Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine

Research at the IMIT

Core research areas at the IMIT include:

Microbial physiology
Microbial physiology examines the physical and biochemical processes in living microorganisms. The focus of our research is in particular on cell growth, adaptation and maintenance of viability. It ranges from the synthesis of cell wall components to intracellular signaling processes.

  • RG Forchhammer
  • RG Frick
  • RG Maldener
  • RG Mayer
  • RG Muth

Antimicrobial agents
Natural products synthesised by and active against microorganisms form the mainstay of our drugs against bacterial infections. Several research groups at the IMIT work on the molecular processes of natural product biosynthesis by their bacterial producers. Other research groups study the mechanisms by which these agents inhibit the growth of bacterial pathogens.

 

Infection Biology and Infection Medicine
Infections are still a major threat to human health and pose an immense economic burden. Within the IMIT, we investigate mechanisms of pathogenicity of bacterial infectious agents to enable the development of novel antiinfective and probiotic therapies. We focus in particular on gastrointestinal pathogens and Staphylococci. In addition, we investigate the role of the human microbiota in immunity and in the development of chronic-inflammatory bowel diseases.

Neben der Grundlagenforschung verfolgt das IMIT die Verbesserung von Diagnostik, Prävention und Therapie von Infektionskrankheiten, um Hygienebedingungen zu verbessern und die Ausbreitung von schwer behandelbaren Erregern, wie z.B. Methicillin-resistenten Staphylokokken (MRSA), zu verhindern

Ausführliche Informationen zu Forschungsschwerpunkten befinden sich auf den Seiten der Arbeitsgruppen.