The fight against multi-resistant pathogens
Coordinator of the joint sub-project at FAU and the University of Regensburg, Prof. Dr. Diana Dudziak, Professor of Dendritic Cell Biology at the Department of Dermatology at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen. (Image: FAU/Rudi Ott)
Improving our understanding of the immune system
In the fight against multi-resistant bacteria, Prof. Dr. Diana Dudziak, Professor of Dendritic Cell Biology at the Department of Dermatology at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen and coordinator of the project, is conducting research into the immune system of our skin with microbiologists from the University of Regensburg.
Our skin is normally home to bacteria that are important for its function. However, under certain circumstances, these so-called commensal bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics.
These bacteria can exist on the skin’s surface for several years without any effects. If they enter the body somewhere else through wounds or the use of tubes in a respirator during an operation, it can lead to life-threatening infections.
‘We want to understand more about why our immune system tolerates commensal bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermis and does not trigger an immune response,’ explains Prof. Dudziak.
To do so, the researchers are investigating the so-called checkpoints the immune system uses to identify bacteria. ‘The aim of the project is to break through this immune tolerance in a targeted manner to facilitate effective immune responses to multi-resistant pathogens,’ explains Prof. Dudziak.
A new research network
‘As a new research network, bayresq.net should make an important contribution to closing a considerable gap in the research and elimination of these pathogens in the long-term’, says Bavarian Science Minister Bernd Siebler.
The participating universities in the six interdisciplinary projects are using the potential of digital methods, for example, to target new types of antibiotics to fight certain pathogens. This adaptation is to be automated using high-throughput approaches and machine learning.
Using big data also makes new approaches possible, such as predictions about the antibiotic resistance and virulence of bacteria through the analysis of the genome. This can facilitate targeted therapies. Each of the six projects has received 1.3 million euros of funding for its research by the State of Bavaria.
Further information
Prof. Dr. Diana Dudziak
Phone: + 49 9131 8539346
diana.dudziak@uk-erlangen.de
Media Contact
All latest news from the category: Health and Medicine
This subject area encompasses research and studies in the field of human medicine.
Among the wide-ranging list of topics covered here are anesthesiology, anatomy, surgery, human genetics, hygiene and environmental medicine, internal medicine, neurology, pharmacology, physiology, urology and dental medicine.
Newest articles
First-of-its-kind study uses remote sensing to monitor plastic debris in rivers and lakes
Remote sensing creates a cost-effective solution to monitoring plastic pollution. A first-of-its-kind study from researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities shows how remote sensing can help monitor and…
Laser-based artificial neuron mimics nerve cell functions at lightning speed
With a processing speed a billion times faster than nature, chip-based laser neuron could help advance AI tasks such as pattern recognition and sequence prediction. Researchers have developed a laser-based…
Optimising the processing of plastic waste
Just one look in the yellow bin reveals a colourful jumble of different types of plastic. However, the purer and more uniform plastic waste is, the easier it is to…