Immunobiology and Respiratory Infections
Our research lab Immunobiology and Respiratory Infections is part of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
The group is working on pulmonary and immunological defense mechanisms in response to bacterial and viral infections to understand capacities and limitations of the host defense. Learn more about our different approaches and research projects.
We are always looking for people joining our team. If you are interest, send Geraldine an email (geraldine.nouailles@charite.de).
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Lab technician, she/her
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Master student, she/her
Postdoc, he/him
Postdoc, she/her
PhD student, she/her
PhD student, she/her
PhD student, he/him
Bachelor student, she/her
Master student, she/her
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Find more about our research at the Nouailles Lab!
Single-cell sequencing and immunology reveal host responses to SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens.
Orchestration of chemokine expression and neutrophil responses in acute and chronic lung infections.
Respiratory epithelial glycocalyx and glycoproteins – host defense or entry point for pathogens.
Developing 2D and 3D human lung models, xeno-free culturing and implementation of 3R principles.
Host immunity – innate pulmonary immunity booster or dampener of phage therapy efficacy.
Protective mode of action of immunoglobulin (Trimodulin) therapy in pneumonia.
In vitro, in vivo and real-world data turned into mathematical models of pneumonia and cardiovascular complications thereof.
Single-cell sequencing and immunology reveal host responses to SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens.
Geraldine Nouailles
Peter Pennitz
Ulrike Behrendt
Cengiz Gökeri
Jakob Trimpert and team
Emanuel Wyler/Markus Landthaler and team
Holger Kirsten/Markus Scholz and team
Samantha Praktiknjo and team
Michael Mülleder and team
Achim Gruber and team
Christine Goffinet and team
…many more
Nouailles G#, Adler JM#, Pennitz P, Peidli S, Alves LGT, Baumgardt M, Bushe J, Voss A, Langenhagen A, Langner C, Vidal RM, Pott F, Kazmierski J, Ebenig A, Lange MV, Mühlebach MD, Goekeri C, Simmons S, Xing N, Abdelgawad A, Herwig S, Cichon G, Niemeyer D, Drosten C, Goffinet C, Landthaler M, Blüthgen N, Wu H, Witzenrath M, Gruber AD, Praktiknjo SD, Osterrieder N, Wyler E*, Kunec D*, Trimpert J*. (2023). Live-attenuated vaccine sCPD9 elicits superior mucosal and systemic immunity to SARS-CoV-2 variants in hamsters. Nat Microbiol. 2023 Apr. #shared first, *shared last
Pennitz P, Goekeri C, Trimpert J, Wyler E, Ebenig A, Weissfuss C, Mühlebach MD, Witzenrath M, Nouailles G. Protocol to dissociate healthy and infected murine- and hamster-derived lung tissue for single-cell transcriptome analysis. STAR Protoc. 2022 Dec 20;4(1):101957
Pennitz P, Kirsten H, Friedrich VD, Wyler E, Goekeri C, Obermayer B, Heinz GA, Mashreghi MF, Büttner M, Trimpert J, Landthaler M, Suttorp N, Hocke AC, Hippenstiel S, Tönnies M, Scholz M, Kuebler WM, Witzenrath M, Hoenzke K, Nouailles G. A pulmonologist’s guide to perform and analyse cross-species single lung cell transcriptomics. Eur Respir Rev. 2022 Jul 27;31(165):220056.
Wyler E, Adler JM, Eschke K, Teixeira Alves G, Peidli S, Pott F, Kazmierski J, Michalick L, Kershaw O, Bushe J, Andreotti S, Pennitz P, Abdelgawad A, Postmus D, Goffinet C, Kreye J, Reincke SM, Prüss H, Blüthgen N, Gruber AD, Kuebler WM, Witzenrath M, Landthaler M, Nouailles G, Trimpert J. Key benefits of dexamethasone and antibody treatment in COVID-19 hamster models revealed by single-cell transcriptomics. Mol Ther. 2022 May 4;30(5):1952-1965.
Nouailles G, Wyler E, Pennitz P, Postmus D, Vladimirova D, Kazmierski J, Pott F, Dietert K, Muelleder M, Farztdinov V, Obermayer B, Wienhold SM, Andreotti S, Hoefler T, Sawitzki B, Drosten C, Sander LE, Suttorp N, Ralser M, Beule D, Gruber AD, Goffinet C, Landthaler M, Trimpert J, Witzenrath M. Temporal omics analysis in Syrian hamsters unravel cellular effector responses to moderate COVID-19. Nat Commun. 2021 Aug 11;12(1):4869.
Ebenig A, Muraleedharan S, Kazmierski J, Todt D, Auste A, Anzaghe M, Gömer A, Postmus D, Gogesch P, Niles M, Plesker R, Miskey C, Gellhorn Serra M, Breithaupt A, Hörner C, Kruip C, Ehmann R, Ivics Z, Waibler Z, Pfaender S, Wyler E, Landthaler M, Kupke A, Nouailles G, Goffinet C, Brown RJP, Mühlebach MD. Vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory pathology in COVID-19 hamsters after TH2-biased immunization. Cell Rep. 2022 Aug 16;40(7):111214.
Andreotti S, Altmüller J, Quedenau C, Borodina T, Nouailles G, Teixeira Alves LG, Landthaler M, Bieniara M, Trimpert J, Wyler E. De Novo-Whole Genome Assembly of the Roborovski Dwarf Hamster (Phodopus roborovskii) Genome: An Animal Model for Severe/Critical COVID-19. Genome Biol Evol. 2022 Jul 2;14(7):evac100.
SCOG Conference “Single Cell Omics in Clinical Applications”, 07 – 09.11.2022, Bonn.
Pennitz P *, Friedrich VD *, Wyler E, Adler JM, Postmus D, Andreotti S, Teixeira-Alves LG, Kazmierski J, Pott F, Hoefler T, Goekeri C, Landthaler M, Goffinet C, Trimpert J, Scholz M, Witzenrath M, Kirsten H#, Nouailles G#. Interspecies analysis to dissect cellular transcriptomic signatures of humans and hamsters in COVID-19.
21st International Conference on Systems Biology, 08.-12.10.2022, Berlin.
Pennitz P*, Kirsten H*, Friedrich VD, Wyler E, Goekeri C, Obermayer B, Heinz GA, Mashreghi MF, Büttner M, Trimpert J, Landthaler M, Suttorp N, Hocke AC, Hippenstiel S, Tönnies M, Scholz M, Kuebler WM, Witzenrath M, Hoenzke K, Nouailles G. Integrational approaches for cross-species analysis of lung pathologies at single-cell resolution.
e:Med Meeting 2021, 20 – 22.09.2021, online.
Pennitz P, Kirsten H, Goekeri C, Behrendt U, Gutbier B, Heinz G, Mashreghi MF, Wienhold SM, Witzenrath M, Scholz M, Nouailles G. Single-cell RNA-seq for a murine pneumonia lung atlas improving pathomechanistical understanding of community acquired pneumonia.
A new approach to a Covid-19 nasal vaccine shows early promise (CNN, 03.04.2023).
Nasal vaccine to prevent COVID-19 passes first tests (upi.com, 03.04.2023).
Nasenimpfstoff gegen Corona erfolgreich getestet (aerzteblatt.de, 04.04.2023).
Kommt die Nasenspray-Impfung gegen Corona? (zdfheute, 04.04.2023).
Impfung per Nasenspray könnte Pandemie beenden (Berliner Zeitung, 18.05.2022)
Corona-Impfung per Nasenspray: Schnief und Schluss (Zeit-Online, 19.05.2022)
Lebendimpfstoff aus Berlin erzeugt Schleimhautimmunität (Spektrum.de, 18.05.2022)
Nasale Corona-Impfstoffe: Hoffnung auf sterile Immunität (Deutschlandfunk, 18.05.2022)
Neues Nasenspray aus Berlin soll besser als RNA-Impfung sein (mdr.de, 19.05.2022)
Spray könnte besser wirken als Spritze (blick.ch, 20.05.2022)
Corona-Impfung: Forscher sehen Erfolge im Tierversuch (sueddeutsche.de, 18.05.2022)
Orchestration of chemokine expression and neutrophil responses in acute and chronic lung infections.
Geraldine Nouailles
Cengiz Gökeri
Ulrike Behrendt
Sarah Berger (Alumni)
Anca Dorhoi
Stefan Kaufmann
Sarah Hedtrich and team
Goekeri C, Pennitz P, Groenewald W, Behrendt U, Kirsten H, Zobel CM, Berger S, Heinz GA, Mashreghi M-F, Wienhold S-M, Dietert K, Dorhoi A, Gruber AD, Scholz M, Rohde G, Suttorp N, CAPNETZ Study Group, Witzenrath M*, Nouailles G*. MicroRNA-223 Dampens Pulmonary Inflammation during Pneumococcal Pneumonia. Cells. 2023 Mar;12(6):959. *shared last
Nouailles G, Dorhoi A, Koch M, Zerrahn J, Weiner J 3rd, Faé KC, Arrey F, Kuhlmann S, Bandermann S, Loewe D, Mollenkopf HJ, Vogelzang A, Meyer-Schwesinger C, Mittrücker HW, McEwen G, Kaufmann SH. CXCL5-secreting pulmonary epithelial cells drive destructive neutrophilic inflammation in tuberculosis. J Clin Invest. 2014 Mar;124(3):1268-82.
Dorhoi A, Iannaccone M, Maertzdorf J, Nouailles G, Weiner J 3rd, Kaufmann SH. Reverse translation in tuberculosis: neutrophils provide clues for understanding development of active disease. Front Immunol. 2014 Feb 5;5:36.
Arrey F, Löwe D, Kuhlmann S, Kaiser P, Moura-Alves P, Krishnamoorthy G, Lozza L, Maertzdorf J, Skrahina T, Skrahina A, Gengenbacher M, Nouailles G*, Kaufmann SHE*. Humanized Mouse Model Mimicking Pathology of Human Tuberculosis for in vivo Evaluation of Drug Regimens. Front Immunol. 2019 Jan 31;10:89. *shared last
Dorhoi A, Iannaccone M, Farinacci M, Faé KC, Schreiber J, Moura-Alves P, Nouailles G, Mollenkopf HJ, Oberbeck-Müller D, Jörg S, Heinemann E, Hahnke K, Löwe D, Del Nonno F, Goletti D, Capparelli R, Kaufmann SH. MicroRNA-223 controls susceptibility to tuberculosis by regulating lung neutrophil recruitment. J Clin Invest. 2013 Nov;123(11):4836-48.
CAPSyS: Systemmedizin der ambulant erworbenen Pneumonie (BMBF)
The alveolar glycocalyx is a sugar-rich fluid layer that sits above the epithelium in our lungs. Consisting of membrane-anchored and freely floating glycoproteins, glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans, it is located at a critical position, where oxygen exchange takes place and microbes exert their pathogenicity. As a group, we seek to demonstrate the precise involvement of the epithelial glycocalyx in maintaining normal physiology of the lungs including regulation of barrier permeability and immune cell transmigration. On the flip side, microbes have evolved to utilize sugar-harboring structures as attachment points to initiate their virulence programs. Whether the glycocalyx acts as our friend or foe during microbe-triggered pulmonary inflammation remains to be solved.
Geraldine Nouailles
Cengiz Gökeri
Alina Nettesheim
Kerstin Linke
Sebastian Schickinger
Martin Witzenrath
Peter Seeberger and team
Wolfgang Kübler and team
Matthias Ochs and team
Kevin Pagel and team
Ochs M, Hegermann J, Lopez-Rodriguez E, Timm S, Nouailles G, Matuszak J, Simmons S, Witzenrath M, Kuebler WM. On Top of the Alveolar Epithelium: Surfactant and the Glycocalyx. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Apr 27;21(9):3075.
1st International Symposium of the CRC 1449 on „Dynamic hydrogels at biointerfaces“, 06.-07.10.2022, Berlin
Linke K, Goekeri C, Nettesheim A, Behrendt U, Lopez-Rodriguez E, Ochs M, Witzenrath M, and Nouailles G. – Epithelial glycocalyx and bacterial pneumonia.
1st International Symposium of the CRC 1449 on „Dynamic hydrogels at biointerfaces“, 06.-07.10.2022, Berlin
Nettesheim A, Linke K, Behrendt U, Barthel D, Lopez-Rodriguez E, Ochs M, Gorenflos López J L, Hackenberger C P R, Seeberger P H, Witzenrath M, Goekeri C, and Nouailles G. – Characterizing the role of fucosylation in bacterial pneumonia
CRC 1449 Dynamic Hydrogels at Biointerfaces
Complete announcement from the Tagesspiegel supplement, issue of 3.10.2022
Developing 2D and 3D human lung models, xeno-free culturing and implementation of 3R principles.
Geraldine Nouailles
Karen Hoffmann
Cengiz Gökeri
Ulrike Behrendt
Lisa Pfeiffer
Peter Pennitz
Christian Zobel, Werner Wenzel and team
Hoffmann K, Obermayer B, Hönzke K, Fatykhova D, Demir Z, Löwa A, Alves LGT, Wyler E, Lopez-Rodriguez E, Mieth M, Baumgardt M, Hoppe J, Firsching TC, Tönnies M, Bauer TT, Eggeling S, Tran HL, Schneider P, Neudecker J, Rückert JC, Gruber AD, Ochs M, Landthaler M, Beule D, Suttorp N, Hippenstiel S, Hocke AC, Kessler M. Human alveolar progenitors generate dual lineage bronchioalveolar organoids. Commun Biol. 2022 Aug 25;5(1):875.
Hoffmann K, Berger H, Kulbe H, Thillainadarasan S, Mollenkopf HJ, Zemojtel T, Taube E, Darb-Esfahani S, Mangler M, Sehouli J, Chekerov R, Braicu EI, Meyer TF, Kessler M. Stable expansion of high-grade serous ovarian cancer organoids requires a low-Wnt environment. EMBO J. 2020 Mar 16;39(6):e104013.
63rd Congress of the DGP, 29.03 – 01.04.2023, Düsseldorf
Pfeiffer L, Weißfuß C, Behrendt U, Wienhold S, Gutbier B, Krishnamoorthy G, Witzenrath M, Nouailles G, Goekeri C, Pennitz P. Approaching xeno-free cultivation and utilization of pulmonary pathogens in vitro.
International Conference of the SFB-TR 84, 8. – 10.09.2022, Berlin
Pfeiffer L, Weißfuß C, Behrendt U, Wienhold S, Gutbier B, Krishnamoorthy G, Witzenrath M, Nouailles G, Goekeri C, Pennitz P. – Approaching xeno-free cultivation and utilization of pulmonary pathogens in vitro.
2nd Summer School on „infection Biology“ of the Universitöt Greifswald and FLI, 26. – 28.09.2022, Greifswald
Pfeiffer L, Weißfuß C, Behrendt U, Wienhold S, Gutbier B, Krishnamoorthy G, Witzenrath M, Nouailles G, Goekeri C, Pennitz P. – Approaching xeno-free cultivation of pulmonary pathogens in vitro.
NoVAP Lab Bundeswehr Krankenhaus
Host immunity – booster or dampener of phage therapy efficacy
Geraldine Nouailles
Chantal Weißfuß
Ulrike Behrendt
Martin Witzenrath
MAPVAP consortium
Weissfuss C, Wienhold SM, Bürkle M, Gaborieau B, Bushe J, Behrendt U, Bischoff R, Korf IHE, Wienecke S, Dannheim A, Ziehr H, Rohde C, Gruber AD, Ricard JD, Debarbieux L, Witzenrath M, Nouailles G. Repetitive Exposure to Bacteriophage Cocktails against Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Escherichia coli Provokes Marginal Humoral Immunity in Naïve Mice. Viruses. 2023;15(2):387
Wienhold SM, Brack MC, Nouailles G, Krishnamoorthy G, Korf IHE, Seitz C, Wienecke S, Dietert K, Gurtner C, Kershaw O, Gruber AD, Ross A, Ziehr H, Rohde M, Neudecker J, Lienau J, Suttorp N, Hippenstiel S, Hocke AC, Rohde C, Witzenrath M. Preclinical Assessment of Bacteriophage Therapy against Experimental Acinetobacter baumannii Lung Infection. Viruses. 2021 Dec 24;14(1):33.
Herbsttagung 2021 of the German Respiratory Society (DGP) Section Cell Biology. 12. – 13. November 2021, Hannover. (shared 1st place)
Weißfuß C, Wienhold S-M, Bürkle M, Gaborieau B, Bushe J, Behrendt U, Bischoff R, Korf I, Wienecke S, Dannheim A, Ziehr H, Rohde C, Gruber A D, Ricard J-D, Debarbieux L, Witzenrath M, and Nouailles G. – Repetitive exposure to bacteriophage cocktails against multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa or E. coli does not induce pronounced immunity in naïve mice.
62. Congress of the German Respiratory Society (DGP) Section Cell Biology. 25. – 28. May 2022, Leipzig. (Best of Herbsttagung 2021)
Weißfuß C, Wienhold S-M, Bürkle M, Gaborieau B, Bushe J, Behrendt U, Bischoff R, Korf I, Wienecke S, Dannheim A, Ziehr H, Rohde C, Gruber A D, Ricard J-D, Debarbieux L, Witzenrath M, and Nouailles G. – Repetitive exposure to bacteriophage cocktails against multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa or E. coli does not induce pronounced immunity in naïve mice.
Combination of in vivo phage therapy data with in silico model highlights key parameters for pneumonia treatment efficacy. Cell Reports. May 2022;39(17).
Protective mode of action of immunoglobulin (Trimodulin) therapy in pneumonia.
Geraldine Nouailles
Romina Bischoff
Kerstin Linke
Alexander Taylor (Alumni)
Martin Witzenrath
Biotest AG
Achim Gruber
Jahn K, Handtke S, Palankar R, Weißmüller S, Nouailles G, Kohler TP, Wesche J, Rohde M, Heinz C, Aschenbrenner AF, Wolff M, Schüttrumpf J, Witzenrath M, Hammerschmidt S, Greinacher A. Pneumolysin induces platelet destruction, not platelet activation, which can be prevented by immunoglobulin preparations in vitro. Blood Adv. 2020 Dec 22;4(24):6315-6326.
In vitro, in vivo and real-world data turned into mathematical models of pneumonia and cardiovascular complications thereof.
Geraldine Nouailles
Peter Pennitz
Martin Witzenrath, Markus Brack and team
Markus Scholz and team
CAPSyS consortium
Berlin Hamster consortium
Wyler E, Adler JM, Eschke K, Teixeira Alves G, Peidli S, Pott F, Kazmierski J, Michalick L, Kershaw O, Bushe J, Andreotti S, Pennitz P, Abdelgawad A, Postmus D, Goffinet C, Kreye J, Reincke SM, Prüss H, Blüthgen N, Gruber AD, Kuebler WM, Witzenrath M, Landthaler M, Nouailles G, Trimpert J. Key benefits of dexamethasone and antibody treatment in COVID-19 hamster models revealed by single-cell transcriptomics. Mol Ther. 2022 May 4;30(5):1952-1965.
Nouailles G, Wyler E, Pennitz P, Postmus D, Vladimirova D, Kazmierski J, Pott F, Dietert K, Muelleder M, Farztdinov V, Obermayer B, Wienhold SM, Andreotti S, Hoefler T, Sawitzki B, Drosten C, Sander LE, Suttorp N, Ralser M, Beule D, Gruber AD, Goffinet C, Landthaler M, Trimpert J, Witzenrath M. Temporal omics analysis in Syrian hamsters unravel cellular effector responses to moderate COVID-19. Nat Commun. 2021 Aug 11;12(1):4869.
Schirm S, Haghikia A, Brack M, Ahnert P, Nouailles G, Suttorp N, Loeffler M, Witzenrath M, Scholz M. A biomathematical model of atherosclerosis in mice. PLoS One. 2022 Aug 3;17(8):e0272079.
Schirm S, Ahnert P, Berger S, Nouailles G, Wienhold SM, Müller-Redetzky H, Suttorp N, Loeffler M, Witzenrath M, Scholz M. A biomathematical model of immune response and barrier function in mice with pneumococcal lung infection. PLoS One. 2020 Dec 3;15(12):e0243147.
Berger S, Goekeri C, Gupta SK, Vera J, Dietert K, Behrendt U, Lienau J, Wienhold SM, Gruber AD, Suttorp N, Witzenrath M, Nouailles G. Delay in antibiotic therapy results in fatal disease outcome in murine pneumococcal pneumonia. Crit Care. 2018 Nov 1;22(1):287.
Schirm S, Ahnert P, Wienhold S, Mueller-Redetzky H, Nouailles-Kursar G, Loeffler M, Witzenrath M, Scholz M. A Biomathematical Model of Pneumococcal Lung Infection and Antibiotic Treatment in Mice. PLoS One. 2016 May 19;11(5):e0156047.
SCOG Conference “Single Cell Omics in Clinical Applications”, 07 – 09.11.2022, Bonn.
Pennitz P *, Friedrich VD *, Wyler E, Adler JM, Postmus D, Andreotti S, Teixeira-Alves LG, Kazmierski J, Pott F, Hoefler T, Goekeri C, Landthaler M, Goffinet C, Trimpert J, Scholz M, Witzenrath M, Kirsten H#, Nouailles G#. Interspecies analysis to dissect cellular transcriptomic signatures of humans and hamsters in COVID-19.
21st International Conference on Systems Biology, 08.-12.10.2022, Berlin.
Pennitz P*, Kirsten H*, Friedrich VD, Wyler E, Goekeri C, Obermayer B, Heinz GA, Mashreghi MF, Büttner M, Trimpert J, Landthaler M, Suttorp N, Hocke AC, Hippenstiel S, Tönnies M, Scholz M, Kuebler WM, Witzenrath M, Hoenzke K, Nouailles G. Integrational approaches for cross-species analysis of lung pathologies at single-cell resolution.
e:Med Meeting 2021, 20 – 22.09.2021, online.
Pennitz P, Kirsten H, Goekeri C, Behrendt U, Gutbier B, Heinz G, Mashreghi MF, Wienhold SM, Witzenrath M, Scholz M, Nouailles G. Single-cell RNA-seq for a murine pneumonia lung atlas improving pathomechanistical understanding of community acquired pneumonia.
