The Importance of antigen-specific Immunotherapies
Immune responses in chronic inflammation and cancer are tightly regulated by both innate and adaptive immune mechanisms. Such mechanisms involve key structural elements such as pattern recognition receptors (e.g. Toll-like receptors), cellular players (e.g. antigen presenting cells, T cells, and non-immune cells) and soluble mediators (e.g. cytokines) forming immune regulatory networks (IRN; see adjacent Figure). These highly sophisticated networks control immune responses in allergy, autoimmunity, viral/parasitic infections and cancer by inducing both stimulating and suppressing mechanisms.
Dysfunctions of suppressive and activating mechanisms may lead to a variety of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as allergic asthma, inflammatory bowel diseases, multiple sclerosis, and chronic viral and parasitic infections. Furthermore, an ineffective, dysregulated immune response against viruses and tumor cells is important for the chronicity of many viral infections (e.g. cytomegalovirus infection) and the ineffective anti-tumor immune response in many forms of cancer. As a better understanding of the pathophysiology of these diseases will lead to novel insights into pathogenesis and immunity in such diseases, intensive research on immune regulatory networks is essential to allow a better conceptual understanding of diseases as a prerequisite for the design of innovative therapies. In addition, more research is needed to identify target structures for antigen specific immunotherapy and to optimise vaccines, adjuvants and carrier proteins. Based on these observations and on the local research activity in immunology in Mainz, the Research Training Group will focus on immunotherapy in chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer with a special reference to antigen presenting cells and T lymphocytes. We believe that excellent science in the Research Training Group will lead to the discovery of novel targets for immunomodulatory drugs and the identification of new immunotherapies for chronic inflammation and cancer. Furthermore, the structural and functional characterization of cellular mediators and carrier proteins will allow improved targeting of immune responses as a powerful novel tool for immunotherapy of chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer. Accordingly, the Identification of target antigens for vaccination and immunotherapy (section 1); Vaccines, carrier proteins and adjuvants (section 2); and Immunotherapies and signaling in chronic inflammation and cancer (section 3) are fields of major interest for the Research Training Group 1043 on immunotherapy.
The individual projects on these three main topics are described on the following pages. It should be noted, however, that the project descriptions of the established principal investigators in the program apply to the planned third generation of PhD students in the program.
