SFB 1755:  CASCAID - Cellular and Systems Control of Autoimmune Disease

• Subject Area: Medicine ; Computer Science, Systems and Electrical Engineering
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 550296805

“Cellular and Systems Control of Autoimmune Disease” (CASCAID) is a pioneering research programme dedicated to developing strategies for sustained drug-free remission in autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, with the ultimate goal of finding a way to cure these diseases. Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and inflammatory bowel disease present a significant clinical challenge due to their chronic, non-resolving nature that necessitates lifelong immunosuppression. These conditions follow a characteristic pattern of repeated inflammatory flares and relapses, leading to the accrual of tissue damage and progressive organ dysfunction. Current treatment strategies, such as inhibitors of inflammatory cytokines TNFα (used in arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease), type 1 interferon (used in systemic lupus erythematosus) or interleukin-23 (IL-23) (used in inflammatory bowel disease) reduce inflammation but all fail to achieve sustained disease eradication. This therapeutic limitation suggests the existence of dysregulated immune cell networks deeply embedded within the affected tissues that maintain a persistent pro-inflammatory state and limit the success to induce stable-drug-free remission. CASCAID aims to identify and characterise these dysregulated networks by building on (i) the strength of the consortium in clinical immunology and (ii) the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic methodologies in autoimmune diseases. Specifically, at its core, CASCAID will bridge translational preclinical and clinical research by leveraging molecularly characterised large patient cohorts (arthritis, lupus erythematosus, and inflammatory bowel disease), human tissue samples (from joint synovium, lymph nodes and intestinal mucosa) and cutting-edge tissue profiling approaches (tissue CyTOF, spatial transcriptomics and multi-scale tissue microscopy). Within the theoretical framework of CASCAID, consortium members have already successfully developed novel treatment strategies in each disease area, including T cell engagers for rheumatoid arthritis, CD19 CAR T cells for lupus erythematosus, and regulatory T cells for inflammatory bowel disease. These treatments disrupt pathological immune networks and push therapeutic limits towards drug-free remission. By studying these interventions, CASCAID will elucidate the cellular and systems-level mechanisms in the tissues that control sustained drug-free remission, potentially transforming our approach to autoimmune disease management.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Current projects

• TP01 - Long-term remission of autoimmune diseases by B cell directed CD19 CAR-T cell therapy (Project Heads Bozec, Ph.D., Aline ;  Taubmann, Jule )
• TP02 - Resolution of inflammation by B cell directed CAR T cell therapy (Project Heads Müller, Fabian ;  Schett, Georg )
• TP03 - Understanding IVIg triggered checkpoints leading to remission of autoimmune inflammation (Project Head Nimmerjahn, Falk )
• TP04 - Tissue-level determinants of macrophage polarisation and histological healing (Project Heads Blumenthal, David B. ;  Uderhardt, Stefan )
• TP05 - Checkpoints of T cell tissue egress promoting remission in inflammatory bowel disease (Project Heads Voskens, Caroline J. ;  Zundler, Sebastian )
• TP06 - Changes in lymph node stromal cells by B cell depleting therapies in resolution of inflammation (Project Head Raimondo, Maria Gabriella )
• TP07 - Systemic neutrophil imbalances as indicator and mediator of treatment resistance (Project Heads Grieshaber-Bouyer, Ricardo ;  Steffen, Ulrike )
• TP08 - Mechanisms of CD19+ B cell mediated tissue remodelling as checkpoints in autoimmune- fibrosing disorders such as systemic sclerosis (Project Head Bergmann, Christina )
• TP09 - Characterisation of molecular resistance mechanisms against biological therapies in inflammatory bowel diseases (Project Head Atreya, Raja )
• TP10 - Mechanisms of how acetylated proteins contribute to rheumatoid arthritis progression and relapse (Project Head Zaiss, Mario M. )
• TP11 - Unravelling the role of ACOD1 in gut microbiota-driven relapse mechanisms of rheumatoid arthritis (Project Heads Bozec, Ph.D., Aline ;  Günther, Claudia )
• TP12 - Functional role of TNF- and TNFR-superfamily members in treatment-refractory inflammatory bowel diseases (Project Heads Neurath, Markus F. ;  Weigmann, Benno )
• TP13 - The role of T cell responses in the persistence of systemic inflammation and treatment failure in inflammatory bowel disease (Project Heads Nganou Makamdop, Christiane Krystelle ;  Schober, Kilian )
• TP14 - Impact of a natural microbiota on gut inflammation and therapy response in IBD (Project Heads Becker, Christoph ;  Rosshart, Stephan Patrick )
• TP15 - Fibroblast signatures associated with relapse of arthritis (Project Heads Ramming, Andreas ;  Rauber, Simon )
• WIKO - IMMUNOVERSE: Designing and evaluating a metaversal playground for science communication (Project Heads Jeleazcov, Sandra ;  Morschheuser, Benedikt )
• Z01 - Integrative tissue profiling, omics data analysis support, and FAIR data management (Project Heads Blumenthal, David B. ;  Gupta, Pooja ;  Uderhardt, Stefan )
• Z02 - Central tasks of the CRC1755 CASCAID (Project Head Schett, Georg )

• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Participating University: Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Georg Schett