Research Focus

Immunology & Infectious Diseases

Area of Research

Internal medicine/immunology: role of the complement system (especially the lectin pathway) in diseases with significant ischemia/reperfusion damage (e.g. myocardial infarction) and in infections; interventional studies with complement inhibitors in diseases with ischemia/reperfusion damage.

Infectiology: Optimization of antibiotic therapy in hospitals in the sense of "antibiotic stewardship"; optimization of intravenous β lactam therapy by means of concentration measurements and continuous or prolonged infusions.

Randomized controlled trials: 

2020 – ongoing: International Coordinating Investigator of a sponsored randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial of conestat alfa in the prevention of acute kidney injury in patients with NSTEMI (Pharming Biotechnologies, B.V.; NCT04912141) 

2020 – ongoing: Principal Investigator of a randomized, open-label, multi-national trial of conestat alfa in the prevention of critical SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (NCT04414631) 

2016 – 2019: Principal Investigator of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of conestat alfa in the prophylaxis of contrast-induced nephropathy after elective coronary angiography (NCT02869347) 

Prospective, observational studies: 

2021 – ongoing: Occurrence of antibodies cross-reacting with autoantigens in primary EBV infection – a longitudinal, observational study 

2020 – ongoing: A novel rapid, mobile, lab-independent and sensitive SARS-CoV-2 test at the point-of-need, to break the chain of infection 

2020 – ongoing: Activation of the complement system and endothelial cells upon SARS-CoV-2 infection: a prospective cohort study (secondary analysis of the COVIVA cohort; NCT04366765) 

2019 – ongoing: Probability of target attainment with standard intermittent bolus administration of cefazolin in patients with complicated infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus: A prospective single-center cohort study (NCT04503252) 

2017 – ongoing: Significance of mannose-binding lectin and the lectin pathway of complement in the development of primary open-angle glaucoma. A prospective single-center cohort study 

2017 – 2019: Probability of target attainment with standard intermittent bolus administration of β-lactam antibiotics in patients with bloodstream infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and aerobic Gram-negative bacteria: A prospective single-centre cohort study 

2017 – 2020: Local and Systemic Concentrations of Pattern Recognition Receptors of the Lectin Pathway of Complement in a Cohort of Patients With Interstitial Lung Diseases 

Retrospective studies: 

2021 – ongoing: Evaluation of the FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis panel at the University Hospital Basel: a retrospective study 

2021 – ongoing: Probability of early target attainment with continuously administered piperacillin/tazobactam and meropenem in critically ill patients: A retrospective cohort study from 2017 to 2021 

2020 – 2021: Appropriateness of blood culture collection at the University Hospital Basel: a quality control study 

2020 – ongoing: Invasive pneumococcal disease as the initial presentation of multiple myeloma, smoldering myeloma or MGUS: identification of predictors for an earlier diagnosis 

2019 – 2021: Association of mannose-binding lectin, ficolin-2 and immunoglobulin concentrations with future exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: secondary analysis of the randomized controlled REDUCE trial 

2019 – 2021: Evaluation of diagnostic testing steps in the diagnosis of primary CMV infections in comparison with primary EBV infections - a cohort study 

2019 – 2020: Clinical characteristics and predictors of gout flares in acute decompensated heart failure patients at a tertiary care hospital in Switzerland – a retrospective cohort study. 

2019 – ongoing: Evaluation of the Duration of Antimicrobial Treatments in Common Infectious Diseases at Three Swiss Tertiary Care Hospitals – a Quality Control Study. 

2017 – 2018: Comprehensive analysis of the Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) program at the University Hospital Basel during 2015-2016. 

2017 – 2019: Appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing in a Swiss tertiary care hospital: a repeated point prevalence survey 

2016 – 2018: Relevance of Dermabacter hominis isolated from clinical samples, 2012-2016. A retrospective case series. 

2016 – 2018: Influence of a resin-based blood culture medium on the time to clearance of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection - A retrospective cohort study 

2016 – 2019: Role of lectin pathway complement proteins and genetic variants in organ damage and disease severity of systemic sclerosis: a cross-sectional study 

National Collaborations

• Prof. Werner Albrich, Infectious Diseases Department, Kantonsspital St. Gallen (COVID-19 and antibiotic duration studies)
• Prof. Leo Bonati, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel (Complement studies)
• Prof. Jens Eckstein and Dr. Noé Brasier, Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel (Digital biomarkers) 
• Prof. Adrian Egli, Applied Microbiology Research and Division of Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology, University Hospital Basel (Antibiotic and diagnostic stewardship)
• Prof. Paul Hasler, Rheumatology Department, Kantonsspital Aarau (Neutrophil extracellular traps and COVID-19)
• PD Dr. Felix Hammann, Pharmacology Department, Inselspital Bern (therapeutic drug monitoring of beta-lactam antibiotics)
• Dr. Ingmar Heijnen, Division of Immunology, Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Basel (complement studies)
• Prof. Christoph Hess/Prof. Christoph T. Berger, University Hospital Basel (Immune senescence in COVID-19)
• Prof. Hans H. Hirsch, Transplantation and Clinical Virology, University Basel (COVID-19 studies)
• Prof. Lars Huber, Internal Medicine Department, Triemlispital Zürich (COVID-19 studies) 
• Prof. Raban Jeger, Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Basel (Complement studies) Prof. Niklaus Labhardt, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and Department of Infectious Diseases & Hospital Epidemiology (Betalactam therapy optimization)
• Prof. Parham Sendi, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern (COVID-19 and S. aureus studies)
• Prof. Katharina Rentsch, Division of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Basel (Therapeutic drug monitoring)
• Prof. Sai Reddy, ETH Zürich (Evolution and immunity of SARS-CoV-2 infection) 
• Prof. Marten Trendelenburg, Department of Research and Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel (complement studies)
• Prof. Janos Vörös, ETH Zürich, Institute for Biomedical Engineering (rapid SARS-CoV-2 test)
• Prof. Sacha Zeerleder, Hematology Department, Inselspital Bern (Devils dance: complement, NETs and thrombosis in COVID-19) 
• FUNGINOS network members (fungal infections)

International Collaborations

• Dr. Marcelo R Bacci, Department of General Practice, Centro Universitário em Saúde do ABC, Santo André, SP, Brazil (COVID-19 study)
• Prof. Adrián Camacho-Ortiz, Hospital Universitario Dr. José Eleuterio González, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico (COVID-19 study)

• A randomized, open-label, multi-national trial of conestat alfa in the prevention of critical SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (NCT04414631)
• International Coordinating Investigator of a sponsored randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled multicenter trial of conestat alfa in the prevention of acute kidney injury in patients with NSTEMI (Pharming Biotechnologies, B.V.; NCT04912141)
• A novel rapid, mobile, lab-independent and sensitive SARS-CoV-2 test at the point-ofneed, to break the chain of infection (in collaboration with the ETH Zürich) 
• Probability of target attainment with standard intermittent bolus administration of cefazolin in patients with complicated infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus: A prospective single-center cohort study (NCT04503252)
• Activation of the complement system and endothelial cells upon SARS-CoV-2 infection: a prospective cohort study (secondary analysis of the COVIVA cohort; NCT04366765)
• Occurrence of antibodies cross-reacting with autoantigens in primary EBV infection – a longitudinal, observational study
• Evaluation of the FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis panel at the University Hospital Basel: a retrospective study
• Probability of early target attainment with continuously administered piperacillin/ tazobactam and meropenem in critically ill patients: A retrospective cohort study from 2017 to 2021
• Invasive pneumococcal disease as the initial presentation of multiple myeloma, smoldering myeloma or MGUS: identification of predictors for an earlier diagnosis 
• Evaluation of the Duration of Antimicrobial Treatments in Common Infectious Diseases at Three Swiss Tertiary Care Hospitals – a Quality Control Study.