Research at the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene
The researchers at the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene want to elucidate the interactions between host and pathogen in order to create a basis for the development of new strategies to combat infectious diseases. Current research at the Institute has developed over decades: The 1960s to 1980s under the leadership of P. Klein heralded an era of pioneering studies on complement, interleukins and T cells, with bacterial virulence factors and the molecular biology of viruses added as additional topics in the 1980s. Immunology has been at the centre of the Institute's research activities for more than 50 years. Continuing this tradition and driven by the search for new insights, the current research groups are investigating cell-autonomous responses to microbes with the aim of deciphering their role in the host's resistance to infection.