Dr. Axel Schulz

Biosketch

Axel Schulz is the head of the mass cytometry platform of the German Rheumatism Research Center (DRFZ) in Berlin, Germany. His passion for mass cytometry began during its early days and deepened during his time at the Human Immune Monitoring Core (HIMC) at Stanford University in 2013. Even earlier, during his PhD at Charité Berlin, he enjoyed exploring the human immune system at a systems biological level, particularly investigating the immune response in senior adults following yellow fever vaccination.

Axel’s lab not only provides mass cytometry to other scientists but is also heavily involved in reagent and assay development. One of the primary goals is to enhance this technology, enabling researchers to analyze more parameters with the highest possible standardization. Currently, he is actively involved in setting up large multi-center trials aimed at gaining a better understanding of the similarities and differences between chronic inflammatory diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), and Crohn’s Disease. Axel is also interested in combining complex immune phenotyping with the host’s microbiome and the potential implication of this interaction in causing and shaping autoimmunity.

To support these efforts and meet the growing demand for high-dimensional immune profiling, his lab recently introduced the Lunarion, a next-generation mass cytometer that complements their existing Helios system. With its increased speed and sensitivity, the Lunarion significantly strengthens the platform’s capacity for large-scale, standardized immunomonitoring projects.