Susanne Krauss-Etschmann

Summary

Main research Interests:
A) Asthma is a major cause of morbidity in the Western world but curative therapies do not exist. Hence, we aim to understand how early life environmental exposures modify lung development development and the risk of developing asthma throughout life. We use animal models of prenatal exposure to tobacco/nicotine products and human samples.
B) The importance of a steady-state balance of resident and non-resident bacterial communities for human health is increasingly appreciated. Yet, factors driving the composition of such microbial communities remain poorly understood. Therefore, we currently investigate the influence of smoke on the structure and functionality of the lung microbiome and its interaction with the lung health.
Currently Funded Projects
2012 – 2016 Chair of COST Action BM1201 “Developmental origins of Chronic Lung Disease” http://www.cost-early-origin-cld.eu/
2013 – 2016 Understanding the role of the lung microbiome for human health and diseases”, HMGU Environmental Health Projects, Co-PI until move to University of Kiel; Project currently continued on a collaborative basis.
Since 2013 – 2018 PI within German Center for Lung Research www.dzl.de
2016 - 2018 Chair of “The lung Microbiota at the Interface between airway epithelium and the environment” funded by the Leibniz Association

Allergy & Clinical Immunology Environmental Health Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine