EXC 2151:  ImmunoSensation3 - the immune sensory system: from Immune Diversity to precision medicine

• Subject Area: Microbiology, Virology and Immunology ; Basic Research in Biology and Medicine ; Medicine
• Term: since 2019
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 390873048

Immunology is fundamental to human health and thus highly relevant to society. ImmunoSensation has become an internationally visible immunological center with strong collaborative ties to leading institutions worldwide and has made numerous contributions to immunology, particularly innate immunity. Its innovative scientific concept of the immune system as a sensory system is now an accepted paradigm and immune sensing a widely used term. Although this core scientific concept continues to answer important questions, ImmunoSensation3 will now focus on an emerging, fundamental challenge in immunology: the implications of Immune Diversity. Immune Diversity incorporates variations in the immune response at all scales resulting from genetic, epigenetic, environmental, lifestyle, aging, and other factors, and it is one of the decisive features of a robust immune defense at the population level. It is also reflected in defined immunotypes with important prognostic value. Thus, unravelling Immune Diversity from the molecular to the population level has great potential to improve risk prediction, prevent disease and enable tailored therapies. ImmunoSensation3 is determined to realize this translational potential. The research program is designed to i) understand the molecular and functional mechanisms underlying Immune Diversity, ii) characterize the regulatory networks allowing the maintenance of immune homeostasis under various genetic backgrounds and environmental exposures, iii) develop markers for the identification of individuals at risk for specific immune-related diseases, iv) provide recommendations for lifestyle and v) engineer molecular tools for risk-adjusted prevention and treatment. This research environment is further strengthened by the Advanced Technologies platform and Competence Hubs, new structures which coordinate key expertise in: Spatial Immunobiology, Functional Immunoge-nomics, Immunotyping and Swarm Learning. The new research program places particular emphasis on the development of Human Immune Models allowing the rapid testing of hypotheses to further characterize human Immune Diversity and reduce and replace animal models. A new Clinical Immunology Board will bring together Cluster scientists and clinicians to foster the exchange of ideas and bench-to-bedside clinical research. The scientific and translational goals of ImmunoSensation3 are supported by our efforts to attract the best academic talent through a global training network for the next generation of international immunoscientists. Structural goals include participative approaches, such as the involvement of patient advocacy groups, transparent sharing of data and knowledge, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels. Based on its scientific achievements and innovative conceptual development, ImmunoSensation3 is ideally positioned to achieve its ambitious goals to enhance the health of the diverse individuals of our world.

• DFG Programme: Clusters of Excellence (ExStra)
• Applicant Institution: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
• Participating Institution: Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE)
• Spokespersons: Professor Dr. Gunther Hartmann; Professor Dr. Andreas Schlitzer; Professorin Dr. Anja Schneider
• Participating Researchers: Professorin Dr. Zeinab Abdullah; Dr. Anna Aschenbrenner; Professorin Dr. Eva Bartok; Professor Dr. Rayk Behrendt; Professor Dr. Kaan Boztug; Professorin Dr. Monique M. B. Breteler, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Matthias Geyer; Professor Dr.-Ing. Jan Hasenauer; Professor Dr. Michael Hölzel; Professor Dr. Hiroki Kato; Professor Dr. Christian Kurts; Professorin Dr. Kerstin Ludwig; Professorin Dr. Elvira Mass; Professor Dr. Felix Meissner; Professor Dr. Mihai G. Netea; Professorin Dr. Anne-Katrin Pröbstel; Professorin Dr. Carmen Ruiz de Almodóvar Egea; Professor Dr. Florian Ingo Schmidt; Professor Dr. Joachim L. Schultze; Professorin Dr. Roxane Tussiwand, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr. Dagmar Wachten; Professor Christoph Wilhelm, Ph.D.