Head of Subproject P04:

Silja Wessler
Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology
University of Salzburg
Hellbrunner Straße 34
5020 Salzburg
Tel.: +43 662 8044-7210
Email:
Web: www.plus.ac.at/wessler
ORCID:  0000-0001-7011-6162

Prof. Silja Wessler leads the “Microbial Infection and Cancer” research, which investigates how bacterial pathogens trigger and rewire host-cell signal transduction pathways that are relevant to inflammation and tumorigenesis. Her lab focuses in particular on gastrointestinal pathogens, most prominently Helicobacter pylori (and also, among others, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, etc.), and studies how virulence factors affect epithelial integrity, apoptosis versus survival, and cell migration.

Methodologically, the group employs advanced infection models (including organoids/mucosoids) and high-resolution imaging (e.g., confocal and STED microscopy) to dissect pathogen-host interactions at the cellular and molecular level. A recurring theme is the role of host kinases (e.g., c-Abl/Src signaling) and bacterial proteases (e.g., HtrA and related enzymes) in disease progression, with an eye toward identifying actionable therapeutic targets such as protease inhibitors or pathway-specific interventions.