Primary supervisor: Simon Young, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
Title: Elucidating the effects of IFNs in the plasticity of innate immune cells
Collaborators: Prof. A. Santoni, Institute Pasteur-Rome, Italy; Dr. B. van den Hoogen, ErasmusMC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Early Stage Researcher: Lorenz Wirth
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
This project aims in understanding the mechanism by which IFNs affect the plasticity of the ILC. Our focus is on elucidating whether ILC can be infected by respiratory viruses, and the effect this might have in their phenotype, plasticity and metabolic signature of the ILC groups. Furthermore we want to determine the extend IFN signaling via STAT proteins beyond STAT1 is responsible for the change of the phenotype of ILC cells and the effect on the metabolic regulation of the different ILC subgroups. Understanding these mechanisms can help us identify novel targeting strategies to modulate the immunopathology of respiratory diseases and result to novel treatments that can not only address symptoms but modify and cure the underlying cause of disease.
