Our unit of Pharmacology and Toxicology brings together complementary research groups with expertise in neuroscience, animal welfare, cancer biology, endocrinology, immunology, and computational biology. Together, we investigate disease mechanisms - from molecular pathways to the pathophysiology of the entire organism - with the goal of translating fundamental insights into improved therapeutic strategies. 

A focus lies on translational neuroscience and refinement in animal-based research. Using clinically relevant rodent models, we investigate disease processes and explore rational preventive treatments for insult-driven epilepsy and associated pharmacoresistance. Further, we aim for evidence-based refinement of pain management in laboratory animals, complemented by endocrine research measuring steroid hormone metabolites in faeces to enable non-invasive assessment of stress across species. Another focus is on cancer and immune regulation. NK cell research examines anti-tumor immunity, immune evasion, autoimmune disease and rare NK cell malignancies, while research focusing on CDKs, clonal hematopoiesis, environmental toxins, and therapy resistance explores the molecular mechanisms regulating hematopoiesis and cancers. while research on CDK6 explores its roles in transcriptional control and leukaemia biology. Additional projects investigate mitochondria and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species as drug targets and mediators of toxicity, including in cancer cells and protozoal parasites.