The impact of age-related changes in haematopoiesis on the skin immune network

• Applicant: Dr. Elena Winheim
• Subject Area: Immunology ; Bioinformatics and Theoretical Biology ; Dermatology ; Developmental Biology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 550048896

The human skin is the largest immune organ and forms a dynamic immunological border with the external environment. My proposed research aims to unravel the ongoing dynamic coordination between haematopoiesis and human skin across the entire human lifespan. First, I will generate a single-cell multi-omics atlas of prenatal, paediatric, and adult skin, encompassing scRNA transcriptome, spatial transcriptomics and epigenetic information using ATAC sequencing. By systematically analysing the skin immune network across the human lifespan, my project seeks to uncover novel developmental stages, spatial distribution and functions of immune cells within the skin .Next, I will integrate the skin atlas with data from hematopoietic organs from fetuses and adults and investigate how changes in haematopoiesis impact the composition and function of immune cells in the skin throughout the human lifespan. I will determine the temporal nature of aging in the hematopoietic compartment in relation to the barrier tissue skin and identify shared and distinct aging-related signatures. The proposed work will therefore provide valuable insights into how age-related changes in haematopoiesis affect the immune compartment within the skin. Ultimately, this research will shed light on aging signatures in immune cells across different tissues and contribute to our understanding of immune cell maturation and immune cell recruitment into peripheral tissue, thereby providing biological significant insights with translational relevance for age associated skin and immune diseases.

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: United Kingdom
• Host: Professorin Dr. Muzlifah Haniffa