Michael W. Pfaffl


Michael W. Pfaffl is a German physiologist and molecular biologist known for his work in quantitative real-time PCR, molecular diagnostics, and extracellular vesicle research. He is a professor at the Technical University of Munich and formerly held senior scientific leadership positions at the German division of TATAA Biocenter AB.

Education

Pfaffl began studying Agriculture and Animal Science at the Technical University of Munich in 1986. He later specialized in biotechnology and molecular biology earning his PhD in 1997 with a dissertation on molecular muscle and growth physiology. In 2003, he completed his habilitation in physiology thus fulfilling the requirements for a professorship under the German academic system.

Career

Academic career

Pfaffl began his academic career in 1986 at the Technical University of Munich. In 2010, he was appointed Professor of Molecular Physiology at the TUM School of Life Sciences located in Freising-Weihenstephan. His academic work focused on gene expression analysis, molecular diagnostics, extracellular vesicles, and the statistical and methodological refinement of qPCR techniques.
Pfaffl has published over 380 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. His scientific contributions have been cited more than 105,000 times as of 2025, and he has achieved an h-index of 67. His work has influenced global standards in molecular quantification areas including normalization procedures, MIQE compliance, and data integrity in nucleic acid-based assays.

Role at TATAA Biocenter

In 2015, Pfaffl joined the German branch of TATAA Biocenter AB as Corporate Officer and Principal Scientist. He was involved in both the executive and scientific leadership of the company, where he contributed to strategic planning, scientific innovation, and education. His work helped shape the company’s direction in qPCR research, assay development, and quality control in molecular diagnostics.
At TATAA, he led the design of qPCR workflows used by pharmaceutical and biotech companies and ensured that training and service offerings adhered to the Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments guidelines.
Pfaffl chaired and coordinated international conferences, including qPCR 2010 in Vienna, qPCR 2011, and qPCR & NGS 2013, in Freising-Weihenstephan. In parallel, he promoted the use of GenEx software for qPCR analysis, endorsing its compliance with MIQE and other quality standards.

Selected publications

Sources:
TitleJournal / YearCitations
A new mathematical model for relative quantification in real-time RT–PCRNucleic Acids Research, 200139,000+
The MIQE guidelines: minimum information for publication of qPCR experimentsClinical Chemistry, 200917,000+
Relative expression software tool Nucleic Acids Research, 20028,700+
BestKeeper tool for housekeeping gene validationBiotechnology Letters, 20045,600+
RNA integrity and qRT-PCR performanceMolecular Aspects of Medicine, 20062,000+

Awards

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