The Institute

Profile of the Institute

The Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology is involved in providing medical care to patients, in teaching and in immunological research.

The spectrum of clinical diagnostics includes the analysis of humoral and cellular components of the immune system during illness and therapy. Since 2004 the Institute for Molecular and Clinical Immunology was approved by the German Society of Immunology (DGFI) to train employees as "Fachimmunologin/Fachimmunologe" (consultant immunologist) according to the DFGI guidelines (German). The approval not only includes training in theoretical and basic immunology but also training in clinical diagnostics of allergic diseases, autoimmune diseases and immunodeficiencies. Within the Institute for Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Prof. Dr. med. B. Schraven, Prof. Dr. med. Dirk Reinhold and Dr. rer. nat. Annegret Reinhold  are approved ("Fachimmunologen" and thus entitled  to conduct the training program.

The teaching is addressed to students of the medical and biological faculties and consists of laboratory-based practical courses, lectures and seminars. A scientific seminar programme enables exchange of information with colleagues from national and international institutions.

The focus of research at our institute is on the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of activation and differentiation of T cells and other hematopoietic and inflammatory cells. We investigate mechanisms of signal transduction, proteolysis and inflammation, cell death, celldynamic processes as well as Systems Biology of T cell activation. Another research focus consists of the development and employment of complex imaging methods to visualize immune processes.

As an additional imaging resource, the Core facility Multidimensional Microscopy and Cellular Diagnostics is based at the institute.