We conduct reseach on infectious diseases and inflammatory processes. We focus on host pathgen interaction by characterizing and investigating general principles in the control of intracellular pathogens.

Current projects analyze the interaction with Chlamydiae (C. pneumoniae, C. trachomatis):

Human pathogenic Chlamydiae infect the respiratory tract, the eyes and the urogenital tract. C. pneumoniae infects the upper and lower respiratory tract particularly in children and young adults and has been attributed in its persistent form to the pathogenesis of COPD and asthma. Infections with C. trachomatis is the most frequent sexually transmitted disease worldwide, causing severe sequelae like salpingitis, pelvic inflammatory disease and infectious infertility in females. Pathogenetic features in Chlamydia infections are strongly connected to a particular intracellular developmental cycle that allows the pathogen to promote active growth but also to silently persist depending on nutrient availability or changing microenvironmental factors.

We try o contribute to a better understanding of such infectious mechanisms in order to better understand infectious diseases and to improve therapeutic options.