Contact information
Laboratory Tumorgenetics and Immunology
TRIO Research Center
University of Cologne
Robert-Koch-Straße 21
50931 Cologne
CV
Academic education
| 2003 - 2007 | Doctoral Studies at the Clinic I of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Laboratory of Tumor Genetics and Immunology (Supervisor: Prof. H. Abken und Prof. T. Langer) |
| 1997 - 2003 | Studies in Biology at the University of Cologne, external Diploma Thesis at the Clinic I of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Laboratory of Tumor Genetics and Immunology (Supervisor: Prof. H. Abken und Prof. T. Langer) |
Scientific degrees
| 05/2020 | Priv.-Dozent (habilitation in Molecular Medicine) |
| 06/2007 | PhD (Dr.rer.nat.) |
| 09/2003 | Diploma (Biology) |
Scientific career
| 2020 – present | Principal Investigator at the University Hospital Cologne (director Prof. M. Hallek), CMMC, AG Chmielewski |
| 2019 - 2020 | Research associate at the University Hospital Cologne (director Prof. M. Hallek), Laboratory of Tumor Genetics and Immunology (Dr. Andreas Hombach) |
| 2015 - 2018 | Guest Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research (Prof. J. Brüning) |
| 2007 - 2018 | Postdoctoral research associate at the University Hospital Cologne (director Prof. M. Hallek), Laboratory of Tumor Genetics and Immunology (Prof. H. Abken) |
Publications
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Bridge over troubled cells: bone marrow stromal cells transfer mitochondria to boost T cells
In an article published in Cell in September 2024, Baldwin and colleagues present a bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) based mitochondrial transfer platform to combat mitochondrial dysfunction or scarcity in human T cells ex-vivo. This thorough and methodically diverse investigation results in a…
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CSF1R+ myeloid-monocytic cells drive CAR-T cell resistance in aggressive B cell lymphoma
Despite the improvement, approximately 60% of patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) aggressive B cell lymphoma (B-NHL) do not achieve durable benefit from CAR-T cell therapy. To elucidate factors associated with CAR-T therapy resistance, we conducted high-dimensional analyses of pre- and…
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An anti-CD19/CTLA-4 switch improves efficacy and selectivity of CAR T cells targeting CD80/86-upregulated DLBCL
himeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapy is a potent treatment for relapsed/refractory (r/r) B cell lymphomas but provides lasting remissions in only ∼40% of patients and is associated with serious adverse events. We identify an upregulation of CD80 and/or CD86 in tumor tissue of (r/r)…
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Distinct Genetically Determined Origins of Myd88/BCL2-Driven Aggressive Lymphoma Rationalize Targeted Therapeutic Intervention Strategies
Genomic profiling revealed the identity of at least 5 subtypes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), including the MCD/C5 cluster characterized by aberrations in MYD88, BCL2, PRDM1, and/or SPIB. We generated mouse models harboring B cell–specific Prdm1 or Spib aberrations on the background of…
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Regulatory CAR-T cells in autoimmune diseases: Progress and current challenges
CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptor) T-cell therapy has revolutionized the field of oncology in recent years. This innovative shift in cancer treatment also provides the opportunity to improve therapies for many patients suffering from various autoimmune diseases. Recent studies have confirmed the…
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Sustainable Clinical Development of CAR-T Cells – Switching From Viral Transduction Towards CRISPR-Cas Gene Editing
T cells modified for expression of Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) were the first gene-modified cell products approved for use in cancer immunotherapy. CAR-T cells engineered with gammaretroviral or lentiviral vectors (RVs/LVs) targeting B-cell lymphomas and leukemias have shown excellent clinical…
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Noncanonical effector functions of the T-memory-like T-PLL cell are shaped by cooperative TCL1A and TCR signaling
T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is a poor-prognostic neoplasm. Differentiation stage and immune-effector functions of the underlying tumor cell are insufficiently characterized. Constitutive activation of the T-cell leukemia 1A (TCL1A) oncogene distinguishes the (pre)leukemic cell from…