Focus of Research Group
Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are the sentinel cells in the airways that maintain organ homeostasis, orchestrate inflammation, and clear pathogens. While inflammatory responses are essential for defending against microorganisms and promoting tissue repair, excessive or dysregulated inflammation can be detrimental, leading to organ failure such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). To balance protection and resolution, the functional polarization of AMs must remain highly plastic and tightly regulated. Our research group seeks to improve the understanding of functional plasticity of AMs with the ultimate goal to harness these findings for therapeutic applications.
Group Members
Clinician Scientist
Project description: Acute lung injury (ALI) is caused by direct or indirect insults to the lung, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Bacterial superinfections are feared complications of ALI. On the cellular level, alveolar macrophages are key innate immune cells that initiate and resolve an inflammatory process. Resolution of inflammation might impair the macrophage´s ability to clear bacteria, thus predisposing to superinfections. My project focuses on the kinetics and activation state of macrophages/monocytes during ALI in the context of bacterial superinfections.
PhD Students
Project description: Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the major pathogens of nosocomial pneumonia. Due to increasing antimicrobial resistance, development of new therapeutic strategies is highly required with outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) of bacteria playing an important role on the course of inflammation and infection. The aim of my project is to characterize the influence of OMVs of different K. pneumoniae strains on murine and human alveolar macrophages and develop long-term therapeutic interventions at the time of colonization, i.e. before infection develops.
Project description: During acute lung injury, alveolar macrophages (AM) orchestrate initiation and resolution of inflammation to ultimately restore homeostasis. Efferocytosis, i.e. the uptake of apoptotic cells, is significantly important during this process. My project aims to understand how cell-type specific efferocytosis can influence the immunogenic and metabolic properties of lung macrophages and how these properties can be manipulated for therapeutic use.
Project description: Lung macrophages are crucial for pulmonary homeostasis and the progression of lung diseases. Alveolar macrophages (AMs), the largest population of lung immune cells, defend against airbone microbes and aid in tissue regeneration after infection. However, how AMs switch functional properties is not fully understood. Functional changes in macrophages come along with shifts in cell metabolism. Thus, immunometabolic alterations might determine the plasticity and function of macrophages. My project will focus on immunometabolic regulations that determine the functional polarization of alveolar macrophages.
MD Students
Project description: The project is about a new antibiotic “Darobactin” being tested in pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Klebsiella pneumoniae, and how it might affect the immune system by altering the gut microbiome.
Project description: Macrophages represent the first line of defense against pathogens throughout the body. Importantly, these sentinel cells are shaped by their environment and have distinct functions in each organ. In this project, we investigate antibacterial responses of different organ-specific macrophages in the context of efferocytosis.
Project description: Nosocomial bacterial pneumonias are a feared complication in intubated patients. In this context, alveolar macrophages play an important role in bacterial control and the resolution of an inflammatory process (e.g. aspiration events, pneumonia). My project aims to identify metabolites that promote resolution without compromising plasticity in pathogen control.
Project description: Severe cases of viral pneumonia, in-hospital gastric acid aspiration and bacterial super infection can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Despite its high lethality, this systemic decompensation lacks effective causal treatment options. My project examines such a model of disease in vivo and aims to test a potential therapy based on the transfer of functionally primed macrophages.