Malik Aydin

The Experimental Paediatric Pneumology and Allergology working group is staffed by Junior Professor Dr Malik Aydin.

The main topics focus on the fields of experimental and clinical pneumology, infectiology, infection immunology, virology and paediatrics.

The team works on an interdisciplinary basis with national and international working groups. Due to the close links with the Centre for Biomedical Education and Research at Witten/Herdecke University and the Centre for Research in Clinical Medicine, the methodological portfolio is expanding.

The overarching goal of our research is to investigate the basic molecular understanding of bacteria, respiratory viruses and adenoviral vectors in order to develop new and innovative therapeutic concepts for patients with lung diseases based on this fundamental knowledge. The experimental research focuses on changes in the epigenome, regulome and immune cell reactions that contribute to the pathomechanisms of pulmonary diseases. The effects of genetically modified viral vectors are also investigated with regard to their use in genome organisation and therapy. As infection models we use in vitro cell culture models, organoids and animal models. In addition, we are also interested in various methods of high-throughput sequencing and the use of bioinformatics to analyse and interpret complex microbiome datasets and the interaction of the microbiome and viriome in the upper and lower respiratory tract of patients with respiratory diseases. In order to transfer the idea of these and other approaches from the laboratory workbench to the clinic in the future, the team is also working on various translational issues.

Ph.D. students:

Dr Luca Scarsella

Simon Sommer

M.D. candidates:

Sarah Maslowksi, doctor

Carolin Bähren

Eleni Büdding

Jan Bardelle

Hanna Abady

Graduates:

Dr rer. nat. Frank Schult

Merve Torun, M.sc.

Luca B. Helmbold

• Paediatrics
• Infectiology
• Pneumology
• Allergology
• Microbiology
• Antibiotic stewardship (expert)

Junior professor Dr Aydin successfully completed his studies in human medicine at the University of Cologne in 2013 and then began his specialist training in paediatrics and adolescent medicine at the University Hospital Bonn, continued at the Medical University of Hanover and finally completed it at the University Hospitals of Witten/Herdecke University.

Malik Aydin has been working clinically and scientifically at Witten/Herdecke University since 2017 and has headed the Experimental Paediatric Pneumology and Allergology junior research group since 2020/2021.

His clinical focus includes paediatric pneumology, infectiology, allergology and microbiology. He is also responsible for ABS visits at the Chair of Paediatrics. A particular focus of his clinical work is disseminating infections in immunocompromised and chronically ill children and adolescents, chronic lung diseases, severe pneumonia, bronchial asthma and primary ciliary dyskinesia. Malik Aydin is also interested in antibiotic and insect venom allergies. His overarching goal is to efficiently support the next generation of scholars in medicine and science, to actively act as a guide/mentor and to inspire them for the broad field of paediatrics, infectiology and infection immunology.

As a board member of the Young Working Group Leaders (Young-PI) of the Society of Virology, he organises workshops specifically for (prospective) doctors. He is also actively involved in the working group/as a representative for research of the German Society for Paediatric Infectiology.

In his teaching, Junior Professor Dr Malik Aydin conveys content from paediatrics, pneumology, infectiology, microbiology, virology and laboratory medicine. He is also responsible for teaching doctor-patient communication across all semesters.

Important aspects of teaching design include interactive and practice-orientated teaching, problem-based learning, flipped classroom and the creation of teaching material based on leading symptoms, clinical case studies and differential diagnostic procedures. The subject of paediatrics is closely linked to theoretical subjects such as microbiology and laboratory medicine.

Due to the close cooperation with the Chair of Didactics, Malik Aydin's teaching is adapted to the requirements of modern conventional medical training with corresponding pedagogical and didactic content, with the aim of making an important contribution to the holistic training and personal development of students.

• German Society for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ)
• German Society for Paediatric Infectiology (DGPI)
• European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID)
• German Society for Infectiology (DGI)
• Society for Virology (GfV)
• American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT)
• Society for Paediatric Pneumology (GPP)
• European Respiratory Society (ERS)
• American Thoracic Society (ATS)