Vienna ImmunoLectures

Nina Pilat-Michalek received her doctorate in genetics and microbiology from the Medical University of Vienna in 2009, having conducted her PhD research on regulatory T cells in transplantation tolerance at the Medical University of Vienna's Department of Surgery. She further pursued her work as a post-doc at the Medical University of Vienna, before completing yet another postdoctoral research fellowship in the renowned Immunology Program at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia. She subsequently became an Associate Professor and Junior Principal Investigator at the Medical University of Vienna's University Clinic for General Surgery. Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Immunology at the Department of Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Aortic Surgery and leads her own research group at the Center for Biomedical Research and Translational Surgery. Beyond her primary research activities, she holds several leadership positions in the transplant community. She is currently a Councillor of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) and Past Chair of its Basic Science Committee, Vice-president of the Austrian Society for Surgical Research, board member the Austrian Society for Transplantation, and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Transplant International.

About Nina's research: Prof. Pilat-Michalek's lab combines basic science with clinical research to understand immunological tolerance, with a primary focus on transplantation immunology. With more than 15 years of experience in the field, her research investigates the role and potency of regulatory T cell (Treg) therapies in inducing and maintaining transplantation tolerance to improve patient and graft survival. Her team utilizes murine models to explore mechanisms of IL-2 complex- induced tolerance and tolerance through mixed chimerism. In a clinical-translational approach, she also examines primary cardiac graft quality and seeks to improve current preservation strategies by assessing the effects of pulsatile machine perfusion on donor heart function. Additionally, her tumor immunology research focuses on characterizing immune-cell infiltrates to develop novel immunotherapies, specifically investigating the role of γδ T cells in the colorectal cancer microenvironment and the mechanisms of autologous tumor vaccines for treating renal cell carcinoma.

More info: https://rpt.meduniwien.ac.at/en/research/research-groups/nina-pilat-phd/

Klaus Schmetterer studied Molecular Biology at the University of Vienna and Human Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna. He joined the laboratory of Dr. Winfried Pickl at the Medical University of Vienna's Institute of Immunology for both his master's and PhD thesis work, where he investigated the mechanisms underlying CD4+ T cell responses with focus on Treg. He earned his MD in 2010 and his PhD in Molecular Biology in 2011. Following an initial residency in Immunology, he completed a residency in Laboratory Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna between 2012 and 2018. Concurrently, he established his research group in cellular and molecular immunology. He obtained his Venia docendi in Laboratory Medicine in 2017 and completed a guest scientist tenure at the University Clinics Regensburg in Germany in 2021. Since 2021, he holds a tenure-track position as an Associate Professor at the Medical University of Vienna. As a principal investigator, he has secured funding from the FWF (Austrian Science Fund), including grants to study TRAT1 expression in CD4+ T-cells and the role of protein sulfation in CD8+ T-cells.

About Klaus’s research: The immune system is a highly regulated network wherein T- lymphocytes play central roles in both promoting pathogen and cancer clearance, and down-regulating overshooting or aberrant immune responses via regulatory T-cells (Tregs). Prof Schmetterer’s lab focuses on understanding and manipulating the processes involved in the regulation of T-cell responses, primarily focusing on CD4+ effector and regulatory T-cells. His group aims to define previously uncharacterized transcription factors and signaling pathways that shape the phenotype and function of these cells. The laboratory studies highly purified human T-cells from healthy donors and patients with gene defects by combining proteomics and transcriptomic screenings with biochemical and metabolic assays. Additionally, his team utilizes genome engineering tools, such as CRISPR-knockout in primary human T-cells, to modulate signals in effector T-cells. Ultimately, these studies seek to identify novel targets for the improvement of immunosuppressive therapies and the enhancement of adoptive tumor immunotherapies.

More info:

https://labormedizin.meduniwien.ac.at/forschung/forschungsgruppen/schmetterer-group/