Biological Codes of Pathogens

Bacterial and Viral Pathogens

HZI Campus

The diversity of pathogens on our planet is breathtaking. Just as we humans change our clothes daily, even a single nanoscale pathogen can adapt its morphology to its environment. The goal of the research group “Biological Codes of Pathogens” (CODE) is to shed light on the causes and consequences of this molecular heterogeneity within individual pathogens. By decoding the “dark matter” of pathogens, we ultimately aim to develop innovative therapeutic and diagnostic approaches that help to contain - or even prevent - future pandemics.

Head

Dr Jan Schlegel

Research Group Leader

E-Mail

Our Research

Our research focuses on deciphering and influencing the biological codes of pathogens at the molecular level. When we think of a pathogen, for example a single virus particle, we usually have a simplified picture in mind of what it looks like and how it is structured. However, we neglect how differently this individual particle - even with identical genetic equipment - can be structured. As these different forms of appearance influence the properties of the pathogen, it is important to understand them better in order to contain infectious diseases. The diversity of these manifestations is due to the interaction of different biological codes. Our team has set itself the task of developing new technologies to decipher these codes in order to investigate their physiological relevance and to be able to influence them. Research into these molecular codes is hampered in particular by two hurdles:

the nanoscopic size of many pathogens
the complexity of life cycles and interactions with their environment

The first hurdle is often solved by signal amplification through the simultaneous measurement of many pathogens (“bulk”), which, however, results in the loss of information about heterogeneity. By using high-throughput technologies with single particle resolution and advanced microscopy methods, we can detect and analyze this diversity.

To better understand the complex interactions of pathogens with their environment, we use synthetic biology methods that allow us to investigate certain questions in a defined and simplified system. For example, we can build a highly simplified artificial cell to analyze the binding behavior of viruses. By using environment-sensitive reporter molecules, we also investigate the collective biophysical properties of pathogens.