Project Details
Projekt
GRK 1870: Bacterial Respiratory Infections - Common and Specific Mechanism of Pathogen Adaption and Immune Defence
Subject Area
Microbiology, Virology and Immunology
Term
from 2014 to 2018
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 214214857
Respiratory tract infections are one of the biggest health threats all over the globe. In this Research Training Group, researchers are engaged to have a scientific insight into three pathogenic organisms namely Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Burkholderia pseudomallei. Besides being commensals, these microbes have the potential to cause severe respiratory and invasive infections, which are difficult to cure.
Multiresistent strains of the gram-positive pathogens S. pneumoniae and S. aureus prevail both in community and nosocomial settings while B. pseudomallei, being a gram-negative saprophyte of soil and possessing natural antibiotic resistance, is endowed with a signature of intracellular life cycle and is a potential biological agent. To generate new therapies and effective vaccines, it is important to get a better insight into the adaptive potential of these bacteria in various host niches, which lead to their consequential pathogenic ability. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of the bacterial adaptation and immune evasion needs interdisciplinary approach of science and modern experimental methods.
In the Research Training Group researches of infection biology, microbiology, immunology, functional genomics and bioinformatics follow the regulation and expression of virulence factors, clear up OMICs-signatures of bacteria and host cells during colonisation and infection, analyse structure-function relation of lipoproteins and examine the immune defence mechanisms and their modulation. Comparing the three pathogens of the respiratory tract in different experimental systems will be essential to identify different and common molecular mechanisms of the pathogenesis.
The interdisciplinary research programme offers excellent conditions for the development of young and ambitious biomedical scientists. The doctoral students of the Research Training Group benefit from the structured study programme with lab-work, collective seminars, summer schools with international specialists and international symposia. Because of the possibility to stay in the workgroups from the Netherlands or cooperating companies they will expand their knowledge of methods and their integration in the international research community will be supported.
Multiresistent strains of the gram-positive pathogens S. pneumoniae and S. aureus prevail both in community and nosocomial settings while B. pseudomallei, being a gram-negative saprophyte of soil and possessing natural antibiotic resistance, is endowed with a signature of intracellular life cycle and is a potential biological agent. To generate new therapies and effective vaccines, it is important to get a better insight into the adaptive potential of these bacteria in various host niches, which lead to their consequential pathogenic ability. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of the bacterial adaptation and immune evasion needs interdisciplinary approach of science and modern experimental methods.
In the Research Training Group researches of infection biology, microbiology, immunology, functional genomics and bioinformatics follow the regulation and expression of virulence factors, clear up OMICs-signatures of bacteria and host cells during colonisation and infection, analyse structure-function relation of lipoproteins and examine the immune defence mechanisms and their modulation. Comparing the three pathogens of the respiratory tract in different experimental systems will be essential to identify different and common molecular mechanisms of the pathogenesis.
The interdisciplinary research programme offers excellent conditions for the development of young and ambitious biomedical scientists. The doctoral students of the Research Training Group benefit from the structured study programme with lab-work, collective seminars, summer schools with international specialists and international symposia. Because of the possibility to stay in the workgroups from the Netherlands or cooperating companies they will expand their knowledge of methods and their integration in the international research community will be supported.
DFG Programme
Research Training Groups
Applicant Institution
Universität Greifswald
Spokesperson
Professor Dr. Sven Hammerschmidt
