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UNIVERSITATSKLINIKUM ERLANGEN (UKER)

Erlangen, Germany

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The University Hospital of Erlangen (Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, UKER), founded in 1815, has evolved into one of Germany's top clinics with a world-class reputation. UKER is renowned for its strong research focus, which particularly applies to the field of immunomedicine.

The research of the Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene of the UKER focuses on host-pathogen interactions and immunity to infectious diseases. The research group of Dr. Kilian Schober specializes in understanding and engineering human T cell immunity. In recent years, the group has employed cutting-edge technologies to elucidate human antigen-specific T cell responses, e.g. following vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 and yellow fever virus (YFV).

Within the YELLOW4FLAVI consortium, the group will contribute its expertise in T cell engineering, T cell epitope discovery and T cell metabolism in order to investigate the differences in T-cell responses against the yellow fever vaccine in comparison to other flavivirus vaccines or infections (such as Dengue or Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus). The ultimate goal is to develop strategies to improve or newly design vaccines for those flaviviruses, for which no effective or no vaccines at all exist, respectively.

Project Team

Project tasks

Work Package 2 Identification of host factors that predict and influence the vaccine response to YF17D

  • Task 2.1. Recruiting and collecting samples from new European cohorts vaccinated with YF17D

Work Package 3 Lead: Long‐term protective memory response after vaccination

  • Task 3.1. Analysis of number, phenotype, epitope-specificity and B cell receptor repertoire profile of YFV and TBE memory B cells

  • Task 3.3. Lead: Identification of T cell epitope immunodominance of the memory compartment

  • Task 3.4. Lead: Phenotypic, metabolic and functional analysis of memory T cells

Work Package 4 Initiation of the immune response and presentation of viral antigens

  • Task 4.3. Define the antigen source and explain the mechanism of antigen transfer from infected stromal cells to DCs for presentation to YFV-specific T cells

  • Task 4.4. Induction of Tfh cell differentiation by YF17D-exposed DCs

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