The main research focus of our group is the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases of the nervous system. This involves basic research in the mechanisms of immune surveillance of the nervous system with a special focus on problems of trafficking of leucocytes through the blood brain barrier and mechanisms of clearance of inflammatory lesions. Specific problems of immune mediated tissue damage in the nervous system are addressed in various models of autoimmune or virus induced inflammatory CNS disease. These studies are performed in close cooperation with the research group headed by Monika Bradl. Another major focus of our laboratory is devoted to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. This involves detailed pathological and immunological studies on actively demyelinating lesions in the brain of patients with various subforms of the disease. These studies are complemented by similar investigations in other human inflammatory brain diseases induced by known infectious agents.
