Abb. 1: LoewenKIDS study regions

LöwenKIDS is a study on the contribution of infections and bacterial colonisation to the development of the immune system in childhood.
The study began in 2013 at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Brunswick. The first study regions were Hanover and Brunswick with its surroundings. Further institutions were added in the North (Bremen), South (Munich) and the East (Halle, Saale) of Germany (Abb. 1).
The study is currently being coordinated by the study team at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. While the participants get supervision from the team in Halle (Saale), the biosamples are sent to and processed at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research. The close cooperation between scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, the Hanover Medical School and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich continues.