Research Report 2010 2011 - Helmholtz-Zentrum für ...

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SCIENTIFIC REPORTS | TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research GmbH
TWINCORE, Centre for
Experimental and Clinical
Infection Research GmbH
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kalinke
HEAD OF EXPERIMENTAL INFECTION RESEARCH | Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kalinke
HEAD OF EXPERIMENTAL VIROLOGY | Prof. Dr. Thomas Pietschmann
HEAD OF INFECTION IMMUNOLOGY | Prof. Dr. Tim Sparwasser
HEAD OF PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF BACTERIAL BIOFILMS | Prof. Dr. Susanne Häußler
HEAD OF CELL AND GENE THERAPY | Prof. Dr. Michael Ott
TWINCORE, the translation centre of HZI and MHH TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research GmbH,
is a joint venture between the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, and the Hannover Medical School
(MHH). The goal pursued in the founding of TWINCORE is to promote and further develop the outstanding expertise of HZI and
MHH in the fi eld of infection research in a joint centre with a specifi c focus on translational research. The purpose of translational
research is a dual one, on one hand facilitating the path of the latest fi ndings from basic research to the patients and, on the
other hand, enabling unanswered questions from clinical practice to make their way back to researchers. A key part of the work
at TWINCORE is also the scientifi c investigation of regulatory concerns regarding approval and implementation of clinical trials.
Complex issues frequently arise in advance of clinical trials, for example regarding the relevance of preclinical experiments for the
safety and effi ciency of new medicines. TWINCORE helps to enable the development of new treatment options for the prophylaxis
and therapy of infectious diseases ensuring that a solid scientifi c basis for the minimisation of risk exists prior to the testing of
new approaches on humans. Research at TWINCORE focuses on the analysis of pathogen-host interactions. New fi ndings in this
area lead to new approaches regarding mechanisms of pathogen inhibition and to the development of new vaccination strategies.
TWINCORE holds laboratories which are adapted to conduct experiments up to bio safety level S3**. During the 2 nd TWINCORE
Symposium entitled “Antimicrobials and Vaccines”, which was held on August 12, 2010, the freshly renovated animal house was
inaugurated (see Figure 1). The animal house can accommodate more than 2,000 mouse cages and is also adequate for performing
experiments up to bio safety level S3**. In addition to the annual TWINCORE Symposium a varied programme of lectures has
been established, in which translational and basic researchers report on their recent research results.
1. Analysis of pathogen-host interactions During long
periods of co-evolution, pathogens and hosts developed
complex strategies to enable survival of both the host population
and the pathogen population. At the cellular level
intrinsic immune mechanisms play a role. At TWINCORE
investigations are conducted to establish the influence such
factors have on host- and tissue-specificity of pathogens. For
several years it has been acknowledged that, in addition to
the recognition of “foreign”, the communication of “danger
signals” via pattern recognition receptors (PRR) plays a
central role in the induction of protective immunity. The
analysis of how innate immunity is triggered by stimulation
of PRR and the consequences on pathogen-specific immunity
are the subject of intensive investigations. In this process
both acute and chronic courses of infections and their
associated inflammatory reactions are examined. Pathogens
have developed various strategies to evade host immunity.
Pathogen-encoded factors that modulate immune responses
are sought. Furthermore, the influence of regulatory cells
on the course of infection is also analysed.
2. New mechanisms of pathogen inhibition Following the
triumphant march of antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial
infections, over the past decades key breakthroughs have
been made in the development of antiviral substances. New
approaches to the inhibition of pathogen reproduction are
sought at TWINCORE. In collaboration with the HZI and the
University of Hannover, biological compound libraries are
being examined for antiviral and antibacterial substan ces.
This involves the utilisation of new cell culture methods, for
example permitting a targeted search for inhibitors of HCV
replication. A further core focus is the search for inhibitors