Immune Regulation

Our Research

Lung epithelium, influenza virus and bacterial superinfections

The Immune Regulation Group uses preclinical mouse models to investigate the mechanisms underlying the increased susceptibility to bacterial co-infection following a previous influenza infection. Alveolar type II epithelial cells (AECII) are the primary target for influenza virus infection in the lower respiratory tract and are instrumental in initiating an antiviral immune response in the lung. To understand how the inflammatory response of AECII against pneumococci changes after previous influenza infection, we perform broad immunological, molecular and epigenetic analyses on AECII. In order to represent the complex immunological processes in the living organism as realistically as possible, we isolate the AECII directly from the infected lungs of mice for our analyses. Against the background of an emerging antibiotic crisis, the aim of our research is to lay the foundation for the development of novel therapeutic interventions to prevent complicated courses of bacterial superinfections following influenza infection by improving our understanding of the misdirected inflammatory responses in the lungs.

Lung epithelium and neonatal influenza infection

Newborns and children undergo a large number of infections in their first years of life and each of these can shape the immune system in one way or another. In this context, another aspect that we are currently analyzing in mice is the long-term influence of influenza infection in newborns on the immune response against bacterial pathogens later in life. Here, too, we are focusing in particular on potential changes in the alveolar epithelium that are triggered by the neonatal viral infection and that could permanently alter the immune response of these cells against bacterial pathogens such as pneumococci.

Co-infection with influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses

In addition to influenza-pneumococcal co-infections, we are also interested in the effects of an influenza infection on the course of a respiratory infection with SARS-CoV-2 and vice versa. This is important because both viruses circulate simultaneously in the population, especially in the winter months, but their potential interactions in the event of simultaneous infection with both viruses are largely unknown.

Mucosal vaccines against influenza and SARS-CoV-2

In addition to researching basic mechanisms of pathogen defense in the lungs, the scientists in the Immune Regulation Unit are dedicated to developing and testing innovative approaches for the treatment and prophylaxis of respiratory infections. Specifically, we are currently conducting a comprehensive characterization of a novel, mucosally administered mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in mice. In addition, we are investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying the efficacy of defective interfering particles (DIPs) as a broad-spectrum virostatic agent and are also currently testing the suitability of infectious but replication-deficient DIPs as a safe mucosal vaccine against influenza in animal models. The aim of our vaccination projects is to stimulate virus-specific IgA responses in the upper and lower respiratory tract by administering the vaccines via the mucosal surface in addition to the IgG antibody and T cell responses that can be induced by conventional vaccines, in order to effectively prevent respiratory infections and virus transmission.