Research

The Clinic and Polyclinic for Dermatology and Venerology has several research focuses on dealing with a broad spectrum of acquired and congenital skin diseases. These include chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis, skin infections, autoimmune diseases, impaired wound healing conditions, scar formation, scleroderma and fibrosis, invasive growth, and metastasis of tumors genodermatoses.

Disease-specific consultation clinics are closely connected to experimental working groups aiming to understand, through basic research, the pathophysiology at the cellular and molecular level and to develop innovative therapeutic concepts. Hence, the direct translation of experimental, clinically oriented research into clinical application for the benefit of patients is ensured.

The research groups are supported by third-party funds (DFG, EU, BMBF, and others). Of particular importance is the participation of several employees at the Centre for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), the Cluster of Excellence (CECAD: Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases), the establishment of the Competence Network Scleroderma (BMBF) as well as the establishment of the Collaborative Research Centre 829 "Molecular Mechanisms of Regulation of Skin Homeostasis". Besides, the groups are part of several research consortia funded by the DFG. The close interdisciplinary cooperation of the staff of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Dermatology and Venerology with the Institute of Biochemistry, the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, the Institute of Virology and the Institute of Vegetative Physiology, Pathology, and other research institutions on campus is of great importance for the successful completion of these projects.

Networking and active participation of the clinic's staff in professional associations such as the German Dermatological Society (DDG), the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Dermatologische Forschung (ADF), the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR), and the Society of Investigative Dermatology (SID) also ensures a close exchange of information between the clinic's staff on the latest scientific findings at the national and international level.