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Prof. Dr. med. Achim Hörauf

Member, Steering-Committee Member

Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology

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

achim.hoerauf@ukbonn.de

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Prof. Hörauf is internationally renowned for his work in Tropical Medicine, in particular for pioneering new drug treatments against filariasis (a group of neglected tropical diseases). The new treatment exploits an endosymbiosis between worms and bacterial endosymbionts called Wolbachia, which are susceptible to some classes of antibiotics. Prof. Hörauf’s group was the first to characterize a TLR2 ligand from Wolbachia and established that blindness in onchocerciasis (or ‘river blindness’) is dependent on innate immune reactions against Wolbachia. They were the first to detect regulatory T cells in humans in an infection. Modulation of host’s immune responses is another focus of Prof. Hörauf’s group, demonstrating that filarial infection and filarial antigen treatment protects against type 1 diabetes onset and improves glucose tolerance during obesity. Using expression quantitative trait loci analysis, the role of genetic factors in modulating cellular responses (to filarial antigens) and eventually filariae-caused pathology devel-opment is currently investigated. Beyond immunology, Achim Hoerauf has preclinically developed 4 new drugs against human filariasis which are now in clinical phase 1 and 2 studies, together with DNDi and pharma partners such as Abbvie, Bayer, and Esai.

Achim Hörauf

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Recent publications

  • Major basic protein and eosinophil peroxidase support microfilariae motility inhibition by eosinophil ETosis.

    PLoS neglected tropical diseases

    Authors: Pia Philippa Schumacher, Jesuthas Ajendra, Benjamin Lenz, Frederic Risch, Alexandra Ehrens, Celia Nieto-Pérez, Marianne Koschel, Tilman Aden, Achim Hoerauf, Marc P Hübner

  • Homogeneity Between Cervical and Vaginal Microbiomes and the Diagnostic Limitations of 16S Sequencing for STI Pathogens at Higher Ct Values.

    International journal of molecular sciences

    Authors: Claudio Neidhöfer, Mateja Condic, Nathalie Hahn, Lucia A Otten, Damian J Ralser, Nina Wetzig, Ralf Thiele, Achim Hoerauf, Marijo Parčina

  • Changes in circulating filarial antigen status in previously positive individuals: Lessons for treatment monitoring and pre-transmission assessment surveys.

    PLoS neglected tropical diseases

    Authors: Derrick Adu Mensah, Vera Serwaa Opoku, John Boateng, John Opoku, Jubin Osei-Mensah, Charles Gyasi, Prince Obeng, Monica Ahiadorme, Prince Dennis Atisu, Emmanuel Donawobuge Kutu, Inge Kroidl, Ute Klarmann-Schulz, Achim Hoerauf, Linda Batsa Debrah, Alexander Yaw Debrah

All publications by Prof. Dr. med. Achim Hörauf