Research Focus Immunosciences and Infection
Focus
- Founding member of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) of the Helmholtz Association
- Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation since 2012
- Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation² since 2019
Speaker
Prof. Dr. med. Gunther Hartmann
Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology
At a Glance
Since the foundation of the first immunological institute at the Medical Faculty in 2003, the immunological-infectiological focus has developed extremely dynamically. In 2011, the research focus became a founding member of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) of the Helmholtz Association and since 2012, the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation exists. This success story is now continued with the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation², which has been funded since January 2019. In addition, the SFB/Transregio 237 "Nucleic Acid Immunity" has been funded since 2018, and the SFB 1454 "Metaflammation and Cellular Programming" since 2020. The development of the internationally recoginzed and high-output research focus is accompanied by the establishment of 14 new professorships and two new institutes in this discipline.
Through the thematic area "Neuroinflammation", the research focus Immunosciences and Infection is closely linked to the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the research focus Neurosciences. The training of excellent young scientists and future leaders is a central concern of the members of our multidisciplinary network. Therefore, structured and interconnected training programs for young scientists at all levels - from Master's degree to junior group leadership - have been developed at the Medical Faculty. Particularly noteworthy in this context are the international DFG-funded Bonn-Melbourne PhD Program, as well as the cooperation with the Center of Excellence for Immunology in Osaka, Japan (IFReC). A special focus is the support of equal opportunities for men and women in science.
Current Events
Seminars, events and news can be found on the website of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation.
Highlights
- EXC 2151 "ImmunoSensation2 - the immune sensory system"
Coordination: Prof. Gunther Hartmann, Prof. Eicke Latz, Prof. Waldemar Kolanus
Collaborative Research Centres/Transregios (applicant/co-applicant)
- SFB 1454 „Metaflammation and Cellular Programming“
Coordinator: Prof. Eicke Latz - TRR 237 „Nucleic acid immunity“
Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Veit Hornung
Collaborative Research Centres/Transregios (participating)
- SFB 1192 „Immune-mediated glomerular diseases - Basic concepts and clinical consequences“
TP A08 „Role of dendritic cells in crescentic glomerulonephritis“ , Prof. Christian Kurts - SFB 1292 „Targeting convergent mechanisms of inefficient immunity in tumors and chronic infections“
TP 11 „Regulation and host targets of viral immune evasion“, Prof. Niels Lemmermann - SFB 1328 „Adenine Nucleotides in Immunity and Inflammation“
TP A09 „The spatiotemporal signature of cAMP signaling in brown/beige adipocytes and its interaction with the chemokine-cytokine network“, Prof. Alexander Peifer - SFB 1399 „Mechanisms of drug sensitivity and resistance in small cell lung cancer“
TP C04 „Modulating immune pathways in SCLC cells“, Prof. Michael Hölzel
TP B06* „The relevance of helicase activity for genome stability changes within small cell lung cancer“, Prof. Dr. Katrin Paeschke
TP B08* „Metabolic characterization of innate lymphoid cells in small cell lung cancer“, Dr. Laura Surace - SFB 1403 „Cell Death in Immunity, Inflammation and Disease“
TP CP04/Z04* „Proteomic dissection of cell death-mediated protein release and proteolysis (CP04/Z04*)“, Prof. Dr. Felix Meissner
International Research Training Group
- GRK 2168 "Myeloid antigen presenting cells and the induction of adaptive immunity"
Coordinator: Prof. Christian Kurts
BMBF Collaborative Projects with Speaker Function
- TAKeOff2 „Network to overcome obstacles in the fight against filarial infections and podoconiosis“
Speaker: Prof. Achim Hörauf - WesternND "Combating neurodegeneration caused by western nutrition"
Speaker: Prof. Eicke Latz
DFG-funded Research Units
- FOR 2743 "Mechanical Stress Protection"
TP "Regulation of small GTPase signalling networks and chaperone-assisted selective autophagy through mechanical forces in leukocytes and cardiomyocytes", of the Faculty of Medicine: Prof. Dagmar Wachten - FOR 5427 "BActerial Renal InfeCtion And DEfense (BARICADE)"
TP "Effect of a high fat diet on pyelonephritis", Prof. Dr. Christian Kurts
TP "Role of myeloid immune cells in healing and recurrence of pyelonephritis", Dr. Selina Kathleen Jorch - FOR 5547 "Dissecting primary cilia dynamics in tissue organization and function"
TP 5548 "Primary cilia dynamics in adipose tissue development and homeostasis", Prof. Dagmar Wachten, Prof. Elvira Mass (LIMES) - KFO 329 "Disease pathways in podocyte injury – from molecular mechanisms to individualized treatment options"
TP "The role of mononuclear phagocytes in the development of FSGS", Prof. Christian Kurts
EU Research Projects with Participation
- BEATSep "Biomarkers established to stratify sepsis long-term adverse effects to improve patients’ health and quality of life"
Speaker Bonn: Prof. Dr. Bernardo S. Franklin - HELP "Establishment of a pan-nematode drug development platform"
Speaker: Prof. Jennifer Keiser, Basel, Schweiz; Speaker Bonn: Prof. Kenneth M. Pfarr - REPRESSIT „A novel class of clinical immune checkpoint inhibitors“
Speaker Bonn: Prof. Dr. Felix Meißner - TO_AITION "A high-dimensional approach for unwinding immune-metabolic causes of cardiovascular disease-depression multimorbidities", Coordination: Dr. Evangelos Andreakos, Greece; Speaker Bonn: Prof. Eicke Latz
Research Projects with Speaker Function
- "Switchable immunomodulation of mRNA transport and local translation in microglia by bioactive RNAs" (Human Frontier Science Program)
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Kathrin Leppek - INNATEBITE: "Innate immune response in the mammalian host skin after the bite of a trypanosome-infected tsetse fly" (FWO The Research Foundation - Flanders)
Coordination: Dr. Marc-Alain Widdowson, Prof. Dr. Jan Van Den Abbeele, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen; Bonn: Prof. Dr. Eva Bartok
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
The foundation of the DZNE in 2009 decisively strengthened translational research in Bonn. The close collaboration between working groups of the Neurosciences Research Center and the DZNE was further intensified by the occupation of the state-of-the-art DZNE building in 2016 in close proximity to the Neurocenter. The collaboration in clinical research is particularly close.
- Institute for Innate Immunity
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Experimental Immunology
- Institute for Experimental Oncology
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health
- Institute for Cardiovascular Immunology
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology
- Institute for Structural Biology
- Institute for Virology
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
- Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz-Preise of DFG:
Prof. Gunther Hartmann (2012)
Prof. Christian Kurts (2012)
Prof. Eicke Latz (2018) - ERC Starting Grants:
Prof. Katrin Paeschke (2015) "G-quadruplex DNA Structures and Genome Stability"
Prof. Bernardo Franklin (2017)"Plat-IL-1: Pathophysiology of platelet-derived Interleukin 1" - ERC Consolidator Grants:
Prof. Eicke Latz (2014) "Activation and Regulation of the NLRP3 Inflammasome"
Prof. Felix Meissner (2023) "Inflammatory signals of cell death"
Prof. Florian Schmidt (2024) "Negative Regulation of Inflammatory Responses Revealed with Camelid Nanobodies" - ERC Proof of Concept:
Prof. Bernardo Frankling (2023) "Nanobodies to prevent hematopoietic stem cell bias and hyper-inflammation" - Emmy Noether-Nachwuchsgruppe (DFG):
Prof. Winfried Barchet (2007) "Immunorecognition of viral nucleic acids in the cytosol"
Prof. Dirk Baumjohann (2014) "The role of follicular T helper cells in T helper cell differentiation, function and plasticity"
Prof. Florian Schmidt (2016) „Elucidating inflammasome activation with alpaca single domain antibodies”
Prof. Tim Rollenske (2023) "IgA-select – B cell selection and antibody function in intestinal antibody responses to microbiota" - NRW returnees:
Christoph Wilhelm (2016)
Swantje Liedmann (2023) - Leopoldina members:
Gunther Hartmann
Christian Kurts
Eicke Latz
Organization & Promotion of Young Talent
Organizational Structure
Institutes of Immunosciences and Infection (I3)
The "Institutes of Immunosciences and Infection (I3)" were established as the coordinating umbrella structure of the Immunosciences and Infection research focus of the Medical Faculty. The goals of the I3 are the networking of interdisciplinary scientists working in Immunosciences and Infection and the further increase of the international visibility and scientific excellence of their work. In addition, assistance is to be provided for the coordination and support of interdisciplinary projects, for the acquisition of cooperative third-party funding, and for the support of graduate students and young scientists. To this end, a coordinating infrastructure has been established through which resources can be optimally deployed through synergies in the use of staff and materials.
The I3 promote the transfer of knowledge from basic research results to clinical application, the expansion of industrial cooperation, and the presentation of scientific and structural content to the public. Furthermore, the I3 are dedicated to the promotion of structured, research-oriented training concepts and the international exchange of scientists.
Education Structure
The goal is to train future leaders in immunological-infectiological research. To this end, we provide young scientists with knowledge in state-of-the-art technologies and the latest scientific results. Within the framework of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation, we offer excellent Bachelor's and Master's programs as well as structured programs for postdocs, young group leaders and tenure-track professors. The English master's program "Medical Immunosciences and Infection" at the Medical Faculty teaches the underlying mechanisms and treatment of immune-mediated, inflammatory and infectious diseases. It complements the bachelor's program "Molecular Biomedicine"2020 at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
Graduates can continue their doctoral studies in the BIGS Graduate School Immunosciences and Infection22, a joint institution of the Medical Faculty and LIMES. In the Bonn School of Advanced Studies in Immunology, postdocs, junior group leaders and tenure track professors can take advantage of further training opportunities, mentoring programs and career counseling. International networking is promoted at all levels of education.