CD4+ T cells are key regulators of host-defense against pathogens, more recent studies by our group have shown that CD4+ T cells importantly regulate tissue (re)generation in humans. During the lifespan the immune system faces time-window dependent challenges characterized by changes in microbial and virus exposure and tissue growth, resulting in an increased risk of infectious and immune-mediated diseases e.g. early in life and adolescence, especially upon exposure to infectious, metabolic or endocrine stressors.
In this project the role of endocrine dysregulation in disruption of fetal organ immune development through epigenetic modifications and subsequent susceptibility of inflammatory bowel disease are investigated. The studies build on analyses of observational studies including several single cell omics and computational analyses and innovative human intestinal tissue-based organoid systems to decipher the molecular interactions between immune cells and parenchymal cells in tissue (re) generation and inflammation.
The goal is to understand critical developmental programs regulating intestinal immune development and identify pathways that can be targeted to restore tissue homeostasis.
Your tasks:
- Experimental studies of intestinal organoid systems and immune cells, including planning of experimental design, experiments, documentation and statistical analysis of results; interpretation, discussion and presentation of results
- Computational analyses of high dimensional data, including flow cytometry, scRNAseq and spatial transcriptomics
- Scientific publishing, presentation at international conferences, communitty outreach
