all staff members

Corinna Bremer

Dr. rer. nat.
Corinna Bremer

scientific administrator
KFO 309

+49 641/985-42354
Monika Heiner

Dr. rer. nat.
Monika Heiner

scientific lab manager

Project
Macrophages play an important role in the innate host defense against pathogens. In addition to their pro-inflammatory properties, they can also contribute to repair processes. We are particularly interested in the macrophage-epithelial crosstalk in the repairing lung. In this project, we want to identify soluble mediators which promote lung regeneration from a local epithelial progenitor cell pool using a 3D co-culture model and microarray analysis.
+49 641/99-36402
Sandra Rinnert

Sandra Rinnert

Laboratory Veterinarian

+49 641/99-36406

Post Docs

Irina Kuznetsova

Irina Kuznetsova , PhD

Project
Most people infected with novel severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) demonstrate mild to moderate respiratory illness limited by upper respiratory tract. In severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 disease-2019 (COVID-19), virus-induced pneumonia resulting in development of disseminated intravascular coagulation, endothelial leakage, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multi-organ failure. The main goal of my project is to elucidate the molecular cross-talk between alveolar epithelial cells, residential alveolar macrophages and pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells in to order to develop an approach for treatment of SARS-CoV2-induced lung injury.
+49 641/99-36402
Learta Pervizaj Oruqaj

Dr. biol. hom.
Learta Pervizaj Oruqaj

Project
The main goal of my project is to investigate the role of macrophages and their functional phenotypes in host defense and in regeneration processes of the lung epithelium in vivo and in vitro; and, to characterize their gene expression profiles by single cell RNA-Seq during pneumonia-induced ARDS using mouse models of ALI/ARDS. In addition, the project is also designed to identify crucial effector molecules in distinct macrophage phenotypes, broadly termed M1 and M2, which could be therapeutically targeted for the treatment of IAV- induced lung injury, to attenuate epithelial injury and drive stem cell-mediated lung repair.
+49 641/99-36402
Ulrich Matt

Dr. med.
Ulrich Matt , PhD

Clinician Scientist

Project
Acute lung injury (ALI) is caused by direct or indirect insults to the lung, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Bacterial superinfections are feared complications of ALI. On the cellular level, alveolar macrophages are key innate immune cells that initiate and resolve an inflammatory process. Resolution of inflammation might impair the macrophage´s ability to clear bacteria, thus predisposing to superinfections. My project focuses on the kinetics and activation state of macrophages/monocytes during ALI in the context of bacterial superinfections.
Margarida Barroso

Margarida Barroso , PhD

+49 641/99-36402
Maximiliano Ferrero

Maximiliano Ferrero , PhD

Guest Scientist

Max-Planck Heart and Lung Laboratory, IBioBA
Av. Godoy Cruz, 2390

Cuidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina CP: C1425FQD

 

0641/99 36426

PhD students

Christina Malainou

Christina Malainou , MD

Project
`Strategies to prevent influenza-induced loss of the alveolar macrophage pool and improve host defense against secondary infection`

Bacterial superinfection after influenza virus (IV)-induced lung injury significantly contributes to disease severity and mortality. The pathogenesisis characterized by mutual interactions between the co-infecting pathogens and the host. One important mechanism is the depletion of a specific subset of lung macrophages called resident alveolar macrophages (rAM), which act as first line innate immune defense by phagocytosing invading bacteria in the alveolar space. rAM death in vivomay be driven by both the viral infection itself and host-derived inflammatory signals. Currently, the respective contribution of these processes and the downstream signaling pathways involved are largely unresolved. Aim of this project is to characterize infection-induced death pathways in rAM, develop strategies to inhibit them and restore rAM function as well as assess the effect of rAM protection/restoration on a bacterial superinfection level.
+49 641/99-36401
Julian Better

Julian Better , MD

Project

Antimicrobial properties of alveolar macrophages during resolution of Inflammation Acute lung injury (ALI) is caused by direct or indirect insults to the lung, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Bacterial superinfections are feared complications of ALI. On the cellular level, alveolar macrophages are key innate immune cells that initiate and resolve an inflammatory process. Resolution of inflammation might impair the macrophage´s ability to clear bacteria, thus predisposing to superinfections. My project focuses on the kinetics and activation state of macrophages/monocytes during ALI in the context of bacterial superinfections

+49 641/985-42713
Theresa Schäfer

Theresa Schäfer

Project

The role of GM-CSF in stem cell-driven alveolar repair following influenza virus infection Inflammation resolution and stem cell-mediated repair of the distal lung tissue is crucial for the outcome of Influenza A virus (IAV)-induced lung injury. The Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is an important mediator of lung regeneration. The aim of my PhD work is to elucidate the role of GM-CSF-dependent signaling in the protection and repair of the distal lung epithelium after IAV infection and to identify the compartment of the stem cell niche in which GM-CSF is induced during IAV infection. A further aim is to elucidate which cell and downstream effector mechanisms are mediating the different steps of GM-CSF-dependent lung tissue repair and injury prevention.

+49 641/99-36401
Marie Heßler

Marie Heßler

parental leave

Project
Epithelial-macrophage interactions mediating alveolar niche replenishment upon lung injury It was shown, that after severe lung injury (e.g., influenza virus infection, IAV) TR-AM are widely replenished from the circulating monocyte pool, with monocytes transmigrating to the inflamed lung and differentiating into bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) that are able to replenish depleted TR-AM. Interestingly, recent data have shown that in healthy neonatal mice the gene expression signatures of TR-AM after replenishment of the niche are virtually identical regardless of the cell ontogeny. The aim of my PhD work is to evaluate environmental cues that determine macrophage phenotype for alveolar niche replenishment and to determine if epithelial (stem) cell memory plays a role in macrophage differentiation and polarization.
+49 641/99-36401
Mohammad Estiri

Mohammad Estiri

Project
Impact of diffusible signals at human cell-microbe interfaces: role of outer membrane vesicles of bacteria on the immune system in the context of pneumonia Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the major pathogens of nosocomial pneumonia. Due to increasing antimicrobial resistance, development of new therapeutic strategies is highly required. Both the extracellular vesicles (EVs) of host cells and the outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) of bacteria may have an influence on the course of inflammation and infection. OMV-induced changes in the activity and metabolism of alveolar macrophages (AM) have a decisive influence on the balance between colonization and infection by Enterobacteriaceae. The aim of my project is to characterize the influence of OMVs of different K. pneumoniae strains on murine and human AM and their interaction with lung epithelium - in vitro, in lung organoid, and in vivo - and thereby to develop long-term therapeutic interventions at the time of colonization, i.e. before infection develops.
+49 641/985-42138

MD students

Dorgeline Blanche Nganko

Dorgeline Blanche Nganko

Project
The immunomodulatory drug CsA (cyclosporin A) been reported directly inhibit IAV replication in epithelial cells (Liu et al, 2012; Hamamoto et al, 2013). Additionally, our own preliminary work shows that CsA decreases pro-inflammatory mediator expression in infected macrophages that are important drivers of IAV-induced lung injury (Herold et al., 2008; Högner et al., 2013; Peteranderl et al., 2016). However, the detailed signaling mechanisms have not been elucidated to date. Therefore, this project will address IAV replication in primary alveolar epithelial cells and TRAIL expression in primary alveolar macrophages after addition of distinct inhibitors targeting distinct CsA-downstream signaling pathways.
Martin Langelage

Martin Langelage

Project
Acute lung injury (ALI) in general and acid aspiration specifically is able to cause an inflammatory response in extra-pulmonary organs. The aim of my MD thesis is to systematically characterize inflammatory changes in different organs after acid aspiration, and to delineate the role of tissue resident macrophages herein.
Michael Wettstein

Michael Wettstein

Project
Acute lung injury (ALI) is caused by direct or indirect insults to the lung, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Bacterial superinfections are feared complications of ALI. On the cellular level, alveolar macrophages are key innate immune cells that initiate and resolve an inflammatory process. Resolution of inflammation might impair the macrophage´s ability to clear bacteria, thus predisposing to superinfections. My project focuses on the antibacterial and metabolic properties of alveolar macrophages during the resolution of inflammation.
+49 641/985-42705
Maximilian Löwe

Maximilian Löwe

Project
Passive transfer of broadly-neutralizing anti-HIV-1 antibodies (bNAbs) protects against infection, and therefore eliciting bNAbs by vaccination is a major goal of HIV-1 vaccine efforts. The viral receptor CD4-binding site (CD4bs) on the HIV-1 Env trimer gp120 subunit is targeted by bNAbs, but serum responses against this epitope in vaccinated animals have lacked potency and breadth. We hypothesize that bNAbs resembling IOMA, a CD4bs bNAb with relatively low levels of somatic hypermutation and complementarily-determining regions (CDRs) with favorable features relative to other VH1-2–derived CD4bs bNAbs, might be easier to elicit than VH1-2 VRC01-class bNAbs, which exhibit higher somatic mutation rates and include a difficult-to-achieve mechanism to accommodate the N276gp120 glycan and a rare 5-residue CDRL3. We use IOMA germline-targeting trimeric Env immunogens and evaluate a sequential immunization regimen in transgenic mice expressing a germline-reverted form of IOMA.

Non-scientific staff

Larissa Hamann

Larissa Hamann

technician

+49 641/99 36406
Stefanie Jarmer

Stefanie Jarmer

technician

+49 641/99 36406
Florian Lück

Florian Lück

technician

+49 641/99-36406
Julia Stark

Julia Stark

technician

+49 641/985-36406
Nicole Tewes

Nicole Tewes

study nurse

+49 641/985-56221

Alumni

Ivonne Vazquez-Armendariz

Ivonne Vazquez-Armendariz , PhD

Junior group leader
"Lung Organoids and Disease Modeling"

Project
The Vazquez-Armendariz lab focuses on the use of 3D lung organoid systems from adult somatic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for modeling lung disease, particularly as a tool to characterize the molecular crosstalk between the epithelial-mesenchymal-myeloid unit during lung infection, injury and repair. The lab is interested in the elucidation of the cell-specific molecular signaling pathways involved in disease resolution, especially in the context of pathogen-induced lung injury.
Anna-Lena Ament

M.sc.
Anna-Lena Ament

Project
Organoid models derived from mouse and human stem cells have recently emerged as a powerful tool to study organ development and disease. To better understand the regulatory networks involved in proliferation and differentiation of stem/progenitors cells within the adult lung after injury, we established a murine three-dimensional (3D) lung organoid model containing a bronchioalveolar and mesenchymal compartment. However, the endothelial compartment forming the vasculature of the lung is critically missing. Therefore, the aim of my project is to establish the isolation and characterization of murine lung endothelial cells for the integration into our organoid model.
Christin Peteranderl

Christin Peteranderl , PhD

Project
A hallmark in the pathogenesis of influenza A virus-induced ARDS is the accumulation of excessive fluid in the alveolar airspace, which causes severe edema and impairs gas exchange. Clearance of this edema fluid is driven mostly by vectorial transport of sodium ions by the alveolar epithelial Na,K-ATPase, creating an osmotic gradient that passively removes water from the alveoli. As edema clearance is a crucial determinant for survival of patients with ARDS, we study the regulation of the Na,K-ATPase after IV infection, focusing on both direct host-virus interactions as well as paracrine signaling networks within the infected lung.
Lucie Sauerhering

Dr. rer. nat.
Lucie Sauerhering

Project
Emerging Coronaviruses (CoV) such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-CoV are causative agents of acute lung injury, however, drugs providing protection against emerging CoV are lacking. Targeting cyclosporine A-/ immunophilin-related cellular signaling pathways, this project aims to define antiviral and lung-injury attenuating compounds to provide ready-available treatment strategies for ongoing and future emerging CoV. With Lucie Sauerhering employed as Postdoc with longstanding BSL4 working-experience, the project will run as a close cooperation project between the Herold lab with its expertise in the molecular pathogenesis of acute lung injury and the lab of Stephan Becker located in Marburg providing renowned expertise in the field of molecular virology of highly pathogenic viruses.
Jennifer Quantius

Jennifer Quantius , PhD

Project
Influenza virus infection is associated with apoptosis of epithelial cells, disruption of the alveolar epithelial barrier and edema formation, which severely affects gas exchange. Structural and functional re-establishment of the injured distal epithelium is therefore crucial for recovery after severe influenza virus-induced pneumonia. Within the distal lung compartment, epithelial stem/progenitor cells strongly contribute to regeneration. Therefore, the underlying molecular mechanisms which foster distal lung stem/progenitor cell-mediated repair of the epithelium are investigated and thereby the interactions between influenza virus and host cell-mediated regenerative pathways are elucidated in order to attenuate lung injury and improve disease outcome.
Carole Schmoldt

Dr.
Carole Schmoldt

Project
Alveolar epithelial cells constitute a primary target of influenza virus and are reveal high levels of apoptosis following infection resulting in breakdown of pulmonary barrier function, however, the underlying signaling events remain poorly defined. I am therefore investigating the key host mechanisms involved in lung epithelial cell injury as well as viral pathogenicity factors involved, in order to discover new therapeutic targets for treatment of influenza virus-induced ARDS. Experiments are conducted in vitro (primary human and murine epithelial cells cultures) and in vivo (mouse model), and will systematically elucidate these mechanisms at single cell level using high-purity FACS sorting combined with NGS techniques.
Julia Bespalowa

Julia Bespalowa

Project
The host cellular protein kinase R (PKR) binds viral dsRNA and thus plays a central role in IAV detection and the subsequent activation of antiviral signaling cascades. These processes are antagonized by the viral non-structural (NS)1 protein that is able to block PKR activation. Our own preliminary work shows that distinct mutations in the NS1 protein modulate its ability to abrogate PKR activation and type I IFN and other cytokine production in vitro. As both aspects, viral replication and pro-inflammatory cytokine production, contribute to disease progression to ARDS, we will address how distinct NS1-host protein-interaction sites influence IAV-induced lung injury in vivo.
Balachandar Selvakumar

Balachandar Selvakumar , PhD

Project
The main goal of my project is to investigate the role of macrophages and its functional phenotypes in host defense and in regeneration processes of the lung epithelium in vivo and in vitro and to characterize their gene expression profiles by single cell RNASeq during pneumonia-induced ARDS using mouse models of ALI/ARDS. In addition, the project is also designed to identify crucial effector molecules in distinct macrophage functional phenotypes, broadly termed M1 and M2, which could be targeted therapeutically for the treatment of IAV induced lung injury to attenuate epithelial injury and drive stem cell-mediated lung repair.
Lina Jankauskaite

Lina Jankauskaite , MD, PhD

Project
Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) have promising therapeutic potential in different forms of acute lung injury (ALI), and are now in first clinical studies. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their injury- or pathogen-related beneficial effects within defined niches of the affected lung are poorly understood. In particular, the molecular interactions and pathways of injury sensing by MSC in viral infection of the lung are widely unknown. It is also not well defined, how MSC are recruited to sites of infection or inflammation, and whether distinct subsets of MSC hold different therapeutic potential. Therefore, a detailed analysis of the molecular interactions between virus-infected lung cells and MSC, mediating injury-specific priming and lung homing of defined MSC subsets with particular anti-viral, immunomodulatory and organ repair capacity, is envisioned in this project.