International Research collaborations

The CCI maintains close collaborations with leading European partners, such as the Imagine Institute in Paris, to advance translational research approaches in rare immune deficiencies. Joint projects include the genetic characterization of diseases and the development of targeted therapies.

Building on this, the partnership between the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Freiburg and the Institute Imagine (IMAGINE) aims to establish a collaborative framework in the field of rare genetic diseases research and education. The main objectives include:

Facilitating collaborative research projects and clinical trials
Promoting joint European grant applications
Encouraging exchange and recruitment of early career scientists

This partnership aims to foster European integration and strengthen French-German cooperation in the field of rare genetic diseases research and education.

► About Institut Imagine
Located on the campus of the Necker-Enfants malades hospital, the Institut Imagine is a world leader in research, care and teaching on genetic diseases. Its unique architecture, designed by Jean Nouvel and Bernard Valéro, brings together 1,000 researchers, physicians, teacher-researchers, engineers and health care personnel in a single location to work with patients, with the ambition of accelerating research and diagnosis and therapeutic innovation to change the lives of families affected by genetic diseases.

The Institut Imagine has been certified “Institut hospitalo universitaire” (IHU), in 2011 and 2019 and a “Institut Carnot”, in 2020.

It is supported by six founding members, including AP-HP, Inserm and Université Paris Cité, as well as by private partners and patrons. Every day in France, 64 babies are born with a genetic disease. Nearly 8,000 genetic diseases affect more than 3 million people, of which nearly one in two is undiagnosed and more than 8 in 10 have no dedicated treatment. Faced with this public health emergency, the challenge is twofold: to diagnose and to cure. www.institutimagine.org/en

Teams involved

Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg:

Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI) with Core Facilities (Lighthouse, FREEZE Biobank)
NephroLab of the Renal Division

Institute Imagine (IMAGINE):

Research laboratories for immunology and infectious diseases
Laboratory of Hereditary Kidney Diseases

Axes of Partnership

1. Joint Research and Publications:

Collaborative research activities

Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency	Institute Imagine
Prof. Dr. Toni Cathomen	Prof. Dr. Annarita Miccio
Prof. Dr. Stephan Ehl	group of Prof. Dr. Frédéric Rieux-Laucat (Prof. Dr. Bénédicte Neven) group of Prof. Dr. Sylvain Latour (Prof. Dr. Benjamin Fournier) group of Prof. Dr. Patrick Revy (Prof. Dr. Despina Moshous)
Prof. Dr. Bodo Grimbacher	group of Prof. Dr. Jean-Laurent Casanova (Dr. Anne Puel, Dr. Tom Le Voyer, Dr. Paul Bastard)
Dr. Maria Elena Maccari	Prof. Dr. Sven Kracker
Dr. Claudio Mussolino, PhD	Prof. Dr. Annarita Miccio
Dr. Anne Rensing-Ehl	group of Prof. Dr. Frédéric Rieux-Laucat (Prof. Dr. Aude Magérus)

Co-authored scientific publications
Link to Publications

2. Academic Exchange:

Joint supervision of graduate student projects
Graduate student projects at our institution benefit from joint supervision, meaning each student is mentored by a team of supervisors who bring complementary expertise to the research project. This collaborative approach enhances academic guidance and fosters innovative research outcomes.

Student name	Supervisors	Research Topic
Sarah Berger (CCI)	Prof. Dr. Stephan Ehl (Chair), Prof. Dr. Maike Hofmann (Co-Supervisor), Prof. Dr. Frédéric Rieux-Laucat (External Advisor)
Jonathan Gehrig (CCI)	Prof. Dr. Stephan Ehl (Chair), Prof. Dr. Martin Schwemmle (Co-Supervisor), Prof. Dr. Sylvain Latour (External Advisor)	Molecular regulation of STAT1 and STAT3 signaling pathway activity: lessons from patients with inborn errors of immunity
Anne-Laure Roupie (Imagine)	Prof. Dr. Sylvain Latour (Chair) Prof. Dr. Stephan Ehl (External Advisor)	Lymphocyte activation and susceptibility to EBV

Mutual participation in academic meetings
Exchange of scholars, teachers, students, and staff

3. Educational Collaboration:

Joint teaching arrangements for graduate and postgraduate programs
Mutual information on training and mentoring opportunities

4. Resource Sharing:

Exchange of information on core facilities and services
Sharing of materials, including patient samples for research
June 2025: Visit of microscope facility at Imagine by PD Dr. Franck-Anicet Ditengou (Lighthouse Core Facility) to learn about clearing and expansion microscopy

5. Funding and Clinical Initiatives: