Alumni 2nd Generation

Cornelia Barnowski, PhD
Supervisor: Ingo Drexler
Project: Role of innate immune triggers for the induction
of poxviral CD8 T cell responses

Yulia Alejandra Flores Martinez, M.Sc.
Supervisor: Mirko Trilling
Project: Identification and characterization of
DDB1/CRLs-interacting proteins

Heba Islam, M.Sc.
Supervisor: Carsten Kirschning
Project: Analysis of rapid IFNγ production of NK cells
towards adaptive immunity and anti-bacterial
activities of macrophages early upon
bacterial infection

Qian Li, PhD
Supervisor: Mengji Lu
Project: TLR7 promotes CD8+ T cell immunity by enhancing
cellular metabolism in a TCR-dependent manner

Jernej Pušnik, PhD
Supervisors: Hendrik Streeck, Ulf Dittmer
Project: Shaping HIV specific immune responses through
adjuvant triggered pathways

Christina Wenzek, PhD
Supervisors: Torben Knuschke, Jan Buer
Project: CD47 and its impact on innate and adaptive immune responses
during influenza virus infection

Anne-Charlotte Antoni, PhD
Supervisor: Stefanie Flohé
Project: Bystander activation of memory T cells in the bone marrow during
polymicrobial sepsis and its impact on the differentiation of dendritic cells

Hanna Abberger, PhD
Supervisor: Wiebke Hansen
Project: Antigen-presenting cells during Plasmodium yoelii infection

Lamin B. Cham, PhD
Supervisor: Karl Lang
Project: Role of CD47 in innate and adaptive immune response
during viral infection

Anfei Huang, M.Sc.
Supervisor: Philipp Lang
Project: Interaction between NK cells and CD8+ T cell immunity

Christopher Menne, M.Sc.
Supervisor: Jörg Timm
Project: Role of NKT and NK cells in chronic viral infection

Rouven-Luca Kaiserling, PhD
Supervisors: Kathrin Sutter, Ulf Dittmer
Project: Modulation of retrovirus-specific CD4+ T cell responses
by IFNα subtypes

Jens Lichte, M.Sc.
Supervisor: Klaus Pfeffer
Project: Functional characterization of mGBP proteins in the host defense
against chlamydia and intracellular parasites

Mareike Eilbrecht, PhD
Supervisor: Mirko Trilling
Project: The role of interferon-dependent JAK-STAT signaling
for adaptive immune responses against cytomegaloviruses

Vittoria Palmieri, PhD
Supervisor: Astrid Westendorf
Project: The role of IL-33 on innate and adaptive immunity during
Citrobacter rodentium-induced intestinal inflammation

Nhi Ngo Thi Phuong, PhD
Supervisors: Astrid Westendorf, Eva Pastille
Project: Impacts of modulation of specific molecules ST2 and IL-33 on
development and growth of colon cancer

Ramona Grothmann, M.Sc.
Supervisor: Jörg Timm
Project: NK cell regulation in chronic viral infections:
immune evasion mechanisms of HCMV and HBV

Ralf Grutza, M.Sc.
Supervisors: Jörg Timm
Project: Regulation of T cells by NK cells in CMV seropositive
and negative individuals

Alumni 1st Generation

Gregor Ciupka, PhD
Supervisor: Ingo Drexler
Project: Role of innate immune triggers for the induction
of poxviral T cell responses

Rebecca Heß, PhD
Supervisors: Klaus Überla, Matthias Tenbusch
Project: Differential stimulation of innate immune responses
by viral surface protein modulating the antiviral antibody response

Yong Lin, PhD
Supervisor: Mengji Lu
Project: Pre-activation with TLR7 agonist accelerates
hepatitis B virus clearance in the mouse model

Veena Marathe, PhD
Supervisor: Carsten Kirschning
Project: Analysis of rapid IFNγ production of NK cells and
anti-bacterial activity of macrophages early upon bacterial infection

Janine Brinkmann, PhD
Supervisor: Jörg Timm
Project: Cross-reactivity profiles of CD8+ T cells targeting an
immunodominant epitope in the core protein of HBV

Hassan Elsayed, PhD
Supervisor: Klaus Überla
Project: Enhancement of HIV Env specific antibody responses
by intrastructural help from heterologous T helper cells

Elisabeth Lang, MD, PhD
Supervisor: Philipp Lang
Project: Interaction between NK cells and CD8 T cell immunity

Melanie Nehring, PhD
Supervisor: Stefanie Flohé
Project: Implication of autoimmune type 1 diabetes in the
development of immunosuppression during polymicrobial sepsis

Tina Senff, PhD
Supervisor: Jörg Timm
Project: The role of NK and NKT cells in HCV infection

Piyush Sharma, PhD
Supervisor: Karl Lang
Project: B-Myb is a crucial proviral host factor and is involved
in the arenavisrus mediated tumor suppression

Anna Smirnov (geb. Reib), PhD
Supervisor: Stefanie Flohé
Project: Pathomechanisms of dysfunctional differentiating DCs
in the early phase of polymicrobial sepsis

Kristina Ueffing, PhD
Supervisor: Wiebke Hansen
Project: Impact of dendritic cells on T cell activation
during Plasmodium yoelii infection

Alexandra Adamczyk, PhD
Supervisor: Astrid Westendorf
Project: Chronic intestinal inflammation and colitis-associated colon cancer -
the two faces of CD4+ T cell funtions

Nadine Bongard, PhD
Supervisors: Ulf Dittmer, Wibke Bayer
Project: Development of vaccination strategies for vector-based
prophylactic immunizationin the Friend retrovirus model

 Julia Dickow, PhD
Supervisors: Ulf Dittmer, Kathrin Gibbert
Project: Modulation of retrovirus-specific T cell responses by IFNα subtypes

Camilla Hrycak, PhD
Supervisors: Ulf Dittmer, Wibke Bayer
Project: Induction of immune responses by adenovirus-based immunization
in pre-existing adenovirus immunity

Andreja Jagnjić, Dipl.-Biol.
Supervisor: Mirko Trilling
Project: Humoral immune responses by Cytomegalovirus mutants
lacking Interferon antagonists

Christine Landsberg, PhD
Supervisor: Mirko Trilling
Project: Viral exploitation of DDB1 as a strategy to impede innate immunity -
A comparative molecular analysis of viral DDB1-binding proteins

Dennis Lapuente, PhD
Supervisor: Matthias Tenbusch
Project: Signal molecules of the innate immune response
as adjuvants for gene-based vaccines

Valesca Lindenberg, PhD
Supervisor: Klaus Pfeffer
Project: Functional characterization of guanylate binding proteins (GBPs)
in the host defense against pathogens

Lucas Otto, PhD
Supervisors: Ulf Dittmer, Matthias Gunzer
Project: Visualization of Treg-effector T cell interactions in the bone marrow
of retrovirus infected mice

Meike Rückborn, PhD
Supervisor: Mirko Trilling
Project: Viral exploitation of DDB1 as a strategy to impede innate immunity -
Evaluation of overlapping biological funtions of viral DDB1-binding proteins

Julia Zöller, PhD
Supervisor: Astrid Westendorf
Project: Die Regulation der Immunantworten im Verlauf
einer bakteriell induzierten Colitis

MD students

Björn Bösken, MD
Supervisor: Stefanie Flohé
Project: IL-15 antagonizes trauma-induced suppression of CD56brigth NK cells - potential involvement of c-Kit

Tabea Faßnacht, MD
Supervisor: Astrid Westendorf
Project: Impact of colonic Toll like receptor signaling on colitis associated colon cancer

Daniel Gageik, MD
Supervisor: Astrid Westendorf
Project: G protein-coupled receptor (GPR) 15 - a novel receptor for the migration of T cells to the colon of patients suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Carsten Geissler, MD
Supervisor: Jörg Timm
Project: The role of CD100 in controlling HCV infection

Patricia Kamolz, MD
Supervisor: Ingo Drexler
Project: Characterization of MHC II -restricted processing and presentation pathways of MVA-delivered antigens

Katharina Loevenich, MD
Supervisor: Wiebke Hansen
Project: The role of IL-10 during Plasmodium yoelii infection

Friederike-Charlotte Salhöfer née Krempe, MD
Supervisor: Mirko Trilling
Project: Identification and characterization of
anti-leukaemic factors secreted by AML cells
upon contact with HCMV particles

Florian Scheffel, MD
Supervisor: Torben Knuschke
Project: Aktivierung einer HIC-gerichteten CD8+-T-Zellantwort mit Hilfe eines Nanopartikel basierten Impfstoffs

Contact

Research Training Group 1949
Immune Response in
Infectious Diseases -
Regulation between Innate
and Adaptive Immunity

Spokesperson:
Prof. Dr. Astrid Westendorf

Deputy: Prof. Dr. Jörg Timm
Deputy: Prof. Dr. Mirko Trilling

Coordination: Dr. Eva van Well

Phone: +49 201 723 35 88
E-Mail: eva.van-well@uni-due.de