Kurzprofil Dr. Phil Richter
Chemoreceptors play a key role in taste and odor perception, such as evaluating the quality of food, but are also expressed in various tissues and organs beyond the oral and nasal cavities.
However, their physiological function beyond classical sensory perception remains largely unexplored. During digestion and metabolization, chemosensory active compounds may undergo enzymatic modifications, altering their chemical properties and bioactive potential. For instance, a sweet-tasting protein can be enzymatically cleaved into bitter peptides during gastric digestion, which may interact with gastric bitter receptors and thereby activate anti-inflammatory signaling pathways.
The aim of the research is to investigate how exogenous compounds are modified during digestion and metabolization and to elucidate which physiological functions their metabolites can exert through interaction with extra-oral and extra-nasal chemoreceptors and associated signaling pathways.
| Since 2025 | Research Fellow (Postdoc), Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich, Research Group: Metabolic Function & Biosignals |
| 2023-2025 | Research Fellow, Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich, Research Group: Metabolic Function & Biosignals |
| 2020-2025 | PhD Student (Dr. rer. nat., summa cum laude), Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich, Research Group: Metabolic Function & Biosignals |
| 2017-2020 | Master of Science with focus on organic chemistry, University of Bayreuth, Elite Graduate Program of the Elite Network of Bavaria |
| 2017-2020 | Master of Education, University of Bayreuth |
| 2019 | First state examination for high school teaching in Bavaria Biology/Chemistry |
| since 2025 | Postdoc Representative at Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University |
| 2021-2025 | PhD Representative at Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University |
Effect of food constituents and their metabolites on physiological processes in humans
Elucidation of the function of chemoreceptors and their role in human physiology
Impact of bitter plant extracts on gastric health (industry cooperation together with Veronika Somoza)
Environmental pollution in a dish: Modeling pollution-induced effects on taste and nutrient sensing (Leibniz Collaborative Excellence together with Veronika Somoza und Melanie Köhler)
Richter, P., Karanth, S., dos Santos Natividade, R., Nicoli, A., Kogut-Guenthel, M. M., Benthin, J., Di Pizio, A., Koehler, M., & Somoza, V. (2025). Biomolecular and biophysical AFM probing reveals distinct binding of bitter peptide VAPFPEVF to TAS2R16 without inducing an intracellular calcium response. Food Chemistry, 484, 144448. doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.144448.
Richter, P., Sebald, K., Fischer, K., Schnieke, A., Jlilati, M., Mittermeier-Klessinger, V., & Somoza, V. (2024). Gastric digestion of the sweet-tasting plant protein thaumatin releases bitter peptides that reduce H. pylori induced pro-inflammatory IL-17A release via the TAS2R16 bitter taste receptor. Food Chemistry, 448, 139157. doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139157.
Richter, P., Andersen, G., Kahlenberg, K., Mueller, A. U., Pirkwieser, P., Boger, V., & Somoza, V. (2024). Sodium-Permeable Ion Channels TRPM4 and TRPM5 are Functional in Human Gastric Parietal Cells in Culture and Modulate the Cellular Response to Bitter-Tasting Food Constituents. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 72(9), 4906–4917. doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.3c09085.
Richter, P., Sebald, K., Fischer, K., Behrens, M., Schnieke, A., & Somoza, V. (2022). Bitter Peptides YFYPEL, VAPFPEVF, and YQEPVLGPVRGPFPIIV, Released during Gastric Digestion of Casein, Stimulate Mechanisms of Gastric Acid Secretion via Bitter Taste Receptors TAS2R16 and TAS2R38. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 70(37), 11591–11602. doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c05228.