Immunoimaging Team

Imaging immune cell dynamics by magnetic resonance (MRI) is a major clinical challenge. This is especially relevant with the advent of novel cancer immunotherapies. The group aims to visualize immunological processes in the tumor microenvironment and in autoimmunity (glioma and multiple sclerosis models). We employ a variety of imaging methods using high field MRI at 9.4 Tesla (in cooperation with the Neuroradiology Department, University Hospital Heidelberg) and correlative optical methods to investigate the cellular and subcellular level (2 photon intravital microscopy in cooperation with the AG Winkler, ultramicroscopy of cleared specimen in cooperation with the AG Tews).  We also use iron oxide nanoparticles and other innovative contrast agents for cell tracking of immune cell subsets in immunotherapeutic paradigms (active/ passive vaccination, checkpoint inhibition, adoptive transfer models). Our long-term goal is to define imaging “immune signatures” of response / resistance for treatment monitoring and translate such signatures into clinical practice.

• Michael Breckwoldt MD PhD - Team leader
• Manuel Fischer - MRI Technician
• Jessica Hunger, M.Sc - PhD student
  
• Kianush Karimian, MD - Postdoctoral scientist and resident neuroradiology
• Kira Pfleiderer - MD student

• Karimian-Jazi K, Munch P, Alexander A, Fischer M, Piechutta M, Karreman MA, Solecki GM , Berghoff AS, Pfleiderer K, Friedrich M, Deumelandt K, Kurz F T., Wick W, Heiland S, Bendszus M, Winkler F, Platten M, and Breckwoldt MO. Monitoring innate immune cell dynamics in the glioma microenvironment by magnetic resonance imaging and multiphoton microscopy (MR-MPM). Theranostics. 2020
  
• Hahn A, Bode J, Krüwel T, Solecki G, Heiland S, Bendszus M, Tews B, Winkler F, Breckwoldt MO, Kurz FT. Glioblastoma multiforme restructures the topological connectivity of cerebrovascular networks. Sci Rep. 2019
• Breckwoldt MO, Bode J, Sahm F, Krüwel T, Solecki G, Hahn A, Wirthschaft P, Berghoff AS, Haas M, Venkataramani V, von Deimling A, Wick W, Herold-Mende C, Heiland S, Platten M, Bendszus M, Kurz FT, Winkler F, Tews B. Correlated MRI and Ultramicroscopy (MR-UM) of Brain Tumors Reveals Vast Heterogeneity of Tumor Infiltration and Neoangiogenesis in Preclinical Models and Human Disease. Front Neurosci. 2019 
  
• Hoffmann A, Pfeil J, Mueller AK, Jin J, Deumelandt K, Helluy X, Wang C, Heiland S, Platten M, Chen JW, Bendszus M, Breckwoldt MO. MRI of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles and Myeloperoxidase Activity Links Inflammation to Brain Edema in Experimental Cerebral Malaria. Radiology. 2019
• M Costa da Silva, MO Breckwoldt, F Vinchi, MP Correia, A Stojanovic, CM Thielmann, M Meister, T Muley, A Warth, M Platten, MW Hentze, A Cerwenka, and MU Muckenthaler. Iron Induces Anti-tumor Activity in Tumor-Associated Macrophages. Front Immunol. 2017
• K Kirschbaum, JK Sonner, M Zeller, K Deumelandt, J Bode, R Sharma, T Krüwel, M Fischer, A Hoffmann, M Costa da Silva, MU Muckenthaler, W Wick, B Tews, JW Chen, S Heiland, M Bendszus, M Platten and MO Breckwoldt. In vivo nanoparticle imaging of innate immune cells can serve as a marker of disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. PNAS. 2016
• MO Breckwoldt, J Bode, FT Kurz, A Hoffmann, K Ochs, M Ott, K Deumelandt, T Krüwel, D Schwarz, M Fischer, X Helluy, D Milford, K Kirschbaum, GM Solecki, S Chiblak, A Abdollahi, F Winkler, W Wick, M Platten, S Heiland, M Bendszus and B Tews. Correlated MR imaging and ultramicroscopy (MR-UM) is a tool kit to assess the dynamics of glioma angiogenesis. eLIFE. 2015
• MO Breckwoldt, FMJ Pfister, PM Bradley, P Marinković, PR Williams, MS Brill, et al., Multiparametric optical analysis of mitochondrial redox signals during neuronal physiology and pathology in vivo. Nature Medicine. 2014