The diagnosis of rare and ultra-rare diseases is one of the greatest challenges facing modern medicine. The path to the correct diagnosis is often long and stressful for patients and their families. Our goal is to shorten this path and provide patients with the best possible individualized care.
To achieve this, we rely on a strong network: we have close ties with leading experts both nationally and internationally. Regular interdisciplinary case discussions, joint research projects, and Austria-wide workshops help to ensure that the latest scientific findings are quickly incorporated into clinical practice.
The immunology outpatient clinic works hand in hand with numerous specialist disciplines at our hospital as well as with immunologists at the Universities of Graz and Innsbruck. This combination of expertise, research, and modern infrastructure makes it possible to offer patients highly specialized and comprehensive care - from the initial diagnosis to long-term support.
Current members
As of September 2025.
Publications Highlights
Autoantibody development is associated with clinical severity of COVID-19: A cohort study.
Marie Brinkmann, Ludwig Traby, Manuel Kussmann, Matthias Weiss-Tessbach, Nina Buchtele, Thomas Staudinger, Elias Gaidoschik, Thomas Perkmann, Helmuth Haslacher, Franz Ratzinger, Winfried F. Pickl, Karim El-Gedawi, Melanie Feichter, Ellen Gelpi, Romana Höftberger, Peter Quehenberger, Rodrig Marculescu, Daniel Mrak, Kastriot Kastrati, Helga Lechner-Radner, Daniela Sieghart, Daniel Aletaha, Stefan Winkler, Michael Bonelli, Lisa Göschl. Clinical Immunology, Volume 274, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2025.110471.
Reactogenicity and immunogenicity of the second COVID-19 vaccination in patients with inborn errors of immunity or mannan-binding lectin deficiency.
Göschl L, Mrak D, Grabmeier-Pfistershammer K, Stiasny K, Haslacher H, Schneider L, Deimel T, Kartnig F, Tobudic S, Aletaha D, Burgmann H, Bonelli M, Pickl WF, Förster-Waldl E, Scheinecker C, Vossen MG.Front Immunol. 2022 Sep 14;13:974987. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.974987. eCollection 2022.
The data support the efficacy and safety of a COVID-19 vaccination in patients with IEIs/MBLdef.
Histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1): A key player of T cell-mediated arthritis.
Göschl L, Preglej T, Boucheron N, Saferding V, Müller L, Platzer A, Hirahara K, Shih HY, Backlund J, Matthias P, Niederreiter B, Hladik A, Kugler M, Gualdoni GA, Scheinecker C, Knapp S, Seiser C, Holmdahl R, Tillmann K, Plasenzotti R, Podesser B, Aletaha D, Smolen JS, Karonitsch T, Steiner G, Ellmeier W, Bonelli M.J Autoimmun. 2020 Mar;108:102379. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2019.102379. Epub 2019 Dec 26.
The data indicate a key role for HDAC1 for the pathogenesis of CIA and suggest that HDAC1 and other class I HDACs might be promising targets of selective HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) for the treatment of RA.
Abatacept (CTLA-4Ig) treatment reduces T cell apoptosis and regulatory T cell suppression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Bonelli M, Göschl L, Blüml S, Karonitsch T, Hirahara K, Ferner E, Steiner CW, Steiner G, Smolen JS, Scheinecker C.Rheumatology (Oxford). 2016 Apr;55(4):710-20. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kev403. Epub 2015 Dec 16.
CTLA-4Ig therapy in RA patients exerts effects beyond the suppression of T cell activation, which has to be taken into account as an additional mechanism of CTLA-4Ig treatment.
Collaborations & Partnerships
We are members of the Comprehensive center for inflammation and immunity (CCII).
We collaborate with the Medical University of Graz and Innsbruck (Departments of clinical Immunology)
External Funding
Unrestricted grants from CSL Behring GmbH and Octapharma GmbH.