Functional Ionchannel Analysis
Leader: Andreas Klostermann
Background
Autoimmune diseases are one of the major challenges in pharmacological research today. Millions of patients worldwide are suffering from autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Psoriasis, Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) or Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
Several severe autoimmune diseases – including the ones mentioned above - offer a collective entry point for novel therapeutical developments since they share a common pathogenic principle. Their pathogenesis is characterized by T-cell mediated chronic inflammatory processes upon stimulation with (auto)-antigens. The identification of the key players in this pathogenic cascade, the understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms and the development of molecules to interfere with and disrupt this cascade will consequently lead to advanced therapeutic concepts.