Würzburg Life Science Seminar: Vivek Thacker

Prof Vivek Thacker - “‘Plenty of room in the middle’: microphysiological models as enabling platforms to study infections in tissues”

Dr. Thacker’s main research focus is the investigation of the pathogen mycobacterium tuberculosis, organ-on-a-chip systems, and live imaging approaches to reveal new insights into cellular dynamics that underlie host-pathogen interactions. This combination enables monitoring of cellular dynamics of the earliest interactions of this important human pathogen with host cells in a manner that cannot be done in animal experiments or in simpler monocultures. Dr. Thacker is interested in expanding the range of organ-on-a-chip compatible tools and approaches for the implementation of bottom-up systems to reveal new biological insights in systems physiology and mucosal immunology.