Research Program Immunology and Cancer - News & Notices

Dr. Andrea Schietinger, Group Leader at the Sloan Kettering Institute in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Her lab has extensive experience in studying T-cell responses and how they detect cancer cells over the course of tumor development. A primary focus of her team is on understanding the dynamics of how immune cells become unresponsive to tumors and mechanisms that regulate T-cell differentiation.

Dr. Felix Hartmann, who is currently a Postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University.
We are very happy to inform you that he will join the DKFZ in October as a Junior PI. We would like to use this seminar as an opportunity for the DKFZ fraternity to get to know him and his research and stem potential collaborations.
His research combines novel single-cell and imaging proteomic technologies to study interactions of immune cells with the local environment in human cancer. His recent publication outlined a method to characterize the metabolic regulome of single cells together with their phenotypic identity – scMEP (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-020-0651-8)

Prof. Dr. Mathias Heikenwälder (F180) Stratifying hepatic immune cells: Consequences for liver cancer therapy.

     Theresa Kordaß (D210): Controlling the immune suppressor: how miRNAs regulate CD73/NT5E

     Julian Mochayedi (D200): An autochthorous preclinical pancreatic cancer model for immuno-oncology research

     Meiqi Ren (D180): Cytidine deaminases hape the genome of germinal center B-cell derived lymphoma

Hedgehog signaling in immune cells

In her talk Maike will provide an overview of the different avenues in her laboratory engaged towards defining the roles of Hedgehog signaling in immune cells which may enable novel therapeutic opportunities.

Beatrice Casati (D150): COVID-19 pandemic: another case for SHERLOCK

Riccardo Pecori: RNA editing modulates pathways critical to B cell lymphomagenesis

Thesis Abstract: Our study revealed that SPTLC2 underpins the adaptive protective immunity by translating extracellular stimuli into intracellular anabolic signals and reducing the cellular stress in maintaining metabolic reprogramming sustainability. In addition, SPTLC2 is required to maintain the suppressive activity of Treg cells to keep the immune tolerance and restrict the anti-tumor responses. Collectively, we address that the SPTLC2-mediated sphingolipid de novo synthetic pathway synchronizes metabolic reprogramming and the immune reaction of regulatory and effector T cells in infection and cancer.

Abstract: T cell receptor (TCR) engagement and subsequent signalling are a prerequisite to initiate a T cell immune response. This study examined the role of Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) in TCR signalling and shows that TXNIP acts as transcriptional inhibitor. Hence, TXNIP might be considered as a potential therapeutic target to shape T cell responses e.g. in autoimmune or tumour diseases.

Congratulations on this excellent work!

Abstract: My PhD work was focusing on the characteristic frameshift mutations of the Notch1 PEST domain, leading to the expression of a truncated, hyperactive Notch1 protein. These mutations are found with very high frequencies in human T-ALL, and also in our spontaneous T-ALL mouse model. To investigate the importance of such frameshift mutations in leukemia pathogenesis, we developed a modified Notch1 allele, where frameshift mutations are non-functional. Interestingly, mice bearing such a modified Notch1 allele overcome frameshift disability by specifically acquiring direct STOP mutations leading to a truncated PEST domain. Overall, our results reveal an enormous selection pressure for mutations leading to a hyperactive Notch signaling in T-ALL pathogenesis.

Congratulations Dr. Kongsaysak-Lengyel!

Abstract: In my PhD project I investigated the regulation of the hematopoietic system, and in particular HSC, under stress conditions. To enable HSC fate mapping, I employed a Cre knock-in reporter mouse and performed time-resolved analysis of hematopoietic compartment sizes and label propagation. Our findings show that the activation of HSC, in terms of differentiation, depends strongly on the nature of the challenge, giving important insights on the hematopoietic response to severe insults such as sepsis and irradiation.

Congratulations on this great work!