Bacterial Virulence and Innate Immunity
We try to be smarter than bacteria to develop effective vaccines
Microbial pathogens pose a major health problem as illustrated by the (re-)emergence of infectious diseases and their increasingly recognised role in auto-immunity and tumour development. We believe that infection prevention is the best solution to combat antibiotic resistance.
Defense against pathogens
The research of our group unravels molecular mechanisms that drive the pathogenesis of bacterial infections and associated pathobiology and that can serve as targets of future therapy and vaccines. We try to understand the mucosal host defense against pathogens via a comparative biology approach with emphasis on pathogen recognition receptors and immunometabolism. Results provide insight in the function and diversity of the innate immune system and are important to develop novel vaccine adjuvants and immunomodulatory agents.
