Open Research

Projects

Open Research Projects

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Andreas Diefenbach

Innate lymphoid cells, IL-22 and liver regeneration

We study development and function of the innate immune system, in particular of innate lymphoid cells (ILC). A current focus is to obtain a molecular understanding of how the innate immune system, by integrating environmental …

Principal Investigator
Dr. Claudia Dürr

Impact of the mode of delivery on lung homeostasis and health

The goal of my laboratory is to understand the regulation and control mechanisms of immune responses in the respiratory tract. We are continuously exposed to the environment by filtering liters of air each minute to provide …

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Kai-Uwe Eckhardt
Dr. Markus Schüler

The role of DNA damage response signaling in chronic kidney disease

Our research group studies the underlying mechanisms of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Acute and chronic kidney injury has been increasingly recognized as a global public health concern, associated with high morbidity, and …

Principal Investigator
PD Dr. Cornelius Engelmann
Prof. Dr. Frank Tacke

To generate an atlas of cellular senescence in different types and severity grades of liver disease

Cellular senescence occurs in the liver in health and disease. Senescence relates to a status of cell cycle arrest, which becomes more prevalent with increasing age and which develops as the consequence of liver disease.1 Due …

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Kamran Ghoreschi
Dr. Franz Hilke

Healthy skin homeostasis? – Does anti-cytokine treatment restore the physiological and immunological function of the skin?

Our laboratory focuses on the immunological and molecular pathomechanisms of the skin with the aim to identify approaches for personalized and preventive medicine. One group of our translational research interests are chronic …

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Jan Halbritter
Dr. Ria Schönauer

Learning from outliers – Identifying determinants of kidney survival in non-progressive ADPKD

Not Everything Is “Genetic”, but Genes Are Involved in Everything (adapted from Kenneth M. Weiss). Our group is interested in identification and investigation of genetic, clinical, and environmental factors determining onset …

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Dr. Ahmed N. Hegazy

The role of the OSM pathway in maintaining intestinal homeostasis

The mammalian gastrointestinal tract contains the largest number of immune cells and harbors a large and diverse population of commensal bacteria that exist in a symbiotic relationship with the host. The gut-resident immune …

Principal Investigator
Dr. Stefan Jordan

Does fasting re-program inflammatory immune cells?

Diet is an important factor for a healthy life. For the most part of human history, the next meal was not a given. Hence, there was a strong selection pressure for adaptation to periods of no or low food consumption during …

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Felix Knauf,
PD Dr. Martin Reichel

The role of oxalate transporters in maintaining kidney health

Our laboratory focuses on the mechanisms involved in maintaining oxalate homeostasis. Oxalate is a component of various foods and is absorbed via the intestine. High urinary oxalate concentrations lead to kidney stones, the …

Principal Investigator
Dr. Christoph Klose
Prof. Dr. Andreas Diefenbach

Dissecting tissue-homeostatic functions of group 2 innate lymphoid cells using novel genetic tools

Type 2 Inflammation, innate lymphoid cells, tissue-homeostasis, neuro-immune interactions.

Principal Investigator
Dr. DPhil. Marina Kolesnichenko

NF-κB in homeostasis, acute inflammation, and mucosal healing

Our group “Signal Transduction in Health and Disease” (Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Charité Virchow) aims to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in tissue homeostasis, inflammation, and resolution …

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Katja Kotsch
Dr. Arne Sattler
Dr. Efstathios Stamatiades

Deciphering the role of macrophages for allograft quality and survival

Our group is studying immune-mediated mechanisms of solid organ allograft rejection. Worldwide, the number of available donor organs is decreasing. Moreover, due to demographic changes in modern societies the number of …

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kübler
Prof. Dr. Robert Szulcek

The role of the primary cilium in the physiological autoregulation of the pulmonary vasculature

Maintenance or restoration of vascular homeostasis are critical determinants of health throughout life. Of late, the primary cilium has been identified as a key regulator of vascular homeostasis and regeneration. While …

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Max Löhning
Dr. Maria Dzamukova
Dr. Ping Shen

Role of mechanical signals for growth and regeneration of bones / LR signaling in aging and joint trauma as a potential cause of osteoarthritis

Our laboratory investigates the cellular and molecular causes of osteoarthritis, the most common joint disease in adults worldwide. To date, there is no therapy that alters the course of the disease. The onset of …

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Marcus A. Mall
Dr. Julia Dürr

The role of Muc5b in lung homeostasis and onset and progression of interstitial lung disease

Mucociliary clearance is the primary innate defense mechanism of the lung and crucial to maintain lung homeostasis and health. Mucociliary clearance relies on motile cilia on the surface of epithelial cells and a protective …

Principal Investigator
Dr. Christian Neumann

Neuro-immune interactions in the GI tract: Control of gut homeostasis and function by intestinal regulatory T (Treg) cell-derived endogenous opiods

Chronically stimulated surfaces of the body, in particular the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, are major sites where immune cells traffic and reside. Because mucosal surfaces are constantly challenged by fluctuating …

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Julia Polansky

Epigenetic mechanisms in T cell senescence and aging

The three-dimensional structure of the genome – the epigenome – contributes significantly to the regulation of gene expression and forms the molecular basis for each cell type-specific transcription profile. In contrast to …

Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Chiara Romagnani
Timo Rückert

Role of persistent herpesvirus in shaping innate immune clonality

The innate immune system matures early on along with tissue development. In particular, innate lymphoid cells (ILCs, including Natural Killer (NK) cells, already colonize tissues during fetal life and acquire their effector …

Principal Investigator
Dr. Efstathios Stamatiades

The role of kidney-resident macrophages in immune complex-mediated nephritis

My lab is interested in understanding the role of macrophages in homeostasis and disease. Immune complex (IC)-mediated pathologies encompass a range of acute or chronic clinical conditions (e.g., post-streptococcal …

Principal Investigator
Dr. Nicola Wilck
Dr. Hendrik Bartolomaeus

Investigating the impact of nano- and microplastics on hypertensive disease

Environmental factors such as nutrition but also pollution can significantly influence the health-to-disease transition. The contact of the environment with the human organism, especially at interfaces such as the intestine …