GRK 3135:  ACME - Activation of Cellular anti-Microbial Effectors

• Subject Area: Microbiology, Virology and Immunology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 545432704

Infections are among the most common diseases worldwide and impose a high socio-economic burden. Despite progress in prevention and therapy, they remain among the leading causes of death worldwide. The increasing antibiotic resistance of bacteria and the lack of effective antiviral drugs represent a major problem. In particular, new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed for intracellular infections caused by facultative intracellular bacteria and viruses. This RTG is based on the central hypothesis that cell-intrinsic defense mechanisms can be activated or modulated to control intracellular pathogens effectively. To exploit this potential, the scientific goal of the RTG is to identify and characterize novel, modulable cellular effectors that (i) directly recognize, control, or eliminate the pathogen, (ii) prevent the pathogen from bypassing cell-intrinsic defense mechanisms or (iii) regulate the cell death of the infected cell. Since the protective cellular mechanisms are pathogen- and host-cell-specific, and to exploit synergies in the investigation of the complex and mutually regulating mechanisms, the focus of the RTG is on human infections caused by alpha-herpes and influenza viruses, as well as on bacteria, for which intracellular infections are a major part of their pathogenesis. The 13 scientists whose expertise synergistically complements each other will jointly apply innovative high-end omics techniques in combination with state-of-the-art methods in bioinformatics, cell and molecular biology, and biochemistry in conjunction with artificial intelligence in the 10 projects. The experimentally identified protective host-cell mechanisms will be validated in relevant infection models such as human organoids, induced pluripotent stem cells, and primary human cells. The future of this dynamic research area depends on the next generation of scientists and physicians being excellently trained in innovative scientific techniques and soft skills. Therefore, the RTG's comprehensive training program integrates the structured joint training of doctoral students in the natural sciences and medicine and early-career medical and clinician scientists, combined with targeted, individual career support. The internationality of the RTG, both in the scientific projects and in the training program, is supported by the international composition of the group of participating scientists and the intensive collaboration with renowned infection researchers.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
• Participating Institution: Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI); Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CIIM); Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI); TWINCORE; Zentrum für Experimentelle und Klinische Infektionsforschung GmbH
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Dirk Schlüter
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Daniel Depledge; Professor Dr. Lars Dölken; Dr. Nishanth Gopala Krishna; Professor Dr. Guntram Alexander Graßl; Dr. Lina Herhaus; Professorin Dr. Susanne Häußler; Professorin Dr. Yang Li; Professor Dr. Matthias Lochner; Dr. Nora Schmidt; Privatdozentin Dr. Tina Schnöder; Professorin Dr. Beate Sodeik; Professor Dr. Abel Viejo-Borbolla