The Research Department (Laborforschungsabteilung) is an independent research unit of the Kantonal Hospital St.Gallen.

Our research activities are focussed on immunopathological processes in the cardiovascular system, the development of new immunotherapeutical approaches against cancer, and the biology of coronaviruses. Furthermore, we are providing a modern research infrastructure and support basic research projects of physicians from the clinical departments.

Within the TOLERAGE project, our aims are two-fold. First, transgenic models will be generated and evaluated to better understand the inflammatory processes during atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. In particular, we will study how professional antigen presenting cells are involved in these processes. Second, novel methods for immune interventions will be developed based on our experience in the generation of viral vectors that are able to deliver antigenic cargo to professional antigen presenting cells.

llustration: Murine dendritic cell tranduced with coronavirus-based vaccine vector.