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  • Programme Area 4

Immuno-Epigenetics

  • Cell therapy
  • Epigenetic imprinting
  • Epigenetic Regulation
  • T-Lymphocytes

Understanding the epigenome in T cells to develop new therapies

For many rheumatic diseases, curative therapies are still missing, leaving patients dependent on lifelong immunosuppressive treatment. Adoptive cell therapies offer a promising strategy for curative therapies with the goal of achieving full immunological homeostasis – either by permanently enhancing the immunosuppressive arm of the immune system (i.e. Treg therapy) or by eliminating the pathogenic autoreactive part (e.g. CAR T cell therapy).

Our research group investigates the epigenetic mechanisms governing T cell differentiation, function, and senescence in both health and disease. From the knowledge gained, we aim at developing approaches for directed epigenetic interventions to generate new cell therapies for autoimmunity and chronic inflammatory diseases. With this, we make use of the regulatory potential, which is mediated by the 3-dimensional folding of the genome, to steer T cells towards optimal functional states for their use in cell therapy approaches.

To this end, our group utilizes a broad portfolio of techniques for the epigenetic profiling of both, whole genomes and specific target genes, which are applicable to low input samples such as clinical specimen. In addition, our group develops and applies innovative approaches for the targeted modification of epigenomic structures, to be used to optimize therapeutic cell products.

By integrating fundamental epigenetic research with applied therapeutic strategies, our group seeks to advance the development of epigenetically engineered cell therapies for immune-mediated diseases.

Team

Group leader
Julia Polansky

Scientists
Christopher Kressler
Mingxing Yang

PhD students
Marcel Finke
Frederik Hamm
Dania Hamo
Ramonique Lim
Alisier Malard
Cornelia Peitsch

Technician
Shirley Lugo
Anne Schulze

Coordination
Ulrich Salaschek

Alumni:
Carla Castro, master’s student
Helga Fleischer-Notter, TA
Judith Heib, master’s student
Marcos Cases, PhD student
Kristy Ou, Postdoc
Xiao He, Postdoc

Main cooperation partners

  • Mir-Farzin Mashreghi, DRFZ
  • Ahmed Hegazy, DRFZ
  • Tobias Alexander, DRFZ
  • Michael Schmück-Henneresse, BCRT, Charité
  • Nina Babel, BCRT, Charité
  • Sven Geissler, BCRT, Charité
  • Daniel Ibrahim, BCRT, Charité
  • Harald Stachelscheid, BIH, Charité
  • Leila Amini, Charité
  • Petra Reinke, Charité
  • Hans-Dieter Volk, Charité
  • Joachim Photiadis, Charité
  • Horst von Bernuth, Charité
  • Leif Sander, Charité
  • Florian Kurth, Charité
  • Il-Kang Na, Charité
  • Georg Duda, Charité
  • Claudia Waskow, FLI, Jena
  • Meriem Ouni, Dife, Potsdam
  • Elmar Jäckel, MHH, Hannover
  • Petra Knaus, FU Berlin
  • Jörn Walter, Saarland University, Saarbrücken
  • Alexander Scheffold, Kiel University
  • Pascal Giehr, LMU München
  • Joachim Schultze LIMES, Bonn
  • Anna Aschenbrenner, DZNE, Bonn
  • Jochen Huehn, HZI, Braunschweig
  • Sofia Forslund, MDC, Berlin
  • Ignacio Anegon, Nantes Université, FR
  • Fadi Issa, University of Oxford, UK
  • Amanda Foks, Universiteit Leiden, NL
  • Dimitrios Tsiantoulas, Medical University of Vienna, AU
  • Dirk Strunk, PMU Salzburg, AU
  • Benoit Salomon, INSERM, Marseille, FR