Chair For Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Pulmonary Research
PD Dr. med. Ulrich Matt, PhDe5 media2024-03-22T09:38:05+01:00
PD Dr. med. Ulrich Matt, PhD
Focus of Research Group
Acute lung injury (ALI) is caused by direct or indirect insults to the lung, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Bacterial superinfections are feared complications of ALI. On the cellular level, alveolar macrophages are key innate immune cells that initiate and resolve an inflammatory process. Resolution of inflammation might impair the macrophage´s ability to clear bacteria, thus predisposing to superinfections. My project focuses on the kinetics and activation state of macrophages/monocytes during ALI in the context of bacterial superinfections.
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Project description: Acute lung injury (ALI) is caused by direct or indirect insults to the lung, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Bacterial superinfections are feared complications of ALI. On the cellular level, alveolar macrophages are key innate immune cells that initiate and resolve an inflammatory process. Resolution of inflammation might impair the macrophage´s ability to clear bacteria, thus predisposing to superinfections. My project focuses on the kinetics and activation state of macrophages/monocytes during ALI in the context of bacterial superinfections.
Mohammad Estiri
Project description: Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the major pathogens of nosocomial pneumonia. Due to increasing antimicrobial resistance, development of new therapeutic strategies is highly required with outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) of bacteria playing an important role on the course of inflammation and infection. The aim of my project is to characterize the influence of OMVs of different K. pneumoniae strains on murine and human alveolar macrophages and develop long-term therapeutic interventions at the time of colonization, i.e. before infection develops.
Victoria Ogungbemi-Alt
Project description: During acute lung injury, alveolar macrophages (AM) orchestrate initiation and resolution of inflammation to ultimately restore homeostasis. Efferocytosis, i.e. the uptake of apoptotic cells, is significantly important during this process. My project aims to understand how cell-type specific efferocytosis can influence the immunogenic and metabolic properties of lung macrophages and how these properties can be manipulated for therapeutic use.
MD Students
Julia Findeisen
Project description: The project is about a new antibiotic “Darobactin” being tested in pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Klebsiella pneumoniae, and how it might affect the immune system by altering the gut microbiome.
