New professor at the Max von Pettenkofer Institute – Carolin C. Wendling
On 01.04.2024, Prof. Dr. Carolin Wendling took up her position as University Professor (W2) at the Chair of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene at the Max von Pettenkofer Institute. Ms. Wendling and her research group are investigating how bacteria change genetically and how this influences their pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance.
In her research, Prof. Wendling combines concepts and methods from evolutionary biology, microbiology, molecular biology, evolutionary genomics and mathematical modeling. Her work is predominantly experimental and hypothesis-oriented. One focus of her research is the role of bacteriophages in bacterial evolution. Prof. Wendling explains: “Bacteriophages, i.e. viruses that infect bacteria, are incredibly exciting because they can exert very strong selection pressure on bacteria. This can, for example, lead to a drastic change in the virulence of a bacterium due to the presence of certain phages.”
At the Max von Pettenkofer Institute, Prof. Wendling will conduct both basic and applied research on phage therapy. The aim of the basic research is to better understand the ecological and evolutionary relationships between bacteriophages and bacteria, particularly in complex microbial communities such as the human intestinal microbiome. Her research in the field of phage therapy aims to develop alternative treatment methods for multi-resistant bacteria in the long term. Another focus of her research is the establishment of an in vivo infection model in order to reduce animal testing on mammals. To this end, the working group is developing an insect model that harbors a human-like intestinal microbiome. Prof. Wendling explains: “My aim is to develop a cost-effective alternative to reduce animal testing, but still remain as close to reality as possible.” Chair holder Prof. Sebastian Suerbaum: “My colleagues and I are very pleased that we have been able to attract Professor Wendling from Zurich to the Max von Pettenkofer Institute and LMU. Her research area fits perfectly into the existing research focus of our institute and there are excellent new opportunities for cooperation and synergies within the Max von Pettenkofer Institute, at the Munich site and beyond. We warmly welcome Carolin Wendling to the Pettenkofer Institute and wish her and her team a good start in Munich.”
About the person:
Carolin Wendling studied biology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. In 2014, she completed her doctorate in evolutionary biology at Kiel University and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research under the supervision of Dr. Mathias Wegner with the thesis “Ecology and evolution of invasive Pacific oysters in response to pathogen infection and rising temperatures”. As a postdoc, she initially worked at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel, the University of York and the ETH in Zurich. From 2019 – 2024 she led an independent junior research group at ETH Zurich.