Infection represents an evolutionary arms race between pathogen and host. Thus, throughout human history microbial pathogens have evolved strategies to manipulate and avoid our immune system – a requisite for their ability to establish and maintain infection. As a result, successful pathogens are fantastic "immunologists" equipped with ability to regulate key aspects of both humoral and cellular immunity.

My laboratory is focused on microbial pathogenesis and inflammation. We study host-pathogen interactions whereby bacteria harness the host immune system to promote disease, studies that may provide knowledge into disease pathogenesis as well as fundamental aspects of immune regulation and function. We are particularly interested in understanding how Mycobacteria and Streptococci – representing evolutionarily distant pathogens causing chronic and acute infections, respectively – interact with myeloid cells to manipulate their function, and in investigating the biological role of these host-pathogen interactions during infection.

Current members of the group

• Christine Valfridsson (Lab manager); [email protected]
• Julia Lienard (Post-doc); j[email protected]
• Elin Movert (PhD student); [email protected]
• Úna Eriksson (PhD student); [email protected]
• Esther Nobs-Lindau (PhD student); [email protected]