Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology

The Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (MPIIB) is a non-university research institute of the Max Planck Society located in the heart of Berlin in Berlin-Mitte. It was founded in 1993.[1] Arturo Zychlinsky is currently the Managing Director.[2] The MPIIB is divided into four internal research groups, two partner groups and an Emeritus Group of the founding director Stefan H. E. Kaufmann. The "Regulation in Infection Biology" department headed by 2020 Nobel laureate Emmanuelle Charpentier was hived off as an independent research center in May 2018.[3] The Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens is now administratively independent of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology.[4] In October 2019, Igor Iatsenko and Matthieu Domenech de Cellès established new research groups at the institute, Mark Cronan started his position as research group leader in March 2020.

MPI for Infection Biology on Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin

Research Groups
  • The Department of Molecular Biology is headed by Thomas F. Meyer and is concerned with the pathogenesis of Chlamydia, Helicobacter and Neisseria infections. Particular attention is paid to the molecular mechanisms of the interaction of said pathogens with their host cells and host cell responses. In this case, emphasis is placed on the functional genomics of the host cell through RNA interference.[5]
  • The Department of Cellular Microbiology is headed by Arturo Zychlinsky. The group's research focus is the hypothesis that chromatin may have evolved to have an immune function in eukaryotes. The group is testing this hypothesis by looking at "Neutrophil Extracellular Traps" (NETs), which were discovered by the group, and by studying the role of histones in the immune system.[6]
  • The Vector Biology research unit is headed by Elena Levashina. It is studying the role mosquitoes play in regulating the development of malaria parasites.[7]
  • Marcus Taylor is the leader of the "Visualisation of Immune Signalling" research group. His group is trying to decipher cellular information transfer in the context of infections and immune responses.[8]
  • Igor Iatsenko heads the new research group "Genetics of Host-Microbe Interactions". Its aim is to understand the mechanisms of how the host discriminates and responds to different microbial challenges.[9]
  • Matthieu Domenech de Cellès is the leader of the new research group "Infectious Disease Epidemiology". Their focuses on the population biology of infectious diseases, with a view to understanding how individual-level mechanisms of infection translate into population-level dynamics.[10]
  • Mark Cronan heads the research group "In vivo cell biology of infections". The group is investigating how granulomas develop in the course of a tuberculosis infection and how host-directed therapies can be used to protect host organisms against infections.[11]
  • The Emeritus Group of Stefan H. E. Kaufmann, focuses on various aspects of the infection and immunology of tuberculosis as well as rational vaccine research.

Graduate Program

The institute also has an International Max Planck Research School for Infectious Diseases and Immunology in Berlin.[12] The IMPRS is an English language doctoral program with participating faculty from the Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, the Robert Koch Institute, the German Rheumatism Research Center, and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research. The IMPRS, together with five other graduate schools, forms the "ZIBI Graduate School Berlin". IMPRS's mission is "better understanding of host-pathogen interactions at all levels". Arturo Zychlinsky is the IMPRS's spokesperson.

References
  1. "History". www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  2. "Prof. Arturo Zychlinsky, PhD". www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  3. "Emmanuelle Charpentier". www.nobelprize.org. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  4. "Emmanuelle Charpentier, CRISPR-Cas9, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology". Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  5. "Molecular Biology". www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  6. "Cellular Microbiology". www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  7. "Vector Biology". www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  8. "Visualisation of Immune Signalling". www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  9. "Genetics of Host-Microbe Interactions". www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  10. "Infectious Disease Epidemiology". www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  11. "In vivo cell biology of infection". www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  12. "ZIBI and ZIBI Graduate School". www.zibi-berlin.de. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2019.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.