Translational Immunology
Birgit Sawitzki
The Sawitzki lab investigates the molecular mechanisms of immune cell activation and tolerance induction, in order to better understand why components of the immune response themselves become a trigger of destructive inflammatory reactions, like e.g. in the context of autoimmune diseases, rejection reactions after organ transplantation or COVID19 diseases.
Research focus
To gain fundamental insights into molecular control mechanisms of immune cell activation and immune tolerance, we analyse the mode of action of immune cells in preclinical models and novel 3D culture systems. With the help of genetic modifications, we try to identify important factors in the immune control and reveal their mode of action in detail. One particular focus lies on factors that influence T-cell differentiation and activation.
Patient studies play an equally important role. Using multi-parametric technologies (cytometry, imaging, scRNAseq), we uncover pathological changes in the composition and function of immune cells in patient cohorts or material. In the future, immune profiling should help to make individualised and targeted therapy decisions for specific disease courses in close cooperation with clinical partners for the benefit of the patient.
The results of our preclinical investigations and clinical studies help to identify and implement new therapeutic approaches in the field of inflammatory, infectious and tumour diseases. One example of the successful implementation of this strategy in the past, is the administration of regulatory cells before or after kidney transplantation.
The technologies we use in our research group, give us a very comprehensive view of the phenotypic and functional characteristics of immune cells, which are based on large and complex data sets. In order to enable an efficient and user-friendly evaluation of these data sets in the future, we are working on the development of supporting bioinformatics algorithms.
Akkordeon
Selected publications
Petrov L, Brumhard S, Wisniewski S, Georg P, Hillus D, Hiller A, Astaburuaga-García R, Blüthgen N, Wyler E, Vogt K, Dey HP, von Stillfried S, Iwert C, Bülow RD, Märkl B, Maas L, Langner C, Meyer T, Loske J, Eils R, Lehmann I, Ondruschka B, Ralser M, Trimpert J, Boor P, Bedoui S, Meisel C, Mall MA, Corman VM, Sander LE, Röhmel J, Sawitzki B. Rewired type I IFN signaling is linked to age-dependent differences in COVID-19. Cell Rep Med. 2025 Aug 19;6(8):102285. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.102285. PMID: 40834853.
Knoll R, Helbig ET, Dahm K, Bolaji O, Hamm F, Dietrich O, van Uelft M, Müller S, Bonaguro L, Schulte-Schrepping J, Petrov L, Krämer B, Kraut M, Stubbemann P, Thibeault C, Brumhard S, Theis H, Hack G, De Domenico E, Nattermann J, Becker M, Beyer MD, Hillus D, Georg P, Loers C, Tiedemann J, Tober-Lau P, Lippert L, Millet Pascual-Leone B, Tacke F, Rohde G, Suttorp N, Witzenrath M; CAPNETZ Study Group; Pa-COVID-19 Study Group; Saliba AE, Ulas T, Polansky JK, Sawitzki B, Sander LE, Schultze JL, Aschenbrenner AC, Kurth F. The life-saving benefit of dexamethasone in severe COVID-19 is linked to a reversal of monocyte dysregulation. Cell. 2024 Aug 8;187(16):4318-4335.e20. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.014. Epub 2024 Jul 3. PMID: 38964327.
Georg P*, Astaburuaga-García R*, Bonaguro L*, Brumhard, Michalick L, Lippert LJ, Kostevc T, Gäbel G, Schneider M, Streitz M, Demichev V, Gemünd I, Barone M, Tober-Lau P, Helbig ET, Hillus D, Petrov L, Stein J, Dey H, Paclik D, Iwert C, Mülleder M, Aulakh SK, Djudjaj S, Bülow RD, Mei HE, Schulz AR, Thiel A, Hippenstiel S, Saliba AE, Eils R, Lehmann I, Mall MA, Stricker S, Röhmel J, Corman VM, Beule D, Wyler E, Landthaler M, Obermayer B, von Stillfried S, Boor P, Demir M, Wesselmann H, Suttorp N, Uhrig A, Müller-Redetzky H, Nattermann J, Kuebler WM, Meisel , Ralser M, Schultze JL, Aschenbrenner AC, Thibeault C, Kurth F, PA-COVID-19 Study group, Sander LE, Blüthgen N#, SAWITZKI B#. Complement activation induces excessive T cell cytotoxicity in severe COVID-19, Cell 2022. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.12.040. (open access). (#joint senior authors)
Schulte-Schrepping J, Reusch N, Paclik D, Baßler K, Schlickeiser S, Zhang B, Krämer B, Krammer T, Brumhard S, Bonaguro L, De Domenico E, Wendisch D, Grasshoff M, Kapellos TS, Beckstette M, Pecht T, Saglam A, Dietrich O, Mei HE, Schulz AR, Conrad C, Kunkel D, Vafadarnejad E, Xu CJ, Horne A, Herbert M, Drews A, Thibeault C, Pfeiffer M, Hippenstiel S, Hocke A, Müller-Redetzky H, Heim KM, Machleidt F, Uhrig A, Bosquillon de Jarcy L, Jürgens L, Stegemann M, Glösenkamp CR, Volk HD, Goffinet C, Landthaler M, Wyler E, Georg P, Schneider M, Dang-Heine C, Neuwinger N, Kappert K, Tauber R, Corman V, Raabe J, Kaiser KM, Vinh MT, Rieke G, Meisel C, Ulas T, Becker M, Geffers R, Witzenrath M, Drosten C, Suttorp N, von Kalle C, Kurth F, Händler K, Schultze JL*, Aschenbrenner AC*, Li Y*, Nattermann J*, Sawitzki B*, Saliba AE*, Sander LE* (2020). Deutsche COVID-19 OMICS Initiative (DeCOI). Severe COVID-19 Is Marked by a Dysregulated Myeloid Cell Compartment. Cell 182(6):1419-1440.e23 (*joint senior authors)
Sawitzki B, Harden PN, Reinke P, Moreau A, Hutchinson JA, Game DS, Tang Q, Guinan EC, Battaglia M, Burlingham WJ, Roberts ISD, Streitz M, Josien R, Böger CA, Scottà C, Markmann JF, Hester JL, Juerchott K, Braudeau C, James B, Contreras-Ruiz L, van der Net JB, Bergler T, Caldara R, Petchey W, Edinger M, Dupas N, Kapinsky M, Mutzbauer I, Otto NM, Öllinger R, Hernandez-Fuentes MP, Issa F, Ahrens N, Meyenberg C, Karitzky S, Kunzendorf U, Knechtle SJ, Grinyó J, Morris PJ, Brent L, Bushell A, Turka LA, Bluestone JA, Lechler RI, Schlitt HJ, Cuturi MC, Schlickeiser S, Friend PJ, Miloud T, Scheffold A, Secchi A, Crisalli K, Kang SM, Hilton R, Banas B, Blancho G, Volk HD, Lombardi G, Wood KJ, Geissler EK. Regulatory cell therapy in kidney transplantation (The ONE Study): a harmonised design and analysis of seven non-randomised, single-arm, phase 1/2A trials. Lancet. 2020 May 23;395(10237):1627-1639. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30167-7.
Stobutzki N, Schlickeiser S, Streitz M, Stanko K, Truong KL, Akyuez L, Vogt K, Appelt C, Pascher A, Blau O, Gerlach UA, Sawitzki B. Long-Term Signs of T Cell and Myeloid Cell Activation After Intestinal Transplantation With Cellular Rejections Contributing to Further Increase of CD16+ Cell Subsets. Front Immunol. 2019 May 7;10:866. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00866. eCollection 2019.
Truong KL, Schlickeiser S, Vogt K, Boës D, Stanko K, Appelt C, Streitz M, Grütz G, Stobutzki N, Meisel C, Iwert C, Tomiuk S, Polansky JK, Pascher A, Babel N, Stervbo U, Sauer I, Gerlach U, Sawitzki B. Killer-like receptors and GPR56 progressive expression defines cytokine production of human CD4+ memory T cells. Nat Commun. 2019 May 22;10(1):2263. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10018-1.
Stanko K, Iwert C, Appelt C, Vogt K, Schumann J, Strunk FJ, Ahrlich S, Schlickeiser S, Romagnani C, Jürchott K, Meisel C, Willimsky G, Kühl AA, Sawitzki B (2018). CD96 expression determines the inflammatory potential of IL-9-producing Th9 cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 115(13):E2940-E2949
Kverneland AH, Streitz M, Geissler E, Hutchinson J, Vogt K, Boës D, Niemann N, Pedersen AE, Schlickeiser S, Sawitzki B. Age and gender leucocytes variances and references values generated using the standardized ONE-Study protocol. Cytometry A. 2016 Jun;89(6):543-64. doi: 10.1002/cyto.a.22855
Trzonkowski P, Bacchetta R, Battaglia M, Berglund D, Bohnenkamp HR, ten Brinke A, Bushell A, Cools N, Geissler EK, Gregori S, Marieke van Ham S, Hilkens C, Hutchinson JA, Lombardi G, Madrigal JA, Marek-Trzonkowska N, Martinez-Caceres EM, Roncarolo MG, Sanchez-Ramon S, Saudemont A, Sawitzki B (2015). Hurdles in therapy with regulatory T cells. Sci Transl Med 7(304):304ps18
Siepert A, Brösel S, Vogt K, Ahrlich S, Schmitt-Knosalla I, Loddenkemper C, Kühl A, Baumgrass R, Gerstmayer B, Tomiuk S, Tiedge M, Viklický O, Brabcova I, Nizze H, Lehmann M, Volk HD, Sawitzki B (2013). Mechanisms and rescue strategies of calcineurin inhibitor mediated tolerance abrogation induced by anti-CD4 mAb treatment. Am J Transplant 13(9):2308-21
Sawitzki B, Kingsley CI, Oliveira V, Karim M, Herber M, Wood KJ (2005). IFN-gamma production by alloantigen-reactive regulatory T cells is important for their regulatory function in vivo. J Exp Med 201(12):1925-35
Links
- 5 questions for: New insights provide the basis for the development of age-dependent and individually tailored therapies adapted to the immune system
- Press release: The fatal role of T cells in COVID-19
- The fatal role of T cells in COVID-19: The conductors of the immune system: Birgit Sawitzki studies T cells
- https://sawitzki-lab.com/
- Sawitzki Lab on Bluesky
