Research Focus

Immunology & Infectious Diseases

Area of Research

Internal medicine/immunology: role of the complement system (especially the lectin pathway) in diseases with significant ischemia/reperfusion damage (e.g. myocardial infarction) and in infections; interventional studies with complement inhibitors in diseases with ischemia/reperfusion damage.

Infectiology: Optimization of antibiotic therapy in hospitals in the sense of "antibiotic stewardship"; optimization of intravenous β lactam therapy by means of concentration measurements and continuous or prolonged infusions.

Approved Research Projects

Randomized controlled trials:

2020 – ongoing: International Coordinating Investigator of a sponsored randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial of conestat alfa in the prevention of acute kidney injury in patients with NSTEMI (Pharming Biotechnologies, B.V.; NCT04912141)
2020 – ongoing: Principal Investigator of a randomized, open-label, multi-national trial of conestat alfa in the prevention of critical SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (NCT04414631)
2016 – 2019: Principal Investigator of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of conestat alfa in the prophylaxis of contrast-induced nephropathy after elective coronary angiography (NCT02869347)
Prospective, observational studies:
2021 – ongoing: Occurrence of antibodies cross-reacting with autoantigens in primary EBV infection – a longitudinal, observational study
2020 – ongoing: A novel rapid, mobile, lab-independent and sensitive SARS-CoV-2 test at the point-of-need, to break the chain of infection
2020 – ongoing: Activation of the complement system and endothelial cells upon SARS-CoV-2 infection: a prospective cohort study (secondary analysis of the COVIVA cohort; NCT04366765)
2019 – ongoing: Probability of target attainment with standard intermittent bolus administration of cefazolin in patients with complicated infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus: A prospective single-center cohort study (NCT04503252)
2017 – ongoing: Significance of mannose-binding lectin and the lectin pathway of complement in the development of primary open-angle glaucoma. A prospective single-center cohort study
2017 – 2019: Probability of target attainment with standard intermittent bolus administration of β-lactam antibiotics in patients with bloodstream infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and aerobic Gram-negative bacteria: A prospective single-centre cohort study
2017 – 2020: Local and Systemic Concentrations of Pattern Recognition Receptors of the Lectin Pathway of Complement in a Cohort of Patients With Interstitial Lung Diseases

Retrospective studies:

2021 – ongoing: Evaluation of the FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis panel at the University Hospital Basel: a retrospective study
2021 – ongoing: Probability of early target attainment with continuously administered piperacillin/tazobactam and meropenem in critically ill patients: A retrospective cohort study from 2017 to 2021
2020 – 2021: Appropriateness of blood culture collection at the University Hospital Basel: a quality control study
2020 – ongoing: Invasive pneumococcal disease as the initial presentation of multiple myeloma, smoldering myeloma or MGUS: identification of predictors for an earlier diagnosis
2019 – 2021: Association of mannose-binding lectin, ficolin-2 and immunoglobulin concentrations with future exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: secondary analysis of the randomized controlled REDUCE trial
2019 – 2021: Evaluation of diagnostic testing steps in the diagnosis of primary CMV infections in comparison with primary EBV infections - a cohort study
2019 – 2020: Clinical characteristics and predictors of gout flares in acute decompensated heart failure patients at a tertiary care hospital in Switzerland – a retrospective cohort study.
2019 – ongoing: Evaluation of the Duration of Antimicrobial Treatments in Common Infectious Diseases at Three Swiss Tertiary Care Hospitals – a Quality Control Study.
2017 – 2018: Comprehensive analysis of the Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) program at the University Hospital Basel during 2015-2016.
2017 – 2019: Appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing in a Swiss tertiary care hospital: a repeated point prevalence survey
2016 – 2018: Relevance of Dermabacter hominis isolated from clinical samples, 2012-2016. A retrospective case series.
2016 – 2018: Influence of a resin-based blood culture medium on the time to clearance of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection - A retrospective cohort study
2016 – 2019: Role of lectin pathway complement proteins and genetic variants in organ damage and disease severity of systemic sclerosis: a cross-sectional study

Collaborations

National Collaborations

Prof. Werner Albrich, Infectious Diseases Department, Kantonsspital St. Gallen (COVID-19 and antibiotic duration studies)
Prof. Leo Bonati, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel (Complement studies)
Prof. Jens Eckstein and Dr. Noé Brasier, Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel (Digital biomarkers)
Prof. Adrian Egli, Applied Microbiology Research and Division of Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology, University Hospital Basel (Antibiotic and diagnostic stewardship)
Prof. Paul Hasler, Rheumatology Department, Kantonsspital Aarau (Neutrophil extracellular traps and COVID-19)
PD Dr. Felix Hammann, Pharmacology Department, Inselspital Bern (therapeutic drug monitoring of beta-lactam antibiotics)
Dr. Ingmar Heijnen, Division of Immunology, Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Basel (complement studies)
Prof. Christoph Hess/Prof. Christoph T. Berger, University Hospital Basel (Immune senescence in COVID-19)
Prof. Hans H. Hirsch, Transplantation and Clinical Virology, University Basel (COVID-19 studies)
Prof. Lars Huber, Internal Medicine Department, Triemlispital Zürich (COVID-19 studies)
Prof. Raban Jeger, Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Basel (Complement studies) Prof. Niklaus Labhardt, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and Department of Infectious Diseases & Hospital Epidemiology (Betalactam therapy optimization)
Prof. Parham Sendi, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern (COVID-19 and S. aureus studies)
Prof. Katharina Rentsch, Division of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Basel (Therapeutic drug monitoring)
Prof. Sai Reddy, ETH Zürich (Evolution and immunity of SARS-CoV-2 infection)
Prof. Marten Trendelenburg, Department of Research and Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel (complement studies)
Prof. Janos Vörös, ETH Zürich, Institute for Biomedical Engineering (rapid SARS-CoV-2 test)
Prof. Sacha Zeerleder, Hematology Department, Inselspital Bern (Devils dance: complement, NETs and thrombosis in COVID-19)
FUNGINOS network members (fungal infections)

International Collaborations

Dr. Marcelo R Bacci, Department of General Practice, Centro Universitário em Saúde do ABC, Santo André, SP, Brazil (COVID-19 study)
Prof. Adrián Camacho-Ortiz, Hospital Universitario Dr. José Eleuterio González, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico (COVID-19 study)

Ongoing Research Projects

A randomized, open-label, multi-national trial of conestat alfa in the prevention of critical SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (NCT04414631)
International Coordinating Investigator of a sponsored randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled multicenter trial of conestat alfa in the prevention of acute kidney injury in patients with NSTEMI (Pharming Biotechnologies, B.V.; NCT04912141)
A novel rapid, mobile, lab-independent and sensitive SARS-CoV-2 test at the point-ofneed, to break the chain of infection (in collaboration with the ETH Zürich)
Probability of target attainment with standard intermittent bolus administration of cefazolin in patients with complicated infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus: A prospective single-center cohort study (NCT04503252)
Activation of the complement system and endothelial cells upon SARS-CoV-2 infection: a prospective cohort study (secondary analysis of the COVIVA cohort; NCT04366765)
Occurrence of antibodies cross-reacting with autoantigens in primary EBV infection – a longitudinal, observational study
Evaluation of the FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis panel at the University Hospital Basel: a retrospective study
Probability of early target attainment with continuously administered piperacillin/ tazobactam and meropenem in critically ill patients: A retrospective cohort study from 2017 to 2021
Invasive pneumococcal disease as the initial presentation of multiple myeloma, smoldering myeloma or MGUS: identification of predictors for an earlier diagnosis
Evaluation of the Duration of Antimicrobial Treatments in Common Infectious Diseases at Three Swiss Tertiary Care Hospitals – a Quality Control Study.

[FG] Osthoff Michael

Head of Research Unit

Prof. Dr. med. Michael Osthoff

Projects & Collaborations