Research at the Clinical Department of Immunodermatology and Infectious Skin Diseases.
Our research laboratories are located in the General Hospital Vienna (AKH Wien). Topics investigated cover a broad spectrum ranging from the exploration of the cellular and molecular biology of dendritic antigen-presenting cells, the analysis of autoreactive T- and B-cell responses in atopic dermatitis, the unravelling of molecular mechanisms of tumor development and metastasis, the development and testing of prophylactic HPV vaccines, the identification of cutaneous stem cells, investigations on the influence of immunomodulatory compounds on the skin immune system, to the establishment of animal models of human diseases (e.g. allergic asthma, non-melanoma skin cancer, metastasizing melanoma.
Many of these studies are performed in close cooperation with academic and industry-based research groups, e.g. with scientists from the Center of Molecular Medicine (CeMM) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. We are also proud that Novartis Pharma has established a “Center of Excellence” at our department with the goal of testing the validity of pathogenetic concepts of various inflammatory skin diseases by the use of compounds with a well established mode of action (proof-of-concept studies).