Since November 2020 Dr. Faranaz Atschekzei is now associated with RESIST. She is dedicated to primary immune deficiencies in order to help affected people with individual therapies. She has been successfully researching in the field of immunogenetics at the MHH Clinic for Rheumatology and Immunology for eight years and has been involved in the RESIST subproject A2 since 2019. Her research group focuses on the molecular genetics of primary immunodeficiencies and how epigenetic factors influence immunodeficiency diseases.
Primary immunodeficiencies are congenital and often genetically determined defects of the immune system that manifest themselves in childhood or even in adolescence or adulthood. There are very heterogeneous disease patterns among the approximately 400 known primary immunodeficiencies, but a high and usually severe susceptibility to infection unites most of them. In addition to the increased susceptibility to infection, some patients also develop immune dysregulations including autoimmunity, lymphoid hyperplasia and tumours. Dr. Atschekzei’s research group is investigating the molecular basis of the disease in order to enable patients with these heterogeneous diseases to receive a very individual and targeted therapy in the near future.
Dr. Atschekzei is pleased to be associated with RESIST now: “Being part of the RESIST team opens up new opportunities for cooperation and exchange with experienced scientists and experts in various research areas,” she says. More information about Dr. Atschekzei’s work can be found here.