Thomas Rudel (Speaker)

Chair of Microbiology
Biocenter, University of Würzburg
Am Hubland
D-97074 Würzburg

Tel.: 0931 31 84401
Fax: 0931 31 84402

Email: thomas.rudel@biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de
Web: www.mikrobio.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de

Research area:
Infection Biology, Molecular and Cellular Microbiology

Due to an obligate intracellular lifestyle, pathogenicity mechanisms of Chlamydia trachomatis have been very difficult to investigate. The group of Thomas Rudel engineers a vascularized infection model using cervical and Fallopian tube epithelial cells. Since N. gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia infections frequently co-occur in patients and infect the same tissue, this infection model is developed together with the group of Vera Kozjak-Pavlovic. Gene regulation in the infection model will be investigated by dual RNA-Seq (partner Jörg Vogel). Raman Spectroscopy will be used to study the cross-talk of Chlamydia with primary host cells (partner Maria Steinke). A focus will be the innate immune response and metabolic reprogramming of host cells that allows Chlamydia to establish a successful infection.