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Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation³

A new phase of excellence

The immune system evolves. And so do we. 

ImmunoSensation3 begins its new funding phase, building on past discoveries to explore immune diversity across scales. As a dynamic system, the immune system’s structures, functions and dynamics depend on genetic and environmental influences, lifestyle, gender, previous illnesses and age. These influences are reflected at the molecular, the cellular and the systemic level of the body. The resulting constant change and natural diversity of the immune system is referred to as immune diversity. 

Immune diversity forms the basis for the adaptive performance of the immune system and enables an individual immune response to pathogens or tissue damage, as occurs in connection with Alzheimer's, cancer, heart attacks or rheumatism. The aim of ImmunoSensation3 is to better understand the variability of the immune system in order to enable individualized and precise approaches for diagnostics, prevention and therapy.

ImmunoSensation3 is a Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). We address the immune system as a sensory organ for health, which we term the immune sensory system. We are immunologists, neurobiologists, systems biologists, biochemists, biophysicists and mathematicians from the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Bonn, the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) of the Helmholtz Association.

Founded in 2012, ImmunoSensation is currently in its fifteenth year of funding. We will continue to pursue our mission of innovative science in immunology. Further, we link immunology to other systems, such as the metabolic system and the nervous system. Ultimately, we want to better understand the intimate connection between the immune sensory system and human health and disease.

Members & Publications


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Publications

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News

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Publication

Instructions for building antibodies decoded

—MOG Antibody-associated Disease (MOGAD) is a rare autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. The blood of patients contains antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), a protein in the myelin layer that surrounds the neurons in the brain. It is believed that these antibodies contribute to the destruction of this protective layer in the brain. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the Universities of Basel and Bonn, in collaboration with an international team, have now deciphered the construction plan of the anti-MOG antibodies.
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Publication

A fatal mix-up: how certain gut bacteria drive multiple sclerosis

—If gut bacteria are too similar to the protective layer of nerves, they can misdirect the immune system and cause it to attack its own nervous system. This mechanism can accelerate the progression of multiple sclerosis, as researchers at the University of Basel, together with colleagues in Bonn, have shown in trials with mice. However, their results also open up opportunities for treatments that make use of the microbiome. The results have now been published in the journal Gut Microbes.
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Publication

New vulnerability of asthma immune cells discovered

—Why do certain immune cells remain permanently active in allergic asthma – even in an environment that should actually damage them? A team from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn has discovered that these cells only survive because they activate a special antioxidant protection mechanism. When this mechanism is blocked, allergic inflammation in mouse models decreases significantly. The results have now been published in the scientific journal Immunity.
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Upcoming events

  • Workshop Online

    SciCom Focus: Video

     –

    online (zoom)

    The "SciCom Workshop Series" equips PhD students and postdocs with practical tools to present their work clearly and confidently across formats: writing and media to stage and video.

Events overview

Insights

Immunosensation 360°

Follow us on a virtual tour into the institutes and laboratories of ImmunoSensation3!

The 360° experience allows you to embark on an exciting journey, exploring the diversity of immunological research performed at ImmunoSensation2. Let our scientists guide you through the sites of scientific excellence and introduce you to the amazing world of the immune system.

Multimedia report "Beyond the Boundaries"

In our multimedia report "Beyond the boundaries" we introduce some of our outstanding group leaders. We take a closer look on their scientific work and their career paths within ImmunoSensation3, highlighting their innovative research approaches as well as the excellent research environment at the University of Bonn.

 

The report introduces