PI: Eva Sturm
Focus: As effector cells of innate immunity, eosinophils are implicated in host defense mechanisms against infections. Furthermore, eosinophils exert a pro-inflammatory and destructive role in Th2 immune responses associated with allergic and chronic inflammation. About 5–10% of all asthmatics suffer from severe or uncontrolled asthma with an incomplete response to standard medication, an asthma phenotype which is often associated with airway eosinophilia. Our primary focus is to characterize novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of eosinophilic inflammatory disorders.
Network: In vitro and in vivo studies unraveling the mechanisms of eosinophilic inflammation are performed at the Division of Pharmacology. Cross-team collaborations exist with the research groups of Akos Heinemann (biology of lipid mediators), Rudolf Schicho (histology and fluorescence microscopy), and Gunther Marsche (lipid metabolism) from the Division of Pharmacology. Further collaborations exist with Gunter Sturm from the Department of Dermatology and Venerology (samples from allergic patients) and Martin Stradner from the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology (samples from rheumatic patients).
