Infection Biology


Molecular Microbiology
Head: Prof. Marc Erhardt


Microbial Synthetic Biology
Head: Dr. Gita Naseri


Cellular Microbiology
Head: Prof. Arturo Zychlinsky
Chromatin evolved to have an immune function in eukaryotes. Neutrophils, the most abundant white blood cell in humans, expel modified chromatin, called Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) to fight infections and regulate the immune system. Our department is taking various approaches to figure out the mechanism of NET formation.


Molecular Parasitology
Head: Prof. Kai Matuschewski


Molecular Genetics
Head: Prof. Christian Schmitz-Linneweber


Regulation in Infection Biology
Head: Prof. Emmanuelle Charpentier
We study fundamental regulatory mechanisms in the pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes (the source of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology). We use an interdisciplinary approach combining cutting-edge methodologies—bioinformatics, omics, genetics, molecular biology, structural biology, biochemistry, physiology, and cell infection—to identify new molecules and mechanisms and decipher their origins, functions, and modes of action at the molecular and cellular levels.



General Microbiology
Head: Prof. Regine Hengge