New Research Group on HCMV

We congratulate our former postdoc, Matthias, on the establishment of his own research laboratory! Under his leadership, the newly founded group "Infection and Immunobiology" at the Institute of Virology is dedicated to the intensive study of viral infections and the human immune system's response. The group’s main focus is the Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), which poses a serious threat, particularly to immunocompromised individuals and newborns.

The research aims to understand the role of antibodies in protecting against HCMV infections and to identify highly effective therapeutic antibodies. These isolated antibodies not only promise potential treatments but also offer deeper insights into the fundamental biology of HCMV, such as its infection mechanisms and strategies to evade the immune system. These findings are expected to contribute to innovative therapeutic strategies, including antibody cocktails, bispecific antibodies, and tissue-penetrating antibodies that specifically target key components of the HCMV infection machinery.

This important work is supported by the DFG (German Research Foundation), the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung, and local funding programs including KölnFortune, the Imhoff-Stiftung, and the Jubiläumsstiftung 1988.

https://virologie.uk-koeln.de/forschung/ag-infektions-und-immunbiologie/