IMM-PACT: Uncovering Common Principles of Immune-Mediated Diseases: from Basic Science to New Therapies

IMM-PACT Clinician Scientist Program

IMM-PACT: “Targeting common principles of immune mediated disease: from basic science to novel therapies” is a Clinician Scientist Program funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) since 2018.

The three-year structured qualification program offers young doctors optimal conditions for combining a scientific and clinical career in Freiburg’s University Medicine.

Scientific Research Program:

The scientific projects focus on immunology, an innovative and interdisciplinary field with clinically relevant implications for almost all medical specialties. A better understanding of the basic immunological mechanisms and their role in the pathogenesis of various diseases is crucial for the development of new and the optimization of current immunotherapeutic approaches.

Management Training Program

A professional leadership training program is offered as part of the IMM-PACT Programme. This is intended to equip clinician scientists with leadership skills through courses and lectures, which, in addition to analytical and clinical skills, can determine success or failure in university medicine.

IMM-PACT is based on three main components:

an excellent scientific research program (which includes protected time for research),
a continuous mentoring and structured qualification program,
an innovative leadership training program.

Mentoring and Qualification Program

As part of the IMM-PACT Programme, an individualized course program for key scientific qualifications and interdisciplinary skills is offered. In addition, the funded clinician scientists take part in interdisciplinary seminars, meetings, symposia and translational clinical conferences. In addition, they benefit from continuous mentoring by individually selected IMM-PACT mentors who are optimally tailored to the mentee and their goals.

Course Curriculum on Leadership in Science

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Dr. Mark Colin Gissler

Department of Cardiology and Angiology

Therapeutic immunomodulation of atherosclerosis by ApoBmRNA vaccination

Dr. Marius Schwabenland

Institute of Neuropathology

Die räumliche und hochdimensionale CyTOF-basierte Untersuchung des myeloischen Kompartiments bei diffusen Mittelliniengliomen

Dr. Sarolta Bojtiné Kovács

Department of Internal Medicine I

Targeted inhibition of activated leukocyte transmigration in inflammation driven hematological diseases

Dr. Martin Diebold

Institute of Neuropathology

An innate immune cell map of multiple sclerosis lesions by integration of spatial and epitope-linked transcriptomics to understand pathophysiology

Dr. Rafael Käser

Department of Internal Medicine II

Determinants of immunopathogenesis in peripheral blood, fat and liver tissues in obese patients with and without metabolic liver disease

Dr. Anne Kathrin Lößlein

Institute for Microbiology and Hygiene

Role of monocyte progenitors in granulomatous inflammation

Dr. Jost Lünstedt

Department of General and Visceral Surgery

Investigation of molecular, cellular and immunological variations after resecting liver metastasis of CMS 1-4 colorectal cancers

Dr. Lena Sophie Mayer

Department of Internal Medicine II

Common pathomechanisms in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Checkpoint-inhibitor induced colitis

PD Dr. Ilinca Popp

Department of Radiation Oncology

Understanding pseudo-progression and radiation necrosis after cerebral irradiation – predictors of inflammation and immune biomarkers

Dr. Clara Unger

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

The prostate specific membrane antigen in gynecological malignancies

Dr. Alexander von Ehr

Department of Cardiology and Angiology

Functional relevance of resident arterial macrophages in atherogenesis

Dr. Oliver Philipp Wegehaupt

Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology

Molecular mechanisms of impaired lymphocyte cytotoxicity in GATA2 deficiency

Dr. Tarek Badr

Institute for Microbiology and Hygiene

The role of mitochondrial modulation in innate immunity and tumorigenesis during helicobacter pylori infection

Dr. Dr. Marco Fischer

Institute of Immunodeficiency

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis as a model to understand factors regulating T-cell exhaustion

Dr. Mirjam Freudenhammer

Department of General Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine and Neonatology

Postnatal development of natural immunity to intestinal streptococci

Dr. Dr. Nikolaos Karantzelis

Department of Medicine I

The Malignant Niche in MPN : Parathyroid hormone, osteoblasts and calci um homeostasis

Julia Lang-Meli

Department of Internal Medicine II

HLA-dependent and antigen dependent phenotypical and functional differences of HBV-specific CD8+ T cells in patients with chronic HBV infection

Dr. Stephan Rosshart

Department of Internal Medicine II

Utilizing a top-down systems analysis of wildlings to decipher the pathophysiological landscape of sepsis for the identification of novel immunological treatment targets

PD Dr. Alexander Rühle

Department of Radiation Oncology

lnterplay between mesenchymal stem cells and immune cells in the mediation of radiation effects to tumors and normal tissues in head-and-neck cancer

Dr. Marina Rieder (geb. Bäuml)

UHZ, Department of Cardiology and Angiology

Plaque attack

Dr. Dr. Christopher Berlin

Department of General and Visceral Surgery

The novel lysine methyltransferase KMT9 diversely controls tumorigenesis in colorectal cancer

Dr. Benedikt Binder

Department of Internal Medicine II

Dysfunktion unkonventioneller T-Zellen im Kontext fortgeschrittener fibrosierender Lebererkrankungen

Dr. Linda Gräßel

Department of Internal Medicine I

Impact of CD30-mediated immune response in T-cell lymphomas

Dr. Oktay Kirak

Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology

New lnsights into Treg Biology through deconstructive SCNT

Dr. Dr. Florens Lohrmann

Department of General Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine and Neonatology

Homeostasis of dermal macrophages in the context of mvcobacterial infections

PD Dr. Hendrik Luxenburger

Department of Internal Medicine II

Charakterisierung virus-spezifischer CD8+ T-Zellen bei akuten und chronischen Infektionen mit dem Hepatitis-C-Virus

Dr. Jakob Wollborn

Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care

Inflammation and Endothelial Dysfunction in Critically Ill

IMM-PACT Symposia

IMM-PACT Scientific Symposium 2025

IMM-PACT Scientific Symposium 2023

The IMM-PACT Programme for Clinician Scientists convened the Scientific Symposium “Novel Technologies, Targets and Therapies in Immune-mediated Diseases,” on May 12th, 2023. Researchers at all career stages, engaged in the study of immune-mediated diseases at the Medical Center of the University of Freiburg, the Faculty of Medicine, and other research institutions, participated in this event. The organizing team facilitated a one-day conference featuring presentations by national and international experts in the field. Moreover, the IMM-PACT Clinician Scientists presented their research findings in talks, posters, and lightning talks. It was a productive day with fruitful and multifaceted sessions, numerous esteemed speakers, opportunities for networking and around 100 (registered) attendees.

Speakers

Lukas AMANN (Freiburg, Germany)
Tobias FEUCHTINGER (Munich, Germany)
Anetta HÄRTLOVA (Gothenburg, Sweden)
Dieter Henrik HEILAND (Freiburg, Germany)
Lukas JEKER (Basel, Switzerland)
Julia LANG-MELI (Freiburg, Germany)
Verena LENTSCH (Zurich, Switzerland)
Jost LÜNSTEDT (Freiburg, Germany)
Susana MINGUET (Freiburg, Germany)
Anne-Katrin PRÖBSTEL (Basel, Switzerland)
Oskar STAUFER (Bristol, UK)
Gabor SZABÓ (Mainz, Germany)
Christoph THAISS (Philadelphia, USA)
Janaki Manoja VINNAKOTA (Freiburg, Germany)

The full programme is available

Here

IMM-PACT Scientific Symposium 2021

The IMM-PACT-Programme for Clinician Scientists organised the Scientific Online Symposium “Clinical Perspectives in Immunology: From Bench to Bedside” on 30 March 2021. It was attended by researchers of all career stages working in the field of immune-mediated diseases at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg, the Faculty of Medicine and other research institutions.

Next to well-known and established scientists, the IMM-PACT Clinician Scientists presented their research results in talks, posters and lightning talks.

It was a great day with interesting and multifaceted sessions, many amazing speakers and almost 120 participants.

You can have a look at the programme.

Here

Impressions from the Online-Symposium:

Contact

Dr. Susanne Kamphausen

Programme Coordination IMM-PACT

Prof. Dr. Robert Thimme

Programme Spokesperson

Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical Center – University of Freiburg