Diseases characterized by the presence viral infections or undesired inflammation contribute significantly to shortened life expectancy, pain and/or diminished quality of life to a vast number of people. These diseases include hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, asthma, colitis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus and sepsis. Moreover, inflammation is considered to promote development of various types of cancer. Current therapies for inflammatory disorders often treat only the symptoms of the disease but not the underlying causes of inflammation. Therefore, a better understanding of the pathomechanisms leading to inflammatory diseases is needed. An additional topic in area 2 is to untangle/dissect the biological complexity of the multi-layered interactions of persistent viruses with their host using mouse infection models.

Research Groups:
Andreas Bergthaler
Mathias Müller 
Michael Trauner

 
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