Our immune system in the fight against diseases

Episode von InFact - Der HZI-Podcast. Wissenschaft, die ansteckt. von HZI - Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH · 28. Oktober 2024 · 18 min

Oh, but the opponent is getting dangerously close to goal. Now it's time for the defence to show what it's made of. Exciting duel here. And... Ah, that was really close. Great performance here. Really....

Phew. The defence of the football team (maybe Braunschweig too?) just managed to prevent a goal. And thus helped the team to victory. Points. Money. Maybe a championship title?

We may not get a championship title or money, but it does feel like a victory when our immune system successfully fights off a pathogen. It does this every day. Often without us realising it. But sometimes we do notice it. For example, in the form of cold symptoms, swollen lymph nodes, thick tonsils, fever or a red, swollen area. Then our body's own defence system, our immune system, is working at full speed. And this is only the case with harmless pathogens.

Some pathogens are not so harmless. And some people's defences don't work so well either. Then it's a matter of life and death.

Our body is constantly exposed to new challenges - environmental changes and new pathogens. Our immune system can receive help against some of these - in the form of vaccinations or other medicines that can support our immune system in the fight against certain pathogens. However, there is still no help against some pathogens. Depending on WHO gets WHICH pathogen, it's a game of chance.

Prof Kathrin de la Rosa wants to be one step ahead of the pathogens. She wants to be able to improve individual defence mechanisms in people whose immune system cannot cope with the pathogen on its own. And she is copying tricks from nature. Since 2024, she has headed the ‘Personalised Immunotherapy’ research group at the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine - a joint institution of Hannover Medical School and the HZI.

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