Immune Modulation in Respiratory Diseases (RESPImmun)

The doctoral Programme RESPImmun focuses on lung diseases and immunomodulatory mechanisms, both are highly relevant for medical research and patient care. Respiratory diseases affect over several hundred million people and rank second only to cardiovascular diseases in terms of mortality, incidence, prevalence, and socio-economic burden. RESPImmun is a thematically most stringent, top quality research program that will take PhD education to the highest level. One unique feature of this framework is its translational and interdisciplinary nature, which allows specialists from diverse fields: pulmonology, pathology, immunology, pharmacology, translational sciences, molecular biology and bioinformatics to bring their knowledge and concepts together to find the connection between chronic lung diseases, thus fostering the understanding of underlying pathologies.

Special emphasis is placed on delineating molecular signaling pathways at multiple levels from single cells, to tissues, entire organs and whole organisms. Multidisciplinary approaches and access to cutting edge, advanced instrumentation, to human tissue samples / patient data, and system biology approaches offers unique opportunities to define new therapeutic targets. Thus, RESPImmun spans the entire research spectrum from molecular pathway mapping, immune biology, and extensive preclinical disease models, to in vivo molecular imaging, clinical proof-of-concept studies, registries and patient cohorts, as well as state-of-the-art biobanking.

RESPImmun will shape not only the next generation of scientists dedicated to the lung diseases but will also foster chronic lung diseases (CLD) as a scientific focus at the Med Uni Graz. The close proximity between clinical research infrastructure, clinical centers, and basic research laboratories facilitates intellectual and technological exchange between students and faculty. Close interaction with patient organizations will strengthen the current needs and context of the program.