BMBF junior research group
"Genomics of Retroviral Infection"
Head: PD Dr. med. Ulrike Lange, PhD
Our research focuses on retroviruses and their impact on the biology of infected cells. Retroviruses replicate through integration of viral-derived DNA into the genome of host cells. We would like to understand how this integration affects cellular activity, with particular emphasis on analysis of virus/host DNA interactions and their impact on genome regulation as well as broader changes in genome biology. We investigate exogenous retroviruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), that have invaded our germline during human evolution.
To address our research questions, we employ a range of experimental techniques, including local and genome-wide epigenetic and transcriptional profiling and site-specific targeting technologies. Our work is based on cellular model systems, investigation of immune cell subsets from patient cohorts and healthy individuals, as well as bioinformatic integrative analyses.
Ulrike Lange has a research background in developmental biology and epigenetics. Trained as medical doctor and anesthesiologist as well as natural scientist, she has been undertaking research in the field of HIV first as DZIF Clinical Leave fellow then as UKE Clinician Scientist. Since May 2022 she is heading the BMBF junior research group Genomics of Retroviral Infection located at the Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV) in Hamburg.
Contact
More information on the working group
at the Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV)