Prof. Dr. med. vet. FVH Regina Hofmann-Lehmann
Area of Research
Description of Research Interest
Regina Hofmann-Lehmann’s research focuses on clinical infectiology, with a particular emphasis on retroviral and coronavirus infections as well as other infectious diseases of domestic and wild felids. Her work aims to elucidate pathogen biology, transmission dynamics, host–pathogen interactions, and avenues for prevention and treatment. She has made major contributions to understanding feline leukaemia virus pathogenesis, demonstrating disease causation through proviral DNA transmission and developing tools to study infection outcome and prevention. Her research further includes characterization of feline caliciviruses associated with respiratory and virulent-systemic disease, identification of a novel haemoplasma species, and laboratory investigations that advanced therapeutic approaches for feline infectious peritonitis.
Her team also integrates artificial intelligence and machine-learning approaches to improve diagnostic accuracy, for example in the differentiation and prediction of feline infectious peritonitis cases. Reflecting a strong One-Health perspective, her group has been studying SARS-CoV-2 infections in domestic and wild animals since 2020, identifying the first infected cats and dogs in Switzerland and contributing to wildlife surveillance. As Head of the Center for Clinical Studies and of the University’s multivalent diagnostic laboratory, she bridges fundamental research with clinical application, supporting animal health, welfare, and conservation.
Special Expertise
Diagnostic laboratory accredited by the European College of Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ECVCP)
- Cytological diagnostics performed by board-certified clinical pathologists (Dipl. ECVCP)
- Consultation and analytical support for mouse and rat samples in research and toxicology studies, including interpretation of findings
- Haematology, clinical chemistry, urinalysis, molecular diagnosis, immunology, endocrinology
- Immunophenotyping of round cell neoplasms in dogs and cats using flow cytometry
- Development and validation of diagnostic assays, particularly for infectious diseases
Clinical infectiology
- Pathogenesis, prevention, and diagnostics of infectious diseases, with a primary focus on feline medicine
- Board Member of the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD)
- Wildlife disease research and conservation medicine
- One-Health infectious disease surveillance in domestic and wild animals
- Application of AI and machine-learning tools for improved disease diagnostics
Shareable Platforms, Services, Equipment & Infrastructure
Multivalent diagnostic laboratory for domestic, laboratory and exotic animals (www.vetlabor.uzh.ch)
Hematological, cytological, clinical chemistry, urine, serological and molecular analyses
Center for Clinical Studies (ZKS; www.zks.uzh.ch)
Member of Collaborative/interdisciplinary Research Consortia
European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (https://www.abcdcatsvets.org/): ABCD Europe is an independent panel of veterinary experts on feline infectious diseases and promote disease prevention and control for improved feline health and welfare.Coronavirus in Cats and Kids "CICK" Group – Collaborative consortium between LMU Munich and the Clinical Laboratory and the Clinical for Small Animal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, advancing research on coronavirus-related diseases in cats and children; contributions include the first prospective FIP treatment study with oral GS-441524, prognostic marker analyses, and development of novel diagnostics.
