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Prof. Dr. Christoph Wilhelm

Member, Steering-Committee Member

Institute of Clinical Chemistry & Clinical Pharmacology

Medical Faculty, University of Bonn University Hospital of Bonn Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25 53127 Bonn

cwilhelm@uni-bonn.de

+49 228 28751721

Website

The research team of Prof. Christoph Wilhelm studies the metabolic control of mucosal immune cells to better understand what distinguishes their protective function in infection from immune-mediated pathology and chronic inflammation. Specifically, we aim to untangle how dietary restriction and fasting affect the immune system and how exogenous and endogenous metabolites influence barrier immune cell function. We have found that a ketogenic diet can be used as an effective dietary intervention strategy for the treatment of chronic airway inflammation and that ketogenesis triggered by severe respiratory infections supports T cell function by providing ketone bodies as an alternative carbon source. Our central goal is to understand the link between Westernization and the growing health problem of chronic inflammation, as well as the increased susceptibility to infections in people with metabolic diseases.

Recent publications

  • Neuroepithelial VIP-VIPR1 interactions differentially control enteric type 1 and type 2 immunity.

    Nature immunology

    Authors: Roksana M Pirzgalska, Beatriz Henriques-Alves, Bruno Raposo, Eric de Sousa, Júlio Torres, Jaechan Ryu, Cristina Godinho-Silva, Miguel Rendas, Madalena Pereira, Inês Godinho, Hélder Ribeiro, Vasco Correia, Manuel O Jakob, Patrycja M Forster, Christoph Wilhelm, Christoph S N Klose, Ricardo Rio-Tinto, Verena M Link, Tânia Carvalho, Carlos M Minutti, Manuela Ferreira, Henrique Veiga-Fernandes

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  • Dichotomous outcomes of TNFR1 and TNFR2 signaling in NK cell-mediated immune responses during inflammation.

    Nature communications

    Authors: Timothy R McCulloch, Gustavo R Rossi, Louisa Alim, Pui Yeng Lam, Joshua K M Wong, Elaina Coleborn, Snehlata Kumari, Colm Keane, Andrew J Kueh, Marco J Herold, Christoph Wilhelm, Percy A Knolle, Lawrence Kane, Timothy J Wells, Fernando Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes

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  • Mef2d: a novel transcription factor in type 2 allergic lung inflammation.

    Signal transduction and targeted therapy

    Authors: Laura Surace, Christoph Wilhelm, Christian Bode

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