Petra Bacher

Petra Bacher is an Assistant Professor and junior research group leader at Kiel University (CAU) and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), heading the Intestinal Immune Regulation group. Her work bridges immunology, microbiome research, and chronic inflammation.

• Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology (IKMB), Kiel University
• Institute of Immunology (IfI), UKSH
• Schleswig-Holstein-Excellence-Chair

Her research focuses on host-microbiota interactions in chronic inflammation, particularly:

• Antigen-specific CD4+ T cell responses
• Immune tolerance breakdown in Crohn's disease
• Cross-reactivity between commensal microbes and pathogens
• Role of yeasts in immunopathology
• Single-cell and TCR sequencing technologies
• Translational applications in diagnostics and therapy

Recent publications highlight trends in T cell functional diversity, cross-reactivity mechanisms, and microbiome-driven immunopathology across diseases like Crohn's and cystic fibrosis.

Her team at IKMB/UKSH includes doctoral researchers and bioinformatics specialists, applying cutting-edge methods such as antigen-reactive T cell enrichment (ARTE) and immunopeptidomics.