Welcome to „Molecular Imaging of Immunoregulation“

Our group is part of the Joint Department of Infectious Diseases and Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care (Fächerverbund Infektiologie, Pneumologie und Intensivmedizin) at Charité – University Medicine Berlin.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us, infections cause high rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide and among these pneumonia is the third most cause of death, especially for elderly and children under five years.

Since the introduction of antibiotics, the mortality rates for pneumonia remain rather constant and, with many other scientists, we make strong effort to understand the underlying mechanisms of and how to treat this severe disease.

Our mission is therefore to strengthen the understanding of such complex mechanisms to serve our aim for identifying new therapeutic immunomodulatory options for pneumonia and sepsis.

To contribute to this aim, we have established a 3D infection model based on human lung tissue and lung organoids on which we use and develop further functional life tissue microscopic applications to visualize the interaction between pathogens and the host from cellular down to molecular levels. These investigations are flanked by a broad spectrum of biochemical assays and molecular biological approaches on cell lines and primary human lung cells. In this regard, we collaborate closely with the research group of Prof. Dr. Stefan Hippenstiel on both conceptual and experimental levels.

Please, create your own image of our work and don’t hesitate to apply on your own initiative!

Professor Andreas Hocke