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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

  • 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

  • Parasitic infection prevalence in tuberculosis patients and their household contacts in the Littoral Region of Cameroon.

    Parasite epidemiology and control

    Authors: Lucy Cho Nchang, Chefor Magha, Patience Agwa Fonong, Narcisse Victor Tchamatchoua Gandjui, Nancielle Mbiatong Tchatat, Desmond Akumtoh Nkimbeng, Frank Noel Nietcho, Juluis Visnel Foyet, Fanny Fri Fombad, Tatiana Djikeussi Katcho, Jerome Fru Cho, Achim Hoerauf, Manuel Ritter, Samuel Wanji

  • Retrospective analysis of 300 microbial cell-free DNA sequencing results in routine blood stream infection diagnostics.

    Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology

    Authors: Claudio Neidhöfer, Niklas Klein, Aylin Yürüktümen, Tessa Hattenhauer, Rebekka Mispelbaum, Christian Bode, Tobias A W Holderried, Achim Hoerauf, Marijo Parčina

All publications by Prof. Dr. med. Achim Hörauf