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16th Hermann Staudinger Lecture with Nobel Laureate Jules Hoffmann on January 21st, 2014

The Hermann Staudinger Lectures are a series of talks initiated by the former FRIAS School of Soft Matter Research in 2008. FRIAS invites international Nobel Laureates to give a lecture in Freiburg two to three times a year. The lecture series is named after Nobel Laureate Hermann Staudinger who taught at the University of Freiburg from 1926–1951 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1953.

This lecture is open to the public.

Date: 21 January 2014Time: 17:00 - 18:00
Venue: Anatomy Lecture Hall, Albertstr. 19, 79104 Freiburg


16th Hermann Staudinger Lecture with Nobel Laureate Jules Hoffmann

"Innate Immunity: From Flies to Humans"

Insects make up nearly 80% of all extant species on earth and present a formidable challenge as they put one third of humanity at continuous risk of often severe diseases, namely through their role as vectors of various types of pathogens. Insects have long been known to be resistant to various types of bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic infections. The mechanisms underlying this resistance, other than the well known process of phagocytosis, have only been addressed relatively recently, and a general simplified picture of these defences will be presented. The fruitfly Drosophila is to be credited for much of the progress in the field. Genetic analysis has identified two signaling pathways which control the expression of antimicrobial peptides: the Toll pathway, which primarily controls the response to fungi and Gram-positive bacteria, and the IMD pathway which is efficient in fighting Gram-negative bacterial infections.

Unexpectedly, the unravelling of the Drosophila antimicrobial defences has had an impact on understanding some essential facets of mammalian immunity. It has also led to a renewed interest in innate immunity, a long neglected field in the study of antimicrobial defences in general. In particular, the contribution of the Drosophila model to our present understanding of innate immunity, from sea anemones to humans, will be highlighted.

 

More information on the Hermann Staudinger Lectures Series