Chronic low back pain is a significant public health problem in industrialized society. The intact spine carries the upper body and external loads, allows motion in a physiological range and protects the spinal cord. These different demands necessitate a high degree of complexity with various sources for disorders and pain. The BIH - Julius Wolff…

Our motivation is to address fundamental biological questions of human immunology and translate them into innovative therapies. In this respect, the core interest of our laboratory lies in the discovery of new applications of antibodies and B cells to treat and prevent challenging human diseases.

The Sawitzki lab investigates the molecular mechanisms of immune cell activation and tolerance induction, in order to better understand why components of the immune response themselves become a trigger of destructive inflammatory reactions, like e.g. in the context of autoimmune diseases, rejection reactions after organ transplantation or COVID19…

Defects in musculoskeletal tissues, e.g. in consequence of a trauma, do not always heal spontaneously but require surgical intervention. Biomaterials implanted into the defect region have to potential to support the healing process. We investigate the interaction between cells, their surrounding extracellular matrix and biomaterials for the…

Both mechanical and biological processes work together to determine the outcome of musculoskeletal regeneration. Whilst many of the biological factors have been identified and some even brought into clinical practice (BMP's, PDGF, IGF, etc.), the impact of the mechanical environment and the role of the immune system are only recently taken into…

Not only the DNA sequence – our genome – but also the 3D structure of our genome – the 'epi-genome' – is essential in determining the type and function of a cell. That's why the analysis of the epigenome facilitates deep insights into the developmental history of a cell and its current gene expression profile, but also allows deductions on its…