Project Details
SFB 643: Strategies of Cellular Immune Intervention
Subject Area
Medicine
Biology
Biology
Term
from 2004 to 2016
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5486111
A particular stronghold of our Collaborative Research Centre is the focus on experimental-clinical research and the chosen strategies. The clinical-experimental research is absolutely essential in order to develop new therapeutic strategies and in addition it will create a very valuable knowledge, which can not be gained by in vitro experiments or animal models.
However, the translational research of basic concepts into clinical praxis needs further conceptual and especially financial support. Unfortunately, at present this concept is not supported adequately in Germany. In order to put translational research into praxis, apart from a very substantial financial support, one also needs a highly sophisticated infrastructure. Thus, two major pillars are (i) the intensive interaction between basic- and clinical research and (ii) the infrastructure in order to perform clinical phase I and phase II trials which have to be conduced according to the demanding GCP (Good Clinical Practice) guidelines. Fortunately we do have these facilities in Erlangen and thus push and support the translation of basic knowledge into clinical applicability.
The Collaborative Research Centre consists of three major project areas, whereby project area A includes five projects dealing with basic immunological research strategies, project area B is composed of six projects with the focus on animal models and in project area C three therapeutic strategies are currently been pursued.
The long-term goal of this research network is that several intervention strategies will reach the clinical praxis. In this respect we are very confident that with the vaccination approach using dendritic cells (DC) we will reach this goal in a foreseeable future. Here we envisage that DC can be used as vectors which will not only prime antigen-specific T cells but also NK and NKT cells and thus attack, especially tumour cells, with different cellular weapons. In addition, from the projects dealing with DC we expect to gain further basic knowledge which will be then beneficial also for other vaccination strategies.
Last but not least, several projects aim to develop new innovative immuno-suppressive strategies. Also in this area we expect to develop new clinically applicable concepts especially regarding the therapeutic intervention in arthritis and allergic asthma bronchiale.
However, the translational research of basic concepts into clinical praxis needs further conceptual and especially financial support. Unfortunately, at present this concept is not supported adequately in Germany. In order to put translational research into praxis, apart from a very substantial financial support, one also needs a highly sophisticated infrastructure. Thus, two major pillars are (i) the intensive interaction between basic- and clinical research and (ii) the infrastructure in order to perform clinical phase I and phase II trials which have to be conduced according to the demanding GCP (Good Clinical Practice) guidelines. Fortunately we do have these facilities in Erlangen and thus push and support the translation of basic knowledge into clinical applicability.
The Collaborative Research Centre consists of three major project areas, whereby project area A includes five projects dealing with basic immunological research strategies, project area B is composed of six projects with the focus on animal models and in project area C three therapeutic strategies are currently been pursued.
The long-term goal of this research network is that several intervention strategies will reach the clinical praxis. In this respect we are very confident that with the vaccination approach using dendritic cells (DC) we will reach this goal in a foreseeable future. Here we envisage that DC can be used as vectors which will not only prime antigen-specific T cells but also NK and NKT cells and thus attack, especially tumour cells, with different cellular weapons. In addition, from the projects dealing with DC we expect to gain further basic knowledge which will be then beneficial also for other vaccination strategies.
Last but not least, several projects aim to develop new innovative immuno-suppressive strategies. Also in this area we expect to develop new clinically applicable concepts especially regarding the therapeutic intervention in arthritis and allergic asthma bronchiale.
DFG Programme
Collaborative Research Centres
Completed projects
- A01 - Identification of viral and cellular degradation signals that regulate MHC-I antigen presentation (Project Head Schubert, Ulrich )
- A02 - Rhadionvirales Ox-2 als Suppressor von Th1-Tyzokinwirkungen. Pathogenitische Bedeutung und Identifizierung therapeutischer Targets (Project Head Ensser, Armin )
- A03 - Zytotoxische T-Lymphozyten als Effektorzellen bei der Tuberkulose (Project Head Stenger, Steffen )
- A04 - Charakterisierung des CD83 Promotors zwecks gezielter Genexpression in reifen Dendritischen Zellen in vivo (Project Head Steinkasserer, Alexander )
- A05 - Induktion einer DZ-vermittelten Anti-Tumor-Immunantwort durch onkolytischer Adenoviren (Project Head Nettelbeck, Dirk M. )
- A06 - Activation, function and modulation of natural killer cells in mouse and human leishmaniasis (Project Heads Bogdan, Christian ; Schleicher, Ulrike )
- A07 - Characterization of Dendritic cell functions in human tissues (Project Head Dudziak, Diana )
- A08 - Investigating the mechanism of antibody mediated effector functions in vivo (Project Head Nimmerjahn, Falk )
- A09 - ADAM17/10 loaded Microvesicles in Cancer; functional Analysis, diagnostic Tool and therapeutic Intervention (Project Head Baur, Andreas )
- A10 - Dual specificity phosphatases in innate immunity (Project Head Lang, Roland )
- A11 - Role of Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin in Autoimmunity and Infection (Project Head Lechmann, Ph.D., Matthias )
- B01 - Interleukin-4 and IL-13 as therapeutic targets for immune intervention in infections and allergies (Project Head Gessner, Ph.D., André )
- B02 - Pharmakologische Beeinflussung des Th1/Th2-Gleichgewichtes (Project Head Pahl, Andreas )
- B03 - Selective modulation of the transcription factor NF-kB in regulatory T cells and dendritic cells as therapeutic strategies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases (Project Head Voll, Reinhard )
- B04 - Mechanismen der Induktion regulatorischer T-Zellen mittels Dendritischer Zellen in vivo (Project Head Lutz, Manfred )
- B05 - Immune modulation by ligands of dead and dying cells (Project Head Herrmann, Martin )
- B06 - Adoptiver Transfer von Cytomegalovirus-spezifischen Gedächtnis B-Zellen: Einfluss auf den Verlauf der Infektion und immunologische Mechanismen der sekundären Antikörperantwort (Project Heads Mach, Michael ; Winkler, Thomas )
- B06 - Adoptive transfer of Cytomegalovirus-specific memory B cells: Mechnisms of protection (Project Heads Mach, Michael ; Winkler, Thomas )
- B07 - Neu-entwickelte Sialinsäurederivate zur Verstärkung der B-Zellaktivierung über CD22 und deren möglicher therapeutischer Einsatz (Project Head Nitschke, Lars )
- B07 - Targeting of CD22 on B cell lymphoma cells and on B cells in autoimmune diseases (Project Head Nitschke, Lars )
- B08 - Determining the molecular pathways of the effects of regulatory T cells on monocytes/osteoclasts (Project Head Schett, Georg )
- B09 - Immune intervention in autoimmune disorders and transplantation using soluble CD83 (Project Heads Steinkasserer, Alexander ; Zinser, Elisabeth )
- B10 - Modulation of dendritic cell entry into afferent lymphatics to prevent graft rejection after (corneal) transplantation (Project Head Cursiefen, Claus )
- B11 - Regulation and Pathogenetic Relevance of the IL-28/IL-28R Signaling Pathway in Experimental Colitis and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (Project Heads Neurath, Markus F. ; Siebler, Juergen )
- B12 - Immunoregulatory role of the transcription factor NFAT in airway inflammation and lung cancer (Project Head Finotto, Ph.D., Susetta )
- B13 - Induction of tumor-specific immune responses by combined transcriptional- and transductional targeting of DC in vivo (Project Head Steinkasserer, Alexander )
- B14 - Investigating the mechanism of antibody mediated effector functions in vivo (Project Head Nimmerjahn, Falk )
- B15 - T cell homeostasis and effector functions under lymphopenic conditions (Project Head Vöhringer, David )
- B16 - Regulation of the internal electrolyte micromilieu by the immune system during homeostasis and inflammation (Project Heads Jantsch, Jonathan ; Titze, Jens Marc )
- C01 - Optimizing vaccination with mRNA-transfected Dendritic Cells by evaluating concepts in vitro (Project Heads Schaft, Ph.D., Niels ; Schuler, Gerold ; Schuler-Thurner, Beatrice )
- C02 - Identifikation einer optimalen Strategien zur Beladung dendritischer Zellen mit dem gesamten antigenen Repertoire von Tumorzellen: Vergleich von RNA-Transfektion und Aufnahme apoptotischer Partikel opsonisiert mit rekombinanten bispezifischen Antikörpern (Project Heads Fey, Georg H. ; Kämpgen, Eckhart )
- C05 - Induktion einer Toleranz durch Identifizierung tolerogener T-Zellepitope bei der Sprue (Project Head Dieterich, Walburga )
- C06 - Bivalent recombinant antibody-derivates for the elimination of malignant AML cells (Project Head Fey, Georg H. )
- C08 - Adoptive transfer of CMV/EBV multi-epitope specific T-cells for prevention and treatment of virus reactivation in patients after matched allogeneic stem cell transplantation (Project Heads Aigner, Michael ; Gerbitz, Armin ; Mackensen, Andreas )
- C09 - Adoptive Transfer of cytomegalovirus-specific memory B-cells: Implementation of a Phase I/IIa clinical study (Project Heads Mach, Michael ; Winkler, Thomas ; Winkler, Julia )
- MGK - Integrated Research Training Group (IRTG) (Project Heads Herrmann, Martin ; Schleicher, Ulrike )
- Z01 - Central Tasks (Project Head Schuler, Gerold )
- Z02 - Core Unit for Cell Sorting and Immuno-monitoring (Project Head Schuler, Gerold )
Applicant Institution
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Spokesperson
Professor Dr. Gerold Schuler