Immunopaedia Ambassadors – Europe
Our Ambassadors from across Europe.
What is your name?
Dounia Chraa
What is your current position?
Post-doc Researcher
Which institute and country do you work in?
Cancer and Functional Genomic, France
What is your home country?
France
What are your research interests?
Melanoma, Immunotherapy, Immunosuppressive microenvironment
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I am a postdoctoral researcher in the team of Dr Mei LI (Research Director), Functional Genomics and Cancer Unit, of the institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology Holding. I am holding a PhD in Immunology-Oncology “Aix Marseille University” , “Hassan II University “. I am mainly interested in Immuno-oncology field and currently working in deciphering the role of TSLP a cytokine produced by keratinocytes, in the regulation of immune T cells response in cutaneous melanoma.
What are your online profiles?
Linkedin – Dounia Chraa
Imunology Keywords:
T cells, Immune response, Immune suppression
What is your name?
Jasmin Knopf
What is your current position?
Post-doctoral fellow
Which institute and country do you work in?
Department of Medicine 3, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Germany Director: Prof. Dr. Georg Schett, Germany
What is your home country?
Germany
What are your research interests?
Neutrophil biology, Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs), Antibody glycosylation
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
My background is non-academic and I was the first in my family to study at a university. I studied Molecular Medicine and since the beginning, I was interested in biology and the immune system in particular, in a more clinical setting. Therefore, I became a scientist in the field of Rheumatology and Immunology. I’m especially interested in the role of Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Currently, I focus on the composition and degradation mechanisms of NETs and how they can change the effector functions of antibodies and other proteins, e.g. by the modification of cellular glycosylation. Additionally, I’m researching the role of NETs in COVID-19. There is evidence that NETs and NET-derived proteins are not only responsible for thrombus formation in these patients but also might modify the spike protein. Finding a way to treat or even prevent vascular occlusions by NETs may also be applicable to other diseases with vasculopathies (as e.g. described for Malaria).
Furthermore, I want to help educate and guide young people, and promote research opportunities for students from all over the world.
What are your online profiles?
Linkedin, ResearchGate
Imunology Keywords:
Neutrophils, Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs), COVID-19
What is your name?
Theo van den Broek
What is your current position?
Marie Curie Post-doctoral fellow
Which institute and country do you work in?
Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine (PCMM), Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
What is your home country?
The Netherlands (currently residing in USA)
What are your research interests?
Translational Immunology, Infection & Immunity, Autoimmunity
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
My long term research interests involve the development of a comprehensive understanding on the role of T cells in the initiation and maintenance of human and experimental autoreactivity. Initially, as a Fulbright scholar I focused on distilling the mechanisms of epitope-specific immune therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. Later, as a predoctoral student (in the Netherlands) I focused on the dynamics of T cell reconstitution in children thymectomized within their first month of life and after stem cell transplantation for autoimmune diseases in humans and murine models. My findings significantly altered the concept of naïve T cells as developmentally synchronized and relatively homogeneous cell population and incited the need for a revision. The necessity of T cell help for the development of human B cell autoreactivity was further investigated in close collaboration with the Weizmann Institute. My current research (supported by a Marie Curie Global Fellowship) builds logically on my prior work on the specific role of T cells in the development of B cell autoreactivity.
Also, I’m a clinical resident in medical microbiology at the University medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands, with a special interest in the cross-talk between infection & immunity.
What are your online profiles?
Linkedin, ResearchGate, Orcid, Google Scholar, Website
Imunology Keywords:
T cell, Germinal centers, Auto-antibodies
What is your name?
Maria-Bernadette Madel
What is your current position?
Postdoctoral Associate
Which institute and country do you work in?
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
What is your home country?
Germany
What are your research interests?
Osteoimmunology, Inflammatory Disorders, Ageing
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
After my studies in Molecular Medicine at the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, I completed my PhD in Immunology and Microbiology with a focus on Osteoimmunology at the University of Côte d’Azur in Nice, France, under the supervision of Dr. Claudine Blin. During my PhD studies, I was focusing on osteoclast heterogeneity and the characterization of inflammatory osteoclasts in order to understand how they contribute to different inflammatory processes and how they could be targeted to limit inflammatory bone destruction. In 2020, I joined the team of Dr. Florent Elefteriou at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, USA, where my current focus is on identifying the role of the autonomic nervous system in age-related bone loss.
What are your online profiles?
Linkedin – Maria-Bernadette Madel
Researchgate – Maria-Bernadette Madel
Twitter: @MB__Madel
Imunology Keywords:
Osteoclasts, Chronic Inflammation, Autoimmune Diseases
What is your name?
Fabien Ulrich Prodjinotho
What is your current position?
Postdoctoral researcher
Which institute and country do you work in?
Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene (IMMIH), Technische Universtät München (TUM), Munich, Germany
What is your home country?
Benin
What are your research interests?
Infections with helminths, immunoregulation, parasitology
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I completed my Master degree in 2008 at the University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin) with the focus on the cellular and humoral markers in relation with diabetes. When completing my Master degree, I developed a keen interest and passion for research on helminth infections, specially the immunological and molecular mechanisms associated with these infections. This led me to the University of Lome (Togo), where, for my Postgraduate degree in 2009, I investigated the importance of the use of active molecules from medicinal plants against helminth infections. After my Postgraduate degree, I served as research assistant from 2010 to 2012 at the University of Abomey-Calavi. In 2013, I was awarded a scholarship by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and financial support from the BONFOR research committee for a PhD in Immunology and Parasitology at the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology of the University of Bonn (Germany). I completed my PhD thesis in January 2017 on the regulation of effector immune mechanisms during helminth infections and the particular role of the antibody IgG4. Currently I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at the Technical University of Munich (Germany).
What are your online profiles?
ANSA ev – Fabien Prodjinotho
LinkedIn – Fabien Prodjinotho
Facebook Page – WestAfricanYoungImmunoInvestigators
Immunology Keywords: Infections with helminths, immunoregulation, IgG4
