Research Group Systems Biology of Sepsis

Head:

Prof. Dr. Rainer König

Professor for Systems Biology of Sepsis

Integrated Research and Treatment Center
Center for Sepsis Control and Care
Jena University Hospital | Erlanger Allee 101 | 07747 Jena

Tel: +49 3641 532 1189
Fax: +49 3641 532 0800

Research

One of our main aims is the establishment of a pipeline enabling the analysis of gene expressions and of (epi-) genome data from blood samples, clinical data, and metabolite concentrations for the improvement of the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. Thereby, our focus is on understanding the diverse clinical interactions on a molecular level taking network-based models into account. Gene expression profiles and metabolite concentrations are matched with signal transfer and regulatory as well as metabolic networks.

Subsequently, statistical analyses are carried out. The working group is part of the Center for Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC) and is funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).

Further medical applications

Employing our methods, we investigate the regulation of the inflammatory response of immune cells after infection, aberrant regulatory mechanisms of metabolism in tumor cells, and are interested in telomere maintenance mechanisms.

Methods development

High throughput methods of functional genomics produce massive data on a genome wide scale for a large variety of different organisms, organs and diseases. This information needs to be funneled and organized into a medical meaningful context.

• Regulation analysis: We specify gene regulation by e.g. combining the regulatory impact of different transcription factors and estimate cell context specific regulation of transcription factors using mixed integer linear programming.
• Alternative Splicing: We develop methods to identify alternative splicing using RNA-Seq data.
• Pattern recognition in networks: We develop methods to detect specific regulation patterns in cellular networks using Wavelet transforms.