Immunology

We investigate the development of immunological memory, starting out from single antigen-specific lymphocytes in vivo and in vitro. Thereby, we break down adaptive immune responses into their most fundamental building blocks. In the past, this experimental approach of "single-cell fate-mapping" has shown us that even physiological immune responses to infection do not harness the full protective potential available in every antigen-specific lymphocyte. We want to make this full potential accessible through tailored vaccination strategies and optimized immunotherapeutic approaches.

Central to all these endeavors is our goal to identify 'stem-like' T and NK cells that stand at the origin of all differentiation processes underlying lasting immunological memory in the context of acute and chronic infection, malignancy and autoimmune disease. By identifying key factors that regulate these stem-like lymphocytes, we hope to open up new avenues for effective vaccination and immunotherapy.

In pursuit of this goal, we currently study the generation and maintenance of exhausted CD4 and CD8 T cell immune responses during chronic-active lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection, of exhausted CD8 T cell immune responses directed against solid tumors, of autoimmune CD8 T cell responses in the context of type 1 diabetes and of adaptive NK cell responses driven by murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection. Furthermore, we study the most fundamental drivers of T cell fate diversification, such as asymmetric cell division or quorum sensing via continuous imaging in vitro.

By exploring the fundamental rules underlying the development of immunological memory and immune exhaustion, we aim to identify more effective approaches to immunotherapy, tailored to the complex lineage relationships that shape lymphocyte fate.