Wir überwinden Grenzen

Research is being carried out into how the immune system develops before birth, the effects of birth and how pathogens and microorganisms subsequently shape the immune system.

At birth, the newborn's immune system is suddenly confronted with microorganisms, food and numerous environmental influences. How do the baby's immune cells prepare for this moment during pregnancy and birth? How do external influences shape the immune system immediately after birth? And what influence does an event such as premature birth have? Scientists from the Faculty of Medicine - University of Freiburg are investigating these and many other questions about the development of the child's immune system around birth together with researchers from LMU Munich, the Uniklinik RWTH Aachen and other institutions in the Collaborative Research Center/Transregio "Perinatal Development of Immune Cell Topology (PILOT)". PILOT was approved by the German Research Foundation on November 25, 2022 and will initially be funded for four years from January 1, 2023 with a total of 12 million euros.

"Our major goal is to better understand the early and highly complex adaptation of the immune system and thus give children the best start in life," says PILOT spokesperson Prof. Dr. Philipp Henneke, Head of the Department of Pediatric Infectiology and Rheumatology at the Center for Pediatrics - University of Freiburg. Co-speaker is Prof. Dr. Markus Sperandio from the Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology at the Biomedical Center of the LMU.

In the protected womb, the immune cells can usually develop largely undisturbed. At the moment of birth, they have to adapt abruptly to external influences. "Events such as premature birth or an infection during pregnancy can disrupt this development. In this consortium with scientists from all over Germany, we want to find out exactly what happens and how we can prevent undesirable developments," says Henneke.

Immune development in the lungs, skin and intestines

To this end, the scientists are investigating in particular "border tissue" between the body's interior and the environment, such as the intestines, lungs, skin, brain and placenta. "We now have unique analytical methods at our disposal that allow us to determine the spatial distribution and properties of immune cells in tissue very precisely. Thanks to this cellular mapping, we obtain important information about the exact tasks of individual cell types, even with the smallest cell numbers," said Henneke, who is also a member of the Cluster of Excellence Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies (CIBSS) at the University of Freiburg.

With the help of automated image analysis and machine learning, novel algorithms are being developed in PILOT to decipher the complex processes that occur during the maturation of immune cells. For their investigations, the researchers use new computer-based analysis techniques, novel experimental models of natural immunity and tissue samples from newborns. "In this way, we ensure that we combine a fundamental mechanistic understanding with clinical concepts right from the start," says Henneke. With the integrated research training group Co-PILOT, young scientists are integrated early and intensively into the interdisciplinary research consortium from the fields of medicine, biology, pharmacy and mathematics, among others.

Further information can be found at
www.perinatal-immunity.de

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Philipp Henneke
Head of the Department of Pediatric Infectiology and Rheumatology
Center for Pediatrics
University of Freiburg
Phone: 0761 270-77640