Vaccinology and applied Microbiology
Vaccination is the most efficient strategy to prevent infectious diseases. The art of the vaccine researcher lies in finding substances that prevent us from falling ill with diseases such as influenza or viral hepatitis. But what makes a vaccine successful and ensures effective protection? Our scientists study the reaction of the immune system to answer that question – and to develop better vaccination strategies.
Leader
Prof Dr Carlos A. Guzmán
What do we need to promote protection – what type of immune response is required for a vaccination to give us robust, predictable and long-term protection against a specific pathogen?

Prof. Carlos A. Guzmán (MD, PhD) is head of the department Vaccinology and Applied Microbiology at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and also APL professor at the Hannover Medical School.
He studied Medicine at the National University of Rosario and received his specialization in Medical Bacteriology in Argentina. With a scholarship from the Italian Foreign Ministry, he then conducted research at the Institute of Microbiology at the University of Genoa, Italy. He acquired his doctorate in Medicine and Surgery, becoming also a doctor in Microbiological Sciences.
In 1994, he moved to Germany and became head of the Vaccine Research group at the HZI, formerly GBF. He has been active in the field of Vaccinology since 1989. His work led to the discovery of new adjuvants, the establishment of Salmonella spp. as a delivery system for DNA vaccines and therapeutic molecules, and the development of vaccine candidates against different infectious diseases. He has published over 260 papers in international journals and is co-inventor of numerous international patents.
Prof. Guzmán is part of the editorial board of Microbial Biotechnology, Bioengineered and Microbial Immunology. He is also review editor of Frontiers in Mucosal Immunology, as well as member of “Council of 100”of Vaccine.
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Bachelor & Master
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