RESEARCH AREA D
Complex Model Systems
Establish and refine multi-cellular, organ and animal models to study complex interactions in inflamed barrier organs at the molecular level. Validate the function of genes, molecules and structures in close-to-human experimental settings.
In vivo model systems include
- transgenic mice mimicking syndromatic human diseases
- cell transfer/bone-marrow chimeric mice to study T cell migration
- different routes of challenge with infectious agents (Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. avium, Leishmania major, Listeria monocytogenes and Trypanosoma cruzi)
- environmental noxious agents (chemicals, UV-light) to study pathophysiological processes (virulence, genetic susceptibility, wound repair, evolution of microflora and disease genes)
- unique collection of extensively genotyped M. tuberculosis (including MDR/XDR) strains for persistence studies in mice
Organ model systems include
- isolated and perfused mouse lung and rat intestine
- mouse and human tracheal explants, precision-cut lung slices
- hypoxic tissue culture with Chlamydia trachomatis
Spotlight on facilities: Biosafety level 2 and 3 (200 sqm.) facilities for mouse experiments. Optical coherent tomography, multi-photon and in situ fluorescence microscopy, colonoscopy, ultrasound device for small animals, laser capture microdissection. Intravital videomicroscopy, FACSArray and AutoMACS in BSL3, MoFlo cell sorting
Participating institutions: Research Center Borstel, Universities Kiel (Biology, Medicine) and Lübeck (Medicine), MPI Evolutionary Biology, Plön
Spotlight on people: new professorship "Experimental Pneumology" (FZB/UL), junior professorship "Mouse Model Systems" (CAU/FZB), "Molecular pathogenesis of infection" (UL), several independent young scientists and postdoctoral fellows through cluster funding
Coordinators:
Stefan Ehlers (Microbial Inflammation Research), Research Center Borstel
Phone: +49 4537 188481, E-Mail: Stefan Ehlers
Werner Solbach (Medical Microbiology), University Kiel
Phone: +49 451 5002800, E-Mail: Werner Solbach
Junior Research Group I-d: Epithelial Barrier Function
This junior research group is part of the core facility of the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology. Active developments and integrations of novel high-throughput technologies are ongoing. Using these technologies (e.g. high-throughput genotyping [TaqMan, SNPlex, Affymetrix] and sequencing platforms [Roche 454 GS-FLX Titanium, ABI SOLiD]), the primary goal is to identify the (epi-)genetic factors that cause complex chronic inflammatory barrier diseases with a focus on Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and psoriasis. So far, genome-wide association studies have been a key method to identify several novel susceptibility loci. The identification of disease-causing structural variants and disease-overlapping susceptibility factors will become another goal in the future.
Coordinator:
André Franke, University Kiel
Phone: +49 431 5974138, E-Mail: André Franke
