A) Cell migration in immunosurveillance and inflammation
Mounting a specific immune response requires the timely interaction of various immune cell types within secondary lymphoid organs. Studies on the regulation and function of homing receptors in T lymphocytes and on how these receptors orchestrate cell positioning and interactions with other immune cells in secondary lymphoid tissues are central to our understanding of immune responses. Several PhD projects are dedicated to study immune cell migration into peripheral organs with a strong focus on the central nervous system (CNS) in the context of immunosurveillance and inflammation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), as a model for multiple sclerosis, in particular studies on the cellular and molecular cues guiding T cell subsets across the epithelial blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) and the multistep T cell interactions with the inflamed blood-brain barrier (BBB) during EAE as well as detailed analysis of the phenotype, function and chemokine receptor expression in autoreactive T cells in MS patients.
Completed PhD thesis within this frame
Javier Pareja, June 6th 2024 (Group Engelhardt UNIBE)
Unveiling the cellular and molecular pathways of CD8+ T cells migration across the CNS barriers
Sasha Soldati, July 5th 2023 (Group Engelhardt UNIBE)
Targeting T-cell migration to the central nervous system in the context of multiple sclerosis
Coline Barnoud, March 17th 2023 (Group Scheieremann UNIGE)
Time-of-day effect on adaptive immune responses and central nervous system autoimmunity
Hélène Poinot, graduation September 12, 2023 (Group Bourquin, UniGE)
Targeting the Glucocorticoid Pathway Improves the Outcome of Immunotherapyin a Renal Cancer Model
Eloïse Dupuychaffray, graduation December 13, 2023 (Group Bourquin, UniGE)
The impact of obesity on the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors
Petra Pfenninger, Graduation May 3, 2022
Nucleofection-based CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing of naïve and in vitro-activated primary mouse CD8+ T lymphocytes
Stefanie Wissmann, Graduation Nov 18, 2022
Interplay of guanine exchange factors and phosphoinositide-3 kinase signaling during physiological B and T cell migration
Stefano Bagatella, Graduation October 31, 2022 (Group Oevermann, UniBE)
Bovine neutrophils and Listeria monocytogenes investigations on chemotactic factors, dynamics of interaction and bacterial persistence
Julia Wagner, Graduation July 14, 2021 (Group Bourquin, UniGE)
Potential and Challenges in Improving Cancer Immunotherapy with Agonists for Nucleic Acid Sensors
Nathalie Steinhoff, Graduation November 25, 2020 (Group Bourquin, UniGE)
Mechanisms of T-cell recruitment into gastric tumors in CEA424-SV40 T Ag mice
Sandra Hocevar, Graduation January 28, 2020 (Group Bourquin, UniGE)
Understanding the interactions of gold nanoparticles with B lymphocytes in vitro and in vivo
Luca Marchetti, Graduation December 2019 (Group Britta Engelhardt, TK, UniBE)
Combining live cell imaging and RNA-seq analysis to unveil cellular and molecular mechanisms directing T-cell migration across the blood-brain barrier
Mariana Castro Dias, Graduation October 2019 (Group Britta Engelhardt, TK, UniBE)
The role of the brain-barrier tight junctions in neuroinflammation
Award: Best Thesis of the Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 2019
Miguel Palomino Segura, Graduation October 30, 2018 (Group Santiago F. González, IRB Bellinzona)
Role of Innate Immunity in the Protection against Influenza Infection
Inès Mottas, Graduation May 5, 2018 (Group Bourquin, UniGE)
Nanoparticles for lymph node delivery of antigenic peptides or immunostimulants to improve cancer immunotherapy
Flavian Thelen, Graduation March 28, 2018 (Group Stein, TKI, UniBE)
Tissue resident memory T cell surveillance of exocrine gland is guided by three dimensional macrophage scaffold
Xenia Ficht, Graduation January 22, 2018 (Group Stein, TKI, UniBE)
Mechanisms underlying tissue-resident memory T cell surveillance of non-lymphoid tissues
Yağmur Farsakoğlu, Graduation January 26, 2018 (Group Santiago F. González, IRB Bellinzona)
Role of Innate Immune Cells in Response to Influenza Vaccination
Wypych Thomasz; Graduation March 21, 2016 (Group Sallusto, IRB Bellinzona)
The role of B cells as antigen presenting cells in a mouse model of asthma.
Stephanie Uster, Graduation March 2, 2016 (Groups Engelhardt, TKI, UniBE & Seitz Inselspital Bern)
Effects of anti-TNFα therapy on the distribution of osteoclast precursors in a murine antigen induced arthritis model.
Aleksandra Ozga; Graduation December 15, 2015 (Group Stein, TKI, UniBE)
The Impact of pMHC Affinity on Differentiation and Expansion of CD8+ T Cells.Karthik Sathiyanadan; Graduation January 30, 2014 (Group Engelhardt TKI)
In vivo analysis of the multistep-recruitment of different leukocyte subpopulations across the blood-brain-barrier: molecular cues beyond
Neda Haghayegh; Graduation November 20, 2015 (Group Engelhardt, TKI, UniBE)
Involvement of ICAM-1 and ICAM-2 in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)
Ivana Lazarevic; Graduation November 20, 2015 (Group Engelhardt, TKI, UniBE)
T cell trafficking across the blood cerebrospinal fluid barrier.Michael Abadier; Graduation September 12, 2014 (Group Lyck TKI)
Cell surface levels of endothelial ICAM-1 decide on transcellular or paracellular T cell diapedesis across the blood-brain barrier.
Markus Ackerknecht; Graduation December 10, 2014 (Group Stein,TKI, UniBE)
In vivo analysis of motility-inducing factors governing CD4+ T cell migration and activation.
