The new episode is online. It deals with the research of the RESIST Cluster of Excellence. The focus is on herpes viruses and neurodermatitis.
Copyright: Bettina Bandel / MHH
Herpes viruses, their diversity and why they can be particularly dangerous for people with atopic dermatitis - the new episode of the podcast "Exzellent erklärt - Spitzenforschung für alle" is dedicated to this topic: Prof. Dr. Thomas Werfel and PD Dr. Stephan Traidl explain what is behind the eight human herpes viruses - from cold sores to shingles to severe infections - and why genetic factors, age and the immune system play a decisive role. Other topics include prevention through vaccinations, new drugs for atopic dermatitis and extensive research with patient cohorts to help better understand risk factors.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Werfel is a specialist in dermatology and allergology and Director of the Clinical Department of Dermatology, Allergology and Allergy at Hannover Medical School (MHH) and a scientist in the RESIST Cluster of Excellence team. His research interests include inflammatory skin diseases, allergic reactions and susceptibility to infection in skin diseases such as neurodermatitis. In the Cluster of Excellence RESIST, he is investigating in particular why certain people develop more severe herpes infections and which genetic factors are behind this.
PD Dr. Stephan Traidl M. Sc. is a specialist in dermatology and clinician scientist at the Department of Dermatology at the MHH. In his research, he investigates the immunological basis of atopic dermatitis and susceptibility to viral infections. He combines clinical observations with molecular biological analyses in order to better understand the causes of this disease.
The research team of the Cluster of Excellence RESIST consists of more than 60 researchers. They look after people who become seriously ill when they "catch" viruses or bacteria. Together with their teams, they are investigating the questions of why infections progress so differently, how the course of the disease can be predicted and how individual therapies can be developed. RESIST aims to help people with a weakened immune system, including senior citizens, people with a congenital immune deficiency and people whose immune system is suppressed for medical reasons. The RESIST spokesperson is Prof. Dr. Reinhold Förster, Head of the MHH Institute of Immunology.
The podcast "Exzellent erklärt" regularly reports from one of the 57 research alliances (Clusters of Excellence) that are funded as part of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments. The journey takes us across the country, and the topics are just as diverse as the locations: From A for African Studies to Z for Future of Medicine. The scientists from the DFG-funded Clusters of Excellence talk to podcaster Larissa Vassilian about how they want to find scientifically sound answers to relevant topics of our time - for the society of tomorrow. The podcast can be listened to and subscribed to via various podcast providers, for example here: https://exzellent-erklaert.podigee.io/
Text: Bettina Bandel