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Würzburg Institute of Systems Immunology
Max Planck Research Group at the Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg

Würzburg
Germany

Lab Website:

www.med.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/systemimmunologie/research/metabolism-and-immune-cell-signalling-vaeth-lab/

Research Interests:

The triangle of cellular metabolism, signal transduction and epigenetic imprinting constitutes an intra-cellular network that controls the fate and function of immune cells. Our lab investigates the interrelation of these networks in the immune system across scales by combining functional studies in transgenic animal models with (single-cell) transcriptomic, metabolomic and epigenetic analyses. A better understanding how metabolism controls and integrates the complex functions of the immune system will not only provide novel therapeutic concepts to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases but will also help to exploit the inherent capacity of leukocytes to combat pathogens and cancer. Currently, our work pursues three main research areas:

  • Metabolic reprogramming of lymphocytes via calcium and NFAT signaling
  • Glycolytic-epigenetic rewiring during immune cell activation and differentiation
  • Mitochondria as cellular hubs that coordinate metabolism and signal transduction