Keywords
Anaphylaxis; Biomarkers, Pharmacological; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Histamine
Research group(s)
- Haematology & Immunology
Research Area: test newly developed drugs in the immunologic and coagulation field; combining in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo trials to obtain an integrated insight into pathophysiologic processes
Members:
Research interests
My scientific work focuses on histamine, one of the main mediators in anaphylaxis, and diamine oxidase (DAO), an endogenous enzyme responsible for histamine degradation. We aim to elucidate the complex functions of histamine in vivo, influencing e.g. coagulation, vascular integrity, inflammation and immune cell functions and provide a new treatment option for life-threatening conditions with excess histamine.
Additionally I work on antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus and discovering new biomarkers in viral/bacterial pneumonia.
Techniques, methods & infrastructure
- In-Vivo/Biomodels: Knockout mouse models (Diamine oxidase knockout), surgical models in guinea pigs (anaphylactic shock model), pharmacokinetics in rats, Galleria mellonella (bacterial challenge), Phase-I Clinical trials
- In-Vitro: setup of enzymatic assays, NGS, expression analysis, microbiological techniques (micro-dilution, agar diffusion, …)
Selected publications
- Weiss-Tessbach, M. et al. (2022) ‘Biomarkers for differentiation of coronavirus disease 2019 or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation related inflammation and bacterial/fungal infections in critically ill patients: A prospective observational study’, Frontiers in Medicine, 9. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.917606.
- Karer, M. et al. (2022) ‘Diamine oxidase knockout mice are not hypersensitive to orally or subcutaneously administered histamine’, Inflammation Research, 71(4), pp. 497–511. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00011-022-01558-2.
- Karer, M. et al. (2022) ‘Treatment of legionellosis including a single intravenous dose of 1.5 g azithromycin: 18-year experience at a tertiary care hospital’, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 59(1), p. 106481. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2021.106481.
- Karer, M. et al. (2020) ‘Different Types of Coagulase Are Associated With 28-Day Mortality in Patients With Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections’, Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 10. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2020.00236.
- Weiss-Tessbach et al. (2023) 'Recombinant human diamine oxidase prevents hemodynamic effects of continuous histamine infusion in guinea pigs. Inflammation Research