Prof. Dr. Dr. Hortense Slevogt's team at Hannover Medical School (MHH) and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig has been conducting research in the field of pneumological infectiology since August 2022.

The focus is on the lung microbiome - the entirety of all microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi or viruses) that permanently or temporarily colonize the lungs. A particular focus is on commensals, i.e. microorganisms that do not harm the human body and often even have a protective function. The aim of the research is to better understand how these commensals contribute to the stability of the lung microbiome and whether they play a role in increasing or decreasing susceptibility to infections.

In addition, the team is investigating whether certain commensals can influence the immune response in the lungs. In particular, the question is whether these microorganisms can have a favorable or unfavorable influence on the course of lung infections.

The long-term goal is to develop new approaches for the diagnosis and individualized treatment of respiratory tract infections through the detailed characterization of the lung microbiome.