Research Group Mucosal Infection Immunology

The junior research group “Mucosal Infection Immunology” of PD Dr. Matthias Lochner is investigating the impact of the intestinal immune system on inflammation and pathology during gastrointestinal infections. One major focus of Dr. Lochner’s work is to understand the function of immune cell subsets during the infection-related immune response against intestinal bacterial pathogens such as Citrobacter rodentium or Clostridium difficile, one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired gastrointestinal infections in the western world. In particular, Matthias Lochner’s group focuses on the function of innate cell types including DCs and innate lymphoid cells (ILC) as well their interaction with the gut epithelium or important intestinal T cell subsets such as Th17 and Treg cells. In order to develop novel translational approaches to modulate immune responses in the gut, the Lochner group also strives to understand the processes of the cellular metabolism that govern the development and function of immune cells and the intestinal epithelium during gut infection and inflammation.
News
Dendritic cells and epithelia cells are the main actors of the bacteria defence in the gut Bakterienabwehr im Darm
Der Darm gilt als Wiege unseres Immunsystems: Knapp ein Drittel unserer antikörperproduzierenden Zellen befinden sich in der Darmschleimhaut – sie setzen sich mit den unzähligen Mikroorganismen und Fremdstoffen auseinander, die...
DFG Grant for research on innate lymphoid cells
Angeborene Lymphoide Zellen sind eine relativ neu entdeckte Zellgruppe, die an der ersten Abwehr von Erregern beteiligt ist. Diese Zellen sitzen in Darm, Haut und Lunge – genaugenommen in allen Geweben, die unseren Körper von der...
DFG Grant for Matthias Lochner
Matthias Lochner will receive a 352.000 Euro DFG-Grant for three years. Matthias Lochner is group leader of the research group Mucosal Infection Immunology at the Institute of Infectionimmunology. The project "Targeting the...
Gleichgewicht im Immunsystem hängt vom Fettstoffwechsel ab - Gemeinsame Pressemitteilung von TWINCORE, MHH und HZI
In einem gesunden Körper herrscht ein sorgfältig geregeltes Gleichgewicht zwischen verschiedenen Immunzellen. Ist diese Balance gestört, können beispielsweise chronisch-entzündliche Darmerkrankungen oder Autoimmunerkrankungen wie...
21 March 2014 A new role for regulatory T cells in intestinal infections
In the gut, our immune system is facing the biggest challenges. It is inhabited by billions of microorganisms that assist us in the digestion of food. Gleichzeitig steckt in vielen dieser Mitbewohner das Potenzial zu...