Core Research Area Inflammation, Infection and Immunity
Infectious diseases are one of the greatest global challenges, not only from a biological and medical point of view, but also from a social and ethical perspective. This focus area features interdisciplinary and holistic work conducted by researchers from the University of Hamburg, the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, and other partner institutions, into infections and the reactions to them—from inflammation and immune reactions with their smallest molecular structures to the consequences for social structures and the power of states.
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High tech against pathogens
Photo: CSSB/Jörg Müller
From radiation sources in Science City Bahrenfeld to AI-supported analyses, researchers use state-of-the-art technological resources to visualize the structures of viruses, bacteria, and parasites and their effects in cells. For example, the research cooperation and technology platforms at the Centre for Structural Systems Biology make it possible to visualize interactions between host and pathogen down to the molecular level in real time and thus gain insights for diagnostics, prevention and therapy.
Yesterday, today, tomorrow: Society at a glance
Photo: Wellcome polio vaccine. Wellcome Collection (CC BY 4.0)
Infectious diseases have shaped our world socially and culturally since the beginning of humankind. Points of view from the humanities and social sciences are therefore crucial to developing new research approaches that transcend disciplinary boundaries and provide answers to the questions of tomorrow. The newly founded Centre for the Study of Health, Ethics, and Society (CHES) reveals Hamburg’s leading role in this field.
Centre for the Study of Health, Ethics, and SocietyInternational connections
Photo: Adobe/SENKI
The Hamburg metropolitan region is a hub for global infection research with close links to national and international institutions, such as the German Center for Infection Research and the jointly operated Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine in Ghana, which is implementing health subjects as well as conducting basic research on tropical diseases. This and other forms of global networking enable synergies crucial for far-reaching progress.
Participating faculties and research centers
Cooperation and research partners
Excellent infection research thrives on strong networks. In Hamburg, the University, clinics and nonuniversity partners work closely with international institutions.