The Phenomenon of Inflammation

They can affect different areas of the body such as the colon, skin, lungs, heart or blood vessels and they have many names, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, eczema, rheumatism, asthma, periodontitis, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.  Even in diseases which you would'nt link on the first glance to inflammation e.g. heart attack or canceer more and more evidences point to an important role of inflammatory processes during the development of these diseases.

Inflammatory diseases have been increasingly occuring in recent decades, particularly in western industrialized countries – affecting more and more people.These diseases are often regarded as incurable and chronic. In the search for therapies to alleviate and cure the diseases, a new perspective and a more holistic approach have been established in inflammation research in recent years, in which the inflammatory process itself as the cause of the diseases is the focus – and not the single organ.

Focused expertise for the benefit of patients

In the Cluster of Excellence "Inflammation at Interfaces" scientists and physicians spanning all disciplines are working comprehensively to decode the phenomenon of inflammation. They are focusing their expertise, examining the inflammatory processes in the body from different perspectives and are trying to find out which genetic and epidemiological factors and conditions are present in those affected; what effect environmental influences, nutrition and lifestyles have on the course of the diseases; and, which approaches may be useful in the development of appropriate pharmaceuticals and therapies. In the last few years, many correlations have been identified, leading to a better understanding of inflammatory processes, thus making an important contribution to the alleviation and cure of diseases.