Research project

Live or let die: the intracellular fate of pathogenic mycobacteria

How do mycobacteria subvert the defenses of host immune cells?

Duration: 2022 - 2027
Contact: Annemarie Meijer
Funding: NWO ENW-XL
Partners: Prof. dr. Ariane Briegel, Leiden University
Dr. Edith N. G. Houben, VU University Amsterdam
Prof. dr. Sergey Nejentsev, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc
Dr. Jakko van Ingen, Radboud UMC
Prof. dr. Tom H.M. Ottenhoff, LUMC

Project structure addressing the pathogen side, the host side and the translational perspective (created with BioRender.com)

Mycobacteria are the causative agents of tuberculosis and other serious infectious diseases that are increasingly difficult to treat due to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. These notorious human pathogens replicate inside macrophages, a crucial cell type of our immune system. In this project a multidisciplinary team of researchers will join forces to elucidate key mechanisms underlying the complex interplay between mycobacterial virulence factors and the macrophage immune defenses. The new insights will be used to explore innovative therapeutic strategies to fight mycobacterial infections.