Forschungsteam Steinmetz

Forschungsschwerpunkt Infektion und Immunität

Teamleiter*innen: Ivo Steinmetz, Gabriel Wagner-Lichtenegger, Sabine Wagner-Lichtenegger

Fokus: Ein Schwerpunkt unserer Forschung ist die Analyse von Immunabwehrmechanismen und bakteriellen Virulenzmechanismen (Wirt-Pathogen-Interaktion). Ziel unserer Arbeiten ist es neue therapeutische Targets sowohl auf Wirtsseite (Host-directed therapy) als auch auf Bakterienseite (Pathogen-directed therapy) zu identifizieren. In unseren Untersuchungen fokussieren wir uns auf Infektionsmodelle mit dem humanpathogenen Bakterium Burkholderia pseudomallei (Erreger der Melioidose). Ein weiterer Fokus ist die Entwicklung von innovativen Tests für den simultanen Nachweis von Antikörpern gegen unterschiedliche Antigene einzelner Infektionserreger. Benötigt werden solche Multiplex-Tests in der Infektionsdiagnostik und zur Analyse der Immunantwort nach Impfungen.

Vernetzung: Sowohl in der Grundlagenforschung als auch im Bereich unserer translationalen Forschungsprojekte kooperieren wir mit zahlreichen lokalen Gruppen und einer Vielzahl von nationalen und internationalen Kooperationspartner*innen weltweit.

Projekte

Lipid metabolism: A potential target for the treatment of infectious diseases?

While lipids are known mediators in the host-pathogen interplay, the role of lipid-hydrolyzing enzymes during infection remains largely unexplored. We aim to fill this gap by investigating the role of eukaryotic and bacterial lipases during infection with a particular focus on potential therapeutic targets.
Duration: Ongoing
Funded by: Med Uni Graz
Project partners: Paul Vesely, Otto Loewi Research Center; Barbara Kronsteiner-Dobramysl, University of Oxford

Molecular pathways of pathogen induced pro-inflammatory cell death activation

Pro-inflammatory cell death pathways are a double-edged sword in innate immune defence. Beneficial for the human host, they restrict the intracellular niche of pathogens. However, they also massively stimulates the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines thereby contributing to harmful inflammation. This project elucidates the role of different cell death pathways during infectious diseases with the main objective to reveal novel therapeutic targets.
Duration: Ongoing
Funded by: Med Uni Graz
Project partners: Andrea Reinisch, Division of Haematology; Dave Boucher, University of York

Deciphering the immune response to bacterial antigens to develop novel serological tests and identify vaccine candidates

Melioidosis, caused by B. pseudomallei is a severe infectious disease with high mortality and no approved vaccine. The complexity of this pathogen's virulence mechanisms and the diversity of strain indicate that effective protection will require a multicomponent vaccine approach. Our project aims to identify novel vaccine antigens and improve diagnostics by analysing immune responses to bacterial proteins expressed under infection-like conditions using patient samples and controls from endemic regions.
Duration: Ongoing
Funded by: Med Uni Graz, VALIDATE Network
Project partners: Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT), Jena, Germany; InfectoGnostics Research Campus, Jena, Germany; Senova Gesellschaft für Biowissenschaft und Technik mbH, Weimar, Germany; Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Thailand; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Vietnam National University.

In-host evolution of bacterial pathogens

This project investigates the in-host evolution of B. pseudomallei following passage through macrophages or the human host by whole genome sequencing based methods. To validate virulence-associated genes, we perform targeted mutagenesis and test mutant strains in established in vitro and in vivo infection models. Identifying genetic elements linked to pathogenicity could reveal new targets for vaccines or therapies.
Duration: Ongoing
Funded by: Med Uni Graz
Project partners: Thanh Trung Trinh, Vietnam National University, Hanoi; Christian Kohler, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald

Phages and their role in bacterial ecology and virulence

By integrating genomic and functional approaches, we aim to elucidate the roles of phages in modulating host-pathogen interactions, shaping bacterial evolution, and potentially contributing to immune evasion or antimicrobial resistance. This will not only enable comparative analyses between environmental and respiratory pathogens but also open new avenues for phage-informed strategies in diagnostics, prevention, and therapeutic intervention.
Duration: through 2026
Funded by: ESCMID (European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases)
Project partners: Thanh Trung Trinh, Vietnam National University, Hanoi