Hannover Medical School
Clinic for Paediatric Pneumology and Neonatology
Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1
30625 Hannover
Phone: +49 (0) 511 532 7823
viemann.dorothee@mh-hannover.de
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Research Interests:
The main focus of our group is the disclosure of signaling networks within the human innate immune system as the first line of defense. We investigate in vitro and in vivo the response patterns of myeloid cells as well as endothelial cells upon stress stimulation with exogenous (microbial products) and endogenous (alarmins) inflammatory stimuli as well as upon infection with clinically relevant bacteria and viruses. We established novel bioinformatic in silico strategies for whole genome expression data to predict crucial signaling cross points achieving high confirmation rates in cell culture and animal models. This allows assigning signaling pathways and transcriptional regulators to specific phenotypes and functions of innate immune cells. Thereby, we define on the host site molecular mechanisms responsible for dysregulated immune responses and delineate bacterial and viral determinants of pathogenicity that impair defense strategies or exploit harmful inflammatory reactions of the innate immune system. The superior goal is the identification of novel starting points for the development of more specific therapeutic and preventive regimens in infectious diseases with high fatality in human beings.