental risk assessment - applications beyond acute toxicity testing
Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 15 (5), 394 - 404
full text (doi) - Schreiber, R., Altenburger, R., Paschke, A., Küster, E. (2008):
How to deal with lipophilic and volatile organic substances in microtiter plate assays
Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 27 (8), 1676 - 1682
full text (doi)
2007 (2)
- Gündel, U., Benndorf, D., von Bergen, M., Altenburger, R., Küster, E. (2007):
Vitellogenin cleavage products as indicators for toxic stress in zebra fish embryos: a proteomic approach
Proteomics 7 (24), 4541 - 4554
full text (doi) - Küster, E., Altenburger, R. (2007):
Suborganismic and organismic effects of aldicarb and its metabolite aldicarb-sulfoxide to the zebrafish embryo (Danio rerio)
Chemosphere 68 (4), 751 - 760
full text (doi)
2006 (2)
- Altenburger, R., Brack, W., Greco, W.R., Grote, M., Jung, K., Ovari, A., Riedl, J., Schwab, K., Küster, E. (2006):
On the mode of action of N-phenyl-2-naphthylamine in plants
Environ. Sci. Technol. 40 (19), 6163 - 6169
full text (doi) - Küster, E., Altenburger, R. (2006):
Comparison of cholin- and carboxylesterase enzyme inhibition and visible effects in the zebra fish embryo bioassay under short-term paraoxon-methyl exposure
Biomarkers 11 (4), 341 - 354
full text (doi)
2005 (5)
- Kaschl, A., Schultz, A., Vogt, C., Dorusch, F., Popp, P., Borsdorf, H., Küster, E., Kuschk, P., Kästner, M., Weiß, H. (2005):
A meso-scale constructed wetland for the remediation of chlorobenzene contaminated groundwater
In: Thomson, N.R. (ed.)
Bringing groundwater quality research to the watershed scale (GQ2004 International conference of groundwater quality, Waterloo, Canada, 19-22 July 2004)
IAHS Publ. 297
International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, p. 404 - 411 - Küster, E. (2005):
Cholin- and carboxylesterase activities in developing zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio) and their potential use for insecticide hazard assessment
Aquat. Toxicol. 75 (1), 76 - 85
full text (doi) - Küster, E., Dorusch, F., Altenburger, R. (2005):
Toxizität von Schwefelwasserstoff (H2S) auf die Biotestorganismen Vibrio fischeri und Daphnia magna
Tagungsbericht 2004 der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Limnologie e.V. (DGL) und der Deutschsprachigen Sektion der Societas Internationalis Limnologiae (SIL). Potsdam, 20. - 24.09.2004
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie, Berlin, S. 561 - 565 - Küster, E., Dorusch, F., Altenburger, R. (2005):
Effects of hydrogen sulfide to Vibrio fischeri, Scenedesmus vacuolatus, and Daphnia magna
Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 24 (10), 2621 - 2629
full text (doi) - Olajire, A.A., Altenburger, R., Küster, E., Brack, W. (2005):
Chemical and ecotoxicological assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated sediments of the Niger Delta, Southern Nigeria
Sci. Total Environ. 340 (1-3), 123 - 136
full text (doi)
2004 (2)
- Küster, E., Dorusch, F., Altenburger, R. (2004):
Ökotoxikologische Verfahren der Wirkungsanalyse für das Management von Grundwasser-Kontaminationen: Fallbeispiel quartärer Grundwasserleiter in Bitterfeld-Süd
In: Weiß, H., Teutsch, G., Daus, B. (Hrsg.)
SAFIRA (Sanierungsforschung in regional kontaminierten Aquiferen)
UFZ-Bericht 13/2004
UFZ Leipzig-Halle GmbH, Leipzig, S. 287 - 316 - Küster, E., Dorusch, F., Vogt, C., Weiß, H., Altenburger, R. (2004):
On line biomonitors used as a tool for toxicity reduction evaluation of in situ groundwater remediation techniques
Biosens. Bioelectron. 19 (12), 1711 - 1722
full text (doi)
2003 (4)
- Brack, W., Altenburger, R., Küster, E., Meissner, B., Wenzel, K.-D., Schüürmann, G. (2003):
Identification of toxic products of anthracene photomodification in simulated sunlight
Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 22 (10), 2228 - 2237
full text (doi) - Küster, E., Dorusch, F., Meißner, B., Weiß, H., Schüürmann, G., Altenburger, R. (2003):
Toxizitätsreduktion durch (Grundwasser-) Sanierung? Erfolgskontrolle von In-situ-Grundwasser- Sanierungsverfahren mithilfe von kontinuierlichen und diskontinuierlichen Biotests
Grundwasser 8 (1), 32 - 40
full text (doi) - Küster, E., Dorusch, F., Weiß, H., Altenburger, R. (2003):
Controlling (groundwater-) remediation success via on line biomonitoring or how toxic is remediated groundwater?
ConSoil 2003 : proceedings of the 8th International FZK/TNO Conference on Contaminated Soil, ICC Gent, Belgium, 12 - 16 May 2003
F&U confirm, Leipzig, p. 3305 - 3314 - Küster, E., Dorusch, F., Weiß, H., Schüürmann, G., Altenburger, R. (2003):
Beurteilung der Entgiftung von Grundwasser durch Sanierungsverfahren mittels kontinuierlicher biologischer Überwachung
In: Foth, H. (Hrsg.)
Risk assessment and management of large contamination sites. Gefahrenabschätzung und Handhabung großflächiger Kontaminationen. Proceedingsband zum Kongress an der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, 22. - 24. Februar 2002
S. 41 - 45
2001 (1)
- Küster, E., Dorusch, F., Weiß, H., Altenburger, R. (2001):
TRE-Toxicity-Reduction-Evaluation - Approaches for continuous effect monitoring of in situ groundwater remediation techniques
11th Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Europe, Madrid, Spain, 6-10 May 2001
SETAC Europe, Brussels,
2000 (1)
- Mühlbauer, B., Küster, E., Luippold, G. (2000):
Dopamine D3 receptors in the rat kidney: Role in physiology and pathophysiology
Acta Physiol.Scand. 168 (1), 219 - 223
full text (doi)
Student Projects
Students who wish to work here in the frame of their bachelor or master thesis (or other voluntary projects within their university education) are invited to ask for advise or in- deep information. Working topics would mainly be connected to the above current projects but that is not prerogatory. Own ideas will be accepted if I can supervise them in terms of content and needed machinery/ tools.
For brainstorming, here a list of student projects which were finalised within the last 5 years:
Otherwise, simply browse through the latest publications, and you may find further starting points for a topic.