Press archive

05.03.2024

The Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Sara Vieira-Silva and Gwen Falony on their recent publication in the Journal Gastroenterology: “Dysbiosis and Associated Stool Features Improve Prediction of Response to Biological Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease”. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) comprise a group of complex gastrointestinal tract disorders. An imbalance of gut microbiota, called dysbiosis, contributes to the pathogenesis of these diseases and might influence therapeutic outcome. Caenepeel and Falony et al. investigated this putative association by studying the gut microbiome in a large cohort of IBD patients suffering from Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, before and after therapeutic intervention. In this cohort, the authors could identify disease location as crucial covariate of the microbiome that was even more informative than the specific disease diagnosis. Of the three used biological therapies – anti-tumor necrosis factor-α, vedolizumab (anti-α4β7-integrin), and ustekinumab (anti-IL23/23) – the former achieved the biggest shift in microbiome composition and could significantly mitigate dysbiosis. In patients exhibiting dysbiosis, the authors observed anti-tumor necrosis factor-α to be more effective to achieve remission than vedolizumab, although it should be noted that the latter was mostly applied as second- or third-line biological treatment in the prospective cohort analyzed. Finally, Caenepeel and Falony et al. developed a model based on clinical data, stool characteristics, and fecal enterotype that predicted therapeutic outcome with 73.9 % accuracy and could potentially improve personalized medicine approaches for IBD patients in the future.

02.02.2024 

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation has recently approved a reinvitation request from Prof. Tim Sparwasser of Dr. Hugo Luján, who was awarded the highly prestigious Georg-Forster Award from the same foundation in 2016. Dr. Luján is an international authority in the study of the molecular basis of cellular differentiation and adaptation of protozoan organisms, in particular of those acting as human pathogens. He has published several papers in collaboration with Prof. Sparwasser, for example on the immunogenicity and development of oral vaccines using antigens from the protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia. The reinvitation grant will allow Dr. Luján to do a three months research stay at the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene. We are looking forward to welcome and support him in his novel and innovative research projects.

19.01.2024

Prof. Tim Sparwasser is co-organizing the Cold Spring Harbor Asia conference on "Immune Tolerance: Mechanisms, Diseases and Therapeutics", in Suzhou, China. The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates him on this great honor. Throughout the past eight decades, meetings and seminars at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have hosted a number of prominent scientists, including Noble laureates, contributing to the progress of contemporary biology. CSHL is ranked as one of the top global centers for basic research in genetics and molecular biology, being at the forefront of many discoveries in molecular biology and genetics, which provide knowledge that will yield better diagnosis and treatments for many diseases. With its headquarters located in Suzhou, China, Cold Spring Harbor Conferences Asia (CSHCA) was established as a comparable program in Asia, building on the success of CSHL’s scientific and educational accomplishments. CSHCA’s principal aim is to develop and operate an annual program of scientific conferences in Asia modeled on the Cold Spring Harbor meeting format and style, accelerating scientific discovery and promoting collaborations between scientists from around the world. The Immune Tolerance meeting will be held from October 28th to November 1st, 2024, with main topics including Autoimmune diseases, Microbiota and mucosal tolerance, Tumor immune tolerance, Infectious tolerance.

02.01.2024

The Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Dr. Luis Almeida and Dr. Ayesha Dhillon-LaBrooy on their recent review “The evolutionary tug-of-war of macrophage metabolism during bacterial infection” in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism. In this publication, they describe mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions in the context of how macrophage-intrinsic pathogen recognition processes and cellular metabolism are intimately linked. Macrophages undergo a carefully orchestrated process of polarization to acquire pathogen-clearing properties when they detect molecules derived from pathogens, which must be adequately supported by metabolic reprogramming. This leads to the acquisition of effector functions and generation of secondary metabolites with direct microbicidal activity. These mechanisms can, on the other hand, be manipulated and hijacked by bacteria in order to promote a successful infection. The authors conclude that host and bacterial metabolic processes appear to be the result of back-and-forth selective pressures, strongly suggesting that metabolism is an ancient and ongoing battlefield between pathogen and host.

14.12.2023

Prof. Sara Vieira-Silva has been listed among the worldwide most cited researchers in the “Highly Cited Researchers” ranking from Clarivate. The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratules her warmly! Each researcher selected for this ranking has authored multiple publications which rank in the top 1% by citations for their field and publication year in the last decade, demonstrating Prof. Vieira-Silva influence and authority in the field of microbiome research.

20.11.2023

The Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Ayesha Dhillon-LaBrooy on her recent publication in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology: “Inhibition of mitochondrial translation ameliorates Imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation by targeting Vγ4+ γδ T cells”. Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disorder that is characterized by keratinocyte hyperproliferation in response to immune cell infiltration and cytokine secretion in the dermis. γδ T cells expressing the Vγ4 T cell receptor chain are amongst the highest contributors of IL-17, which is a major cytokine that drives a psoriasis flare, making Vγ4+ γδ T cells a suitable target to restrict psoriasis development. Dhillon-LaBrooy et al. demonstrated that inhibiting mitochondrial translation of Vγ4+ γδ T cells effectively reduced erythema, scaling, and skin thickening in a murine model of psoriasis. The antibiotic Linezolid, which blocks mito-translation, systemically reduced the frequencies of IL-17+ Vγ4+ γδ T cells, effectively resolving IL-17-dependent inflammation, indicating that inhibiting mitochondrial translation could be a novel therapeutic approach to treat psoriasis pathophysiology. The group of Prof. Tim Sparwasser has been also focused in searching for new substances with the same biological effect that lack the antimicrobial property.

24.10.2023 

The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates the former visiting PhD student Luis Eduardo Alves Damasceno on his recent publication “A clinically-relevant STING agonist restrains human TH17 cell inflammatory profile”, which contains data obtained during his research stay in the Institute. Dr. Damasceno is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the laboratory of Prof. José Carlos Alves-Filho, from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Prof. José Carlos Alves-Filho is a close collaborator from Prof. Tim Sparwasser, with whom a mobility grant funded by the DAAD for the exchange of scientists between the two groups has been approved for the years 2023-2024.

05.09.2023 

The Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Yu-San Kao on her recent publication in the Journal of Molecular Medicine: “Targeting ACC1 in T cells ameliorates psoriatic skin inflammation”. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects millions of people worldwide. It is driven by the IL-23/IL-17 axis, results from excessive activation of effector T cells, including T helper (Th) and cytotoxic T (Tc) cells, and is associated with dysfunctional regulatory T cells (Tregs). Kao et al. demonstrated that targeting the enzyme Acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1) in T cells by genetic ablation ameliorates skin inflammation in an experimental model of psoriasis.  Acc1 is a rate-limiting enzyme of fatty acid synthesis (FAS), which directs cell fate decisions between Th17 and Tregs, and its genetic ablation resulted in limitation of Th17, Tc17, Th1, and Tc1 cells in skin lesions and increased frequency of effector Tregs in skin-draining lymph nodes. These results indicate the promising role of ACC1 as a therapeutic target to treat psoriasis.

01.08.2023

The Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Dr. Luis Almeida for a successful application for third party funding, together with Prof. Tim Sparwasser. The Wilhelm Sander Foundation approved the project proposal “Immunosuppresion-resistant, tumor-specific T cells as a therapeutic strategy against established tumors – a preclinical study” for a funding period of two years. Dr. Luis Almeida will start his own research group in the IMMH and will investigate if manipulating specific intracellular pathways from T cells could alter the profiles of immunosuppressive regulatory T cells into pro-inflammatory cells that can work together with anti-tumor effector T cells towards a more efficient and synergistic anti-tumor response.

05.07.2023 

Prof. Luciana Berod (Institute of Molecular Medicine), close collaborator of the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, has been recently appointed as spokesperson (with Dr. Bart Everts, Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands) of a new study group from the European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS-IL). The aim of the European Immunometabolism Network (ImmunoMetEurope) is to advance and promote research in the field of immune metabolism, by bringing together basic and clinical researchers and fostering collaborative networks. The overall research interest of this study group is to investigate immune cell metabolic pathways involved in health and disease, and to identify new potential therapeutic targets of in immune diseases. We congratulate Prof. Berod warmly!

31.05.2023 

The second funding phase of the SFB subproject B08N "Modulation of inflammatory skin disease by blocking metabolic checkpoints" headed by Prof. Tim Sparwasser has been approved. In this new funding phase, Prof. Sara Vieira-Silva will be a collaborator within the subproject, and will contribute with her microbiome expertise. The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates both warmly. The SFB 156 "The Skin as Sensor and Effector Organ Orchestrating Local and Systemic Immune Responses" established in 2015 is in its third funding phase by the German Research Foundation, and will receive about 12 million Euros for the next four years.

14.04.2023 

Prof. Vieira-Silva, leader of the Mucosal Microbiology and Immunology research group, became a partner of the "Cluster for Atherothrombosis and Individualized Medicine (curATime)", one of the clusters4future funded by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research). Besides the University Medical Center of the Johannes-Gutenberg-University of Mainz, other curATime core partners include TRON gGmbH also in Mainz and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Kaiserslautern. The main goal of the cluster is to identify biomarkers and risk factors and develop individually tailored treatments and prevention concepts for atherothrombosis-related cardiovascular diseases. The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratules Prof. Vieira-Silva warmly.

16.03.2023

Prof. Sparwasser was awarded the Leloir Prize in a ceremony that took place on the 16th of March, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Leloir Prize, named after the Argentinian Biochemist and Nobel laureate Luis Frederico Leloir, is awarded by the Argentinian Ministry for Science, Technology and Innovation to foreign scientists and researchers that have extensively contributed to the strengthening and internationalization of science and technology in Argentina. Prof. Sparwasser has been committed, over a period of more than ten years, to establish and advance collaborative research projects with Argentinian scientists, and foster the academic development of early career researchers. These collaborations have resulted in joint scientific publications, technological exchange between German and Argentinian groups and institutions, and in the recognition of Argentinian scientists that became successful group leaders in Argentina and abroad. The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Prof. Sparwasser warmly!

28.02.2023

Prof. Sparwasser was appointed as a member of the scientific advisory board of NextImmune2 (Next Generation Immunoscience - Doctoral Training Unit) as an expert in immunometabolism. The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates him warmly. NextImmune2 is a research-funding program that aims to link research in immunometabolism with systems immunology and to support young scientists. The grant is mainly supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) and the Luxembourg Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR).

13.02.2023

The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Prof. Sparwasser on his re-election as German representative at the IUIS Council. IUIS is the international umbrella organization of immunologists, whose goal is to promote international cooperation, organize international collaborations, and bring together the different disciplines of the Immunology field. The activities of the IUIS are overseen by the council, which is elected every three years during the IUIS General Assembly.

23.01.2023 

The Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Prof. Sparwasser for a successful application for third party funding, together with his collaborator Prof. Alves-Filho from the Medical School of Ribeirao Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in partnership with the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) fund bi-national research projects with the goal to promote the scientific exchange between international research groups. The collaborative research project aims to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate the Th17 and regulatory T cells in infection and autoimmune diseases.

04.01.2023

The Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Gloria Janet Godoy on her recent publication in the European Journal of Immunology.In the last years, due to the low abundance of in vivo Dendritic cells (DCs) in tissues, most research articles interrogating their metabolic adaptation to microbial stimuli or environmental cues made use of in vitro differentiated DCs derived from bone marrow progenitors stimulated with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Previous studies have shown that GM-CSF cultures consist of a mixture of subpopulations based on the expression of MHCII and CD11b, a MHCII-high-CD11b-int population resembling DCs (GM-DCs) and a MHCII-low-CD11b-high population more closely related to macrophages (GM-Macs). Minarrieta et al. demonstrated in their publication “Regulation of DC metabolism by nitric oxide in murine GM-CSF cultures” that, in bulk GM-CSF cultures, there are indeed two cell populations which respond to LPS treatment with different metabolic profiles. Sorted GM-Mac fraction upregulates iNOS and produces nitric oxide (NO) upon LPS activation inhibiting mitochondrial respiration (OXPHOS) while promoting glycolytic metabolism in GM-DCs, which naturally do not express iNOS. These results caution that the use of bulk GM-CSF cultures is not suitable to study the impact of DC metabolism on their cell function highlighting the need to implement models that resemble bona fide DC found in vivo.

21.12.2022 

Prof. Dr. Vieira-Silva is a newly appointed W2 Professor at the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene. Through her research area in the field of "Microbiome and Metabolome", the research spectrum of the University Medicine of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is extended by the highly relevant topic of microbiome research. The focus of Prof. Vieira-Silva's work is the investigation of the variability of the healthy human gut microbiome and the role of dysbiosis in various diseases. Microbiome research will not only be an essential building block for the ReALity (Resilience, Adaptation, Longevity) excellence initiative and the EM-Thera cluster of excellence, it will also be an important bridge to the Department of Biology (Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH), various clinical areas, and the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) at UM. We warmly welcome Prof. Vieira-Silva to IMMH and look forward to scientific collaboration.

29.11.2022 

The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates the University Medical Center Mainz on the approval of the Collaborative Research Center/ Transregio (SFB/TRR) 355 "Heterogeneity and functional specialization of regulatory T cells in distinct microenvironments". Within the SFB, the influence of regulatory T cells (Tregs) on immunological and tissue-specific diseases will be investigated with the aim to develop new Treg-based immunotherapies. Prof. Sparwasser is involved with a project on the influence of energy metabolism on the function of regulatory T cells. In addition to the University Medicine Mainz, the Ludwigs-Maximilians-University Munich and the Technical University Munich are involved in the transregional SFB. The first funding period with a duration of 4 years is supported with about 13 million euros.

03.11.2022

The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Dr. Janet Godoy on a method protocol recently published in the European Journal of Immunology. The article "Guidelines for mouse and human DC generation" provides an important contribution to the purification and analysis of dendritic cells.

13.04.2022
The Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (German National Academic Foundation) has appointed Prof. Tim Sparwasser as personal tutor in April 2022. He already held this position during his time at the TU Munich. The Studienstiftung, first established in 1925, is the oldest and largest foundation for the promotion of talented students in Germany.

The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates him warmly.

02.12.2021
The second funding phase of the SFB subproject 18 "Inhibition of tumor-associated regulatory T cells by microbial metabolites". headed by Prof. Tim Sparwasser has been approved. The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene warmly congratulates him. The SFB 1292 "Targeting converging mechanisms of inefficient immunity in tumor diseases and chronic infections", established in 2018 will be funded by the German Research Foundation for another 4 years with about 13 million Euros.

17.09.2021
Dr. med. Martin Dennebaum recently passed the examination at the Bezirksärztekammer Rheinhessen and is now allowed to use the additional title "Infectiologist". The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates him warmly.

07.05.2021
The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Luís Almeida and Ayesha Dhillon-La Brooy on their recently published review article "CD4+ T cell differentiation and function: unifying glycolysis, fatty acid oxidation, polyamines NAD mitochondria." (Almeida et al. 2021, JACI). In this work, the scientists emphasize the importance of mitochondrial metabolism in T cell development, activation, and effector function, and how nutrient requirements can be adapted to specific tissue conditions. The authors discuss recent findings on the mitochondrion and how glycolysis, amino acid catabolism, and fatty acid oxidation interact together with the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Integration of these metabolic pathways generates not only energy but also intermediates that can regulate epigenetic programs, leading to changes in T cell phenotype. Therefore, this review also highlights key enzymes, accessory metabolic pathways, and post-translational protein modifications that regulate T cell function in particular ways and may represent potential targets for therapeutic purposes.

20.04.2021
The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene warmly congratulates Ayesha Dhillon-LaBrooy for have being granted with the Dagmar Eißner Sponsorship Prize. The Dagmar Eißner Award, named after the former director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Nuclear Medicine and first vice president of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Prof. Dr. Dagmar Eißner, is endowed with 3000 Euros and is awarded to young female scientists of the University Medicine Mainz under the age of 35 for outstanding scientific achievements. The prize is awarded for the paper "Ribosome-Targeting Antibiotics Impair T Cell Effector Function and Ameliorate Autoimmunity by Blocking Mitochondrial Protein Synthesis" published in Immunity (Almeida et al, 2021).

13.03.2021
The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Lis Velasquez and her colleagues on their recently published review article "Dendritic cell metabolism: moving beyond in vitro culture-generated paradigms" (Minarrieta et al. 2020, Curr. Opin. Biotechnol.). The article discusses the important role of metabolism during dendritic cell activation and differentiation. The researchers provide an overview of current in vitro models for analyzing metabolic processes and discuss new techniques and models with higher physiological relevance.

24.11.2020

09.11.2020
The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene is going to cooperate with the Department of Anaesthesiology at Renji Hospital of the Medical Faculty of Shanghai Jiaotong University. The cooperation is financially supported by the Sino-German Mobility Program of the Chinese-German Center for Science Funding. The project, initiated by Prof. Peiying Li and Prof. Tim Sparwasser, investigates to what extent a dietary restriction can maintain the homeostasis of mitochondrial CD4+ T cells and reduce immunosuppressive mechanisms. The study focuses on the purine metabolism, whose regulatory influence on immunosuppression after stroke is to be deciphered. The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene is looking forward to a successful collaboration.

28.10.2020
With reference to the status of Prof. Sucharit Bhakdi (Kiel) as "Emeritus" of the Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) we would like to point out that since the 1st of September 1978, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate has not granted emeritus positions to its professors. Therefore, Prof. Bhakdi is a retired professor and was not granted membership rights to the JGU and its University Medical School upon his retirement. His views regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, which we consider misleading, if not wrong, are not in accordance with the views of the University Medical Centre Mainz and the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene. Thus we distance ourselves on crucial points from the views held by Prof. Bhakdi. If further questions arise, we would thank you to contact the Corporate Communication Department at pr@unimedizin-mainz.de.

31.07.2020
The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Guilhermina Carriche on her publication in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Carriche et al, J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2020, Regulating T-cell differentiation through the polyamine spermidine. The study showed that polyamines modulate CD4+ T-cell differentiation in vitro and promote the differentiation of CD4+ T-cells into a regulatory phenotype with anti-inflammatory properties. It has also been confirmed in a mouse model that supplementation with polyamines promotes immunological balance and reduces the pathology of inflammatory colitis.

24.07.2020
Dr. rer. nat. Luciana Berod was appointed Professor for Immunomodulation at the University of Mainz on July 24th, 2020. The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates her very warmly. Her research group, which is affiliated to the Institute of Molecular Medicine, will work closely with our institute, so we are looking forward to a good cooperation.

20.07.2020
On July 22nd, 2020 we received a visit from the Argentinean ambassador, Mr. Pedro Villagra Delgado, who informed himself about the German-Argentinean activities of the IMMH in the field of research and teaching. We felt very honored about his visit.

09.07.2020
Martin Dennebaum, M.D., was appointed as senior physician on 01.04.2020. The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates him warmly.

07.07.2020
Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Tim Sparwasser was elected as member of the "Senate Committee on Internationalization" by the Senate of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz during its meeting in May 2020. The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates him warmly on this appointment.

15.06.2020
We congratulate Panagiota Mamareli on her recent publication:  Mamareli et al. Mucosal Immunol. 2020. Targeting cellular fatty acid synthesis limits T helper and innate lymphoid cell function during intestinal inflammation and infection.
The study proposes pharmacological targeting of ACC1, a key enzyme that controls fatty acid synthesis (FAS) within cells, as an effective approach to minimize infection-mediated intestinal inflammation by interfering with the early expansion of pro-inflammatory Th1 and Th17 lymphocytes. Furthermore, her data gives an insight in the metabolic regulation of innate type 3 lymphocytes, which produce the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-22, revealing an important role of ACC1-mediated lipogenesis for their function. The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Mucosal Immunology.

20.04.2020
On April 14, 2020, subproject 18 "Inhibition of tumor-associated regulatory T cells by microbial metabolites" under the direction of Prof. Dr. med. Tim Sparwasser was approved within the framework of the SFB 1292 "Targeted influence of converging mechanisms of inefficient immunity in tumor diseases and chronic infections". The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates him warmly.

23.03.2020
Statement on videos of the retired professor of the IMMH circulating on the Internet:
Mr. Bhakdi retired in 2012. In Germany, there are numerous active, proven experts in infection epidemiology, such as at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). As a citizen, Mr. Bhakdi has of course the right to express his own opinion. However, this opinion is in no way, and we attach great importance to this, coordinated with the University Medical Center Mainz.

01.11.2019
Prof. Dr. med. Sparwasser was elected as German representative of the IUIS Council at the 17th International Congress of Immunology in Beijing, organized by the IUIS https://iuis2019.org/general-information/about-iuis/ (International Umbrella Organization of Immunologists). The Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates him warmly.

10.06.2019
On 31.05.2019 the project B08N "Modulation of inflammatory skin disease by blocking metabolic checkpoints" under the leadership of Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Tim Sparwasser was approved as part of the Collaborative Research Center Transregio 156 "The Skin as Sensor and Effector Organ Orchestrating Local and Systemic Immune Responses". The Medical Institute for Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates him warmly.