Detail

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:
  Katarina Kovacevic
  Bernd Jilma
  Matthias Weiss-Tessbach

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Kussmann, M. et al. (2018) ‘Emergence of a dalbavancin induced glycopeptide/lipoglycopeptide non-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus during treatment of a cardiac device-related endocarditis’, Emerging Microbes & Infections, 7(1), pp. 1–10. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41426-018-0205-z.