Infection Biology
The main objective of Infection Biology is to understand infectious diseases at both a cellular and molecular level in order to better control them in the future.
Several research groups at the Biozentrum are running highly complementary and synergistic research programs covering a wide range of topics in Infection Biology. These activities cover different aspects of the interaction between important human and animal pathogens and their hosts. This includes the investigation of virulence mechanisms and mechanisms responsible for antibiotic action and resistance.
Activities in the Research Area of Infection Biology center on bacterial infections relevant for human health. This includes a range of virulence mechanisms such as intracellular replication, immune evasion, the injection of bacterial effectors into host cells, biofilm formation and antibiotic persistence. The impact of this research goes well beyond the field of microbial pathogenesis, addressing basic principles in cell and molecular biology related to human health.
Important synergies are generated through close interactions of individual research groups and common discussion and teaching platforms, thereby strongly promoting the exchange of knowledge, scientific expertise and state-of-the art technology. Research groups in Infection Biology also collaborate closely with colleagues from other Research Areas at the Biozentrum, including Structural Biology & Biophysics and Computational & Systems Biology.
The Research Area of Infection Biology also represents the core of The National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) AntiResist, an interdisciplinary, Swiss-wide network of research groups, which strives to catalyze a paradigm shift in antibiotic research: https://www.nccr-antiresist.ch/.