Immunology of Aging

Research topic(s)

The outstanding relevance of immune senescence in the aging process, along with the increased incidence and mortality rate associated with changes in blood cell formation in elderly patients places hematopoiesis into the focus of age research. We generate and use innovative mouse models to explore the function of hematopoietic stem (HSC) and progenitor cells (HPC) and immune cells from mice and humans. We focus on the understanding of the regulation of blood cell homeostasis, including HSC emergence, continuous differentiation over time, and turn-over during steady-state compared to inflammatory/infectious conditions during the aging process. The research of my laboratory, thus, focuses on uncovering basic mechanisms that regulate hematopoiesis and immune cell biology in the young and elderly, and this understanding may pioneer novel translational approaches.

The main research activity of my lab has been focused on the following three major core areas:

1. Cell intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of HSC biology including stem cell emergence, maintenance and alteration over time,
2. Immune cell homeostasis to understand its impact on altered immune responses in the elderly, and
3. the translation of our findings into the human setting through the development and use of excellent humanized mouse models for the study of human HSPC fate choices and immune cell function in a surrogate host.

Methods

• Immunological and haematological basic research
• Flow cytometry
• Animal experimental approaches, humanised mouse models, inflammatory models
• Transplantation, xenotransplantation
• Macrophages

Selected Publications

Coppin* E, Sundarasetty* BS, Rahmig S, Blume J, Verheyden NA, Bahlmann F, Ravens S, Schubert U, Schmid J, Ludwig S, Geissler K, Guntinas-Lichius O, von Kaisenberg C, Groten T, Platz A, Naumann R, Ludwig B, Prinz I, Waskow** C, Krueger** A. (2021) Enhanced differentiation of functional human T cells in NSGW41 mice with tissue-specific expression of human interleukin-7.External link Leukemia, 35(12):3561-7 (* equal contribution, ** co-senior authors)

Jacome-Galarza* CE, Percin* GI, Muller* JT, Mass* E, Lazarov T, Eitler J, Rauner M, Yadav VK, Crozet L, Bohm M, Loyher PL, Karsenty G, Waskow** C, Geissmann** F. (2019) Developmental origin, functional maintenance and genetic rescue of osteoclasts.External link Nature, 568(7753):541-5 (* equal contribution, ** co-corresponding authors)

Mende* N, Jolly* A, Percin* GI, Günther M, Rostovskaya M, Krishnan SM, Oostendorp RAJ, Dahl A, Anastassiadis K, Höfer** T, Waskow** C. (2019) Prospective isolation of non-hematopoietic cells of the niche and their differential molecular interactions with HSCs.External link Blood, 134(15):1214-26 (* equal contribution, ** co-senior authors)

Arndt K, Kranz A, Fohgrub J, Jolly A, Bledau AS, Di Virgilio M, Lesche M, Dahl A, Höfer T, Stewart AF, Waskow C. (2018) SETD1A protects HSCs from activation-induced functional decline in vivo.External link Blood, 131(12):1311-24

Percin GI, Eitler J, Kranz A, Fu J, Pollard JW, Naumann R, Waskow C. (2018) CSF1R regulates the dendritic cell pool size in adult mice via embryo-derived tissue-resident macrophages. External linkNat Commun 2018, 9(1):5279

Links

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