M. Sc. Diana Hebel

Project: The objectives of this work are the investigation of the interactions between macrophages, which are cells from the immune system and bacteria inside hydrogels of different microscale formats. Therefore, the hydrogel has to be biocompatible, non-toxic and should be permeable for small molecules like nutrients, oxygen and small signalling molecules. Further the communication of bacteria with the macrophages via signal molecules produced by bacteria in a direct co-culture will be investigated. There macrophages will be growth without a direct cell-cell and cell-bacteria contact.