Current research interest

 

At the moment, I'm working on my own DFG funded project: Modeling the pathogenesis of pericentral steatosis. The aim of the project is to understand the influence of oxygen on fat accumulation (steatosis) and production of reactive oxygen species in the liver. I implement metabolic models (ordinary differential equations) of hepatic lipid metabolism and reactive oxygen species production for the fat-induced and the alcohol-induced fatty liver pathogenesis. With the models, I will verify the general mechanisms in the pathogenesis of zonated fat accumulation and uncover the role of the altered oxygen supply in steatotic livers for the production of reactive oxygen species. This ought to happen through an iterative cycle of modeling and experiments with support by an experimental group at the Jena University Hospital.

Current Projects

 

Hepatic Lipid Metabolism:

Metabolic zonation and its regulation by oxygen

Steatosis establishment and the role of oxidative stress

Host-Pathogen Interaction:

Candida albicans infection of the kidney

Plant Ecology in Savannas:

Woody plant interactions in savanna

Evolutionary game theory in root interactions