Immunology

In the research area Immunology we focus on the description and research of the human adaptive immune system.The human adaptive immune system plays a vital role in the detection of potential pathogens, diseases that are difficult or impossible to cure, such as various types of cancer and autoimmune diseases. We also rely on the functionality of our immune system during transplantation processes.One of the main tasks here is the identification and description of the components and signal pathways which lead to a specific immune reaction or which differ in diseased and supposedly healthy individuals. This makes an important contribution to the explainability of various diseases and the development of new, innovative therapies.The latest technologies in molecular biology generate large amounts of data that have to be analyzed efficiently. We here mainly deal with the analysis of genetic data. This includes the analysis of gene expressions, database analyses and the identification of mutations. The main focus is on diseases such as leukemia, but also organ rejection reactions and infectionswith various pathogens such as Helicobacter pylori.Since 2012, we have been developing the ImmunExplorer software, which enables algorithms for the analysis of the human immune repertoire, the immunoglobulins and T-cell receptors, from blood and tissue data. An extensive expansion and continuation of ImmunExplorer, namely ImmunoDataAnalyzer, will be published soon in 2020. In close cooperation with our partners at MedUni Vienna, AKH Vienna, University of Salzburg and the Hospital of the Barmherzigen BrĂ¼der we strive to advance the research area and intensify national and international cooperation.

 

 

Selected Publications

2021 Constantin Aschauer, Kira Jelencsics, Karin Hu, Andreas Heinzel, Mariella Gloria Gregorich, Julia Vetter, Susanne Schaller, Stephan Winkler, Johannes Weinberger, Lisabeth Pimenov, Guido A. Gualdoni, Michael Eder, Alexander Kainz, Anna Regina Tröscher, Heinz Regele, Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer, Thomas Wekerle, Johannes Bernhard Huppa, Megan Sykes, Rainer Oberbauer: Prospective tracking of donor-reactive T-cell clones in the circulation and rejecting human kidney allografts Frontiers in Immunology, section Alloimmunity and Transplantation
2019 Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer, Julia Vetter, Johannes Weinberger, Susanne Schaller, Andreas Heinzel, Guido Gualdoni, Constantin Aschauer, Kira Jelencsics, Karin Hu, Stephan M. Winkler, and Rainer Oberbauer: T-Cell Repertoire of Tissue Infiltrating T-cells at Time of Rejection American Transplant Congress 2019

Selected Projects

LeukImmun

The goal within the LeukImmun project is to identify immunological factors that are relevant for the development and therapy of different types of leukemia. Initial data are next generation sequencing (NGS) data of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and measurements of cytokines and chemokines in serum and plasma of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The development of algorithms and pipelines and a close cooperation with biological and medical researchers are important for understanding the development of leukemia, optimizing treatment strategies, and defining new therapy approaches for leukemia. We aim to develop exactly those algorithms so that crucial factors for the progress and therapy of leukemia and interactions between these factors are identified, leading to better and more patient-centred treatment.


Head

Prof.(FH) PD DI Dr. Stephan Winkler

Researchers

Prof.(FH) PD DI Dr. Stephan Winkler

Julia Vetter MSc

Susanne Schaller MMSc

Duration

2019 - 2023

Research Areas

Immunology

Research Institutions

University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Hagenberg, Austria

University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

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