PI: Gunther Marsche
Focus: The main research interest of my research team is to understand the role of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) in inflammatory and allergic diseases. HDL are complex endogenous nanoparticles that play a vital role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis and vascular health. HDL is involved in crucial functions such as reverse cholesterol transport and immunomodulatory activities, and its ability to interact with various immune cells and structural cells places it at the forefront of numerous disease pathophysiologies. However, when there is inflammatory dysregulation, HDL can undergo pathogenic remodeling and post-translational modifications that render it dysfunctional or even pro-inflammatory. We seek to understand why HDL may lose its protective effects in inflammatory diseases. To this end, we are studying the complex composition of HDL and measuring its diverse functionalities.
Network: We have collaborations with the Division of Physiological Chemistry (Gerhard Cvirn), the Division of Physiology (Nandu Goswami), the Division of Immunology and Pathophysiology (Sandra Holasek), the Division of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (Sasa Frank), the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Rudolf Stauber und Vanessa Stadlbauer-Köllner), the Department of Internal Medicine (Philipp Eller), the Department of Dermatology and Venereology (Peter Wolf) and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Christian Wadsack).
