Prof. Dr. Dorothee Viemann participates in RESIST research project B1.

My Research Interest in RESIST

Our group is interested in the maturation processes of systemic as well as mucosal immunity in preterm infants. Within RESIST we focus on the reciprocal host-microbiota interactions and how human microbiota shapes the immune system during the phase of environmental adaptation in this patient group. Our work program aims at providing detailed insights about what host factors and what microbiota members promote increased resistance against bacterial and viral infections and the development life-long immune homeostasis and overall health. The long-term aim is to characterize based on the immune profile at birth what babies would profit from iatrogenic immunomodulation and second to identify host- and microbiota-related mechanisms that could be exploited to induce and accelerate immune maturation and colonization in preterm infants.

Candidate host factors in this context are S100-alarmins. We previously revealed that healthy term neonates massively release S100-alarmins in the blood and receive a huge supply of S100-alarmins via breast milk. The S100-priming of immunity at birth induces a tolerant state and prevents hyperinflammatory responses against the new extra-uterine world without impairing pathogen defense. In RESIST we keep track of whether S100-alarmins essentially prepare the host in a superior manner for the colonization of a favourable microbiota thereby ensuring long-term health. 

Contact

Prof. Viemann about her scientific work

Prof. Dr. Dorothee Viemann – Curriculum Vitae

Current Position

  • Since 2021 Head of the Department of Translational Pediatrics at the University Hospital of WĂŒrzburg and the ZINF Research Center for Infectious Diseases of the University of WĂŒrzburg

  • Since 2016 Physician and Research group leader (Experimental Neonatology), Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergology and Neonatology, MHH

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Training

  • 1987 – 1994 Medical School, Ruhr-University of Bochum 

  • 1996 United States Medical License (ECFMG) 

  • 1996 German Medical license

  • 1997 Medical Doctorate (Dr. med.; Supervisor Prof. Dr. med. K.-M. MĂŒller)

  • 02/2008 Habilitation for Pediatrics (Supervisor Prof. Dr. med. E. Harms)

  • 1996 – 1999 Postdoctoral Research fellowship, Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital of Luebeck

  • 2002 – 2004 Postdoctoral Research fellowship, Department of Immunology, University of Muenster

  • 2006 – 2011 Postdoctoral Research fellowship, Department of Immunology, University of Muenster 

Academic and Research Posts

  • 2000 – 2006 Residency in Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Muenster 

  • 2006 – 2011 Consultant in Pediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Muenster

  • 2006 Certification of Pediatrics and the subspecialties of Infectious Diseases and Immunology 

  • 2011 Certification of the subspecialty Laboratory Medicine

  • 2008 – 2011 Clinical Fellowship Pediatric Intensive Care and Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Muenster

  • 01/11 Certification in Neonatology

  • 2011 – 2016 Attending, Neonatal Intensive Care/Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergology and Neonatology and endowed W2 professorship of Experimental Neonatology, MHH 

Other Scientific Roles

  • 2018 Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Nature Medicine on ‘The key challenges and unanswered questions in research on the human microbiome‘ 

  • 2018 Member of the International Board of Neonatal Immunology and Sepsis (Speaker T.R. Kollmann, Vancouver, Canada) 

Awards and Prizes

  • 2014 BD Bioscience Immunology Prize

  • 2014 MSD Grant – Immunology

  • 2017 Adalbert-Czerny-Prize of German Society of Pediatrics for group member Sabine Pirr 

Recommended Links

For further information about Prof. Viemann’s scientific work please check the following links:

10 Selected Publications (of > 73 original publications)

Bickes, M.S., S. Pirr, A.S. Heinemann, B. Fehlhaber, S. Halle, L. Völlger, M. Willers, M. Richter, C. Böhne, M. Albrecht, M. Langer, S. Pfeifer, D. Jonigk, G. Vieten, B. Ure, C. von Kaisenberg, R. Förster, M. von Köckritz- Blickwede, G. Hansen, D. Viemann. Constitutive TNF-α signaling in neonates is essential for the development of tissue-resident leukocyte profiles at barrier sites. FASEB J., 2019, [Epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1096/fj.201900796R. 

Ulas, T., S. Pirr, B. Fehlhaber, M. S. Bickes, T. G. Loof, T. Vogl, L. Mellinger, A. S. Heinemann, J. Burgmann, J. Schoening, S. Schreek, S. Pfeifer, F. Reuner, L. Voellger, M. Stanulla, M. von Kockritz-Blickwede, S. Glander, K. Barczyk-Kahlert, C. S. von Kaisenberg, J. Friesenhagen, L. Fischer-Riepe, S. Zenker, J. L. Schultze, J. Roth, D. Viemann. S100-alarmin-induced innate immune programming protects newborn infants from sepsis. Nat. Immunol., 2017, 18:622-632. 

Heinemann, A. S., S. Pirr, B. Fehlhaber, L. Mellinger, J. Burgmann, M. Busse, M. Ginzel, J. Friesenhagen, M. von Kockritz-Blickwede, T. Ulas, C. S. von Kaisenberg, J. Roth, T. Vogl, D. Viemann. In neonates S100A8/S100A9 alarmins prevent the expansion of a specific inflammatory monocyte population promoting septic shock. FASEB J., 2017, 31: 1153-1164. 

Austermann, J., J. Friesenhagen, S. K. Fassl, B. Petersen, T. Ortkras, J. Burgmann, K. Barczyk-Kahlert, E. Faist, S. Zedler, S. Pirr, C. Rohde, C. Muller-Tidow, M. von Kockritz-Blickwede, C. S. von Kaisenberg, S. B. Flohe, T. Ulas, J. L. Schultze, J. Roth, T. Vogl, D. Viemann. Alarmins MRP8 and MRP14 induce stress tolerance in phagocytes under sterile inflammatory conditions. Cell Rep., 2014, 9: 2112-2123. 

Friesenhagen, J., Y. Boergeling, E. Hrincius, S. Ludwig, J. Roth, D. Viemann. Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses inhibit effective immune responses of human blood-derived macrophages. J. Leukoc. Biol., 2012, 92: 11- 20. 

Koenen, P., K. Barczyk, M. Wolf, J. Roth, and D. Viemann. Endothelial cells present an innate resistance to glucocorticoid treatment: implications for therapy of primary vasculitis. Ann. Rheum. Dis., 2012, 71: 729-736. 

Viemann, D., M. Schmolke, A. Lueken, Y. Boergeling, J. Friesenhagen, H. Wittkowski, S. Ludwig, and J. Roth. H5N1 virus activates signaling pathways in human endothelial cells resulting in a specific imbalanced inflammatory response. J. Immunol., 2011, 186: 164-173. 

Viemann, D., K. Barczyk, T. Vogl, U. Fischer, C. Sunderkotter, K. Schulze-Osthoff, J. Roth. MRP8/MRP14 impairs endothelial integrity and induces a caspase-dependent and -independent cell death program. Blood, 2007, 109: 2453-2460. 

Viemann, D., M. Schmidt, K. Tenbrock, S. Schmid, V. Muller, K. Klimmek, S. Ludwig, J. Roth, M. Goebeler. The contact allergen nickel triggers a unique inflammatory and proangiogenic gene expression pattern via activation of NF-kappaB and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha. J. Immunol., 2007, 178: 3198-3207. 

Viemann, D., A. Strey, A. Janning, K. Jurk, K. Klimmek, T. Vogl, K. Hirono, F. Ichida, D. Foell, B. Kehrel, V. Gerke, C. Sorg, J. Roth. Myeloid-related proteins 8 and 14 induce a specific inflammatory response in human microvascular endothelial cells. Blood, 2005 105: 2955-2962. 

Contact

  Prof. Dr. Dorothee Viemann
  Leitung Translationale PÀdiatrie

UniversitĂ€tsklinikum WĂŒrzburg
  Josef-Schneider-Straße 2
97080 WĂŒrzburg
  +49 931 201 – 45848
  viemann_d
@ukw.de