DFG Research Unit FOR 2879
From immune cells to stroke recoveryStroke is the primary cause of long-term disability and the third leading cause of death in industrialized countries. In Germany, the annual incidence of stroke is above 250,000. The lifetime risk of experiencing a stroke ranges from 8% to 10% and continues to rise due to demographic changes. Current treatments for stroke are limited, and preclinical experimental findings often fail in clinical trials. Hence, new avenues of basic research with high translation potential are desperately needed in order to develop effective therapeutic strategies. The neuroinflammatory response after ischemic brain injury has been well established as a key pathomechanisms in stroke. While neuroinflammatory mechanisms have been described in great detail for the acute phase after ischemic brain injury, mechanisms of brain-immune interaction during the chronic recovery phase as well as consequences of immunomodulatory interventions for post-stroke recovery are barely understood. Therefore, this research unit will focus on studying the role of immunity in repair mechanisms and long-term recovery following stroke.
Stroke is the primary cause of long-term disability and the third leading cause of death in industrialized countries. In Germany, the annual incidence of stroke is above 250,000. The lifetime risk of experiencing a stroke ranges from 8% to 10% and continues to rise due to demographic changes. Current treatments for stroke are limited, and preclinical experimental findings often fail in clinical trials. Hence, new avenues of basic research with high translation potential are desperately needed in order to develop effective therapeutic strategies. The neuroinflammatory response after ischemic brain injury has been well established as a key pathomechanisms in stroke.
READ MORE
While neuroinflammatory mechanisms have been described in great detail for the acute phase after ischemic brain injury, mechanisms of brain-immune interaction during the chronic recovery phase as well as consequences of immunomodulatory interventions for post-stroke recovery are barely understood. Therefore, this research unit will focus on studying the role of immunity in repair mechanisms and long-term recovery following stroke.
The projects put forward by this consortium are designed to i) address how immune cells—particularly microglia and T cells—influence the recovery process following stroke; ii) clarify the role of neuroinflammation in stroke patients; and iii) identify novel markers of post-stroke neuroinflammation. Ultimately, this research consortium will address key questions regarding the rationale design of future immunomodulatory trials in stroke patients, thereby further consolidating Germany’s position as a leader in stroke-immunology research and establishing new standards for experimental, multicenter stroke research. These goals will be achieved using cutting-edge technologies and new treatment paradigms in order to understand and modulate the immune responses that occur following experimental stroke. Our ambitious goals will be realized by the close collaboration of internationally recognized experts from the fields of basic immunology, neuroimmunology, vascular biology and neuroscience with experimental and clinical stroke research within this research group. Preclinical experiments will be highly standardized. Key findings will be validated in multicenter preclinical RCTs in the second funding phase, and experiments will be supported by in-depth immune phenotyping of stroke patients.
The overarching goal of this research consortium is to understand brain-immune interactions underlying the mechanistic principles of stroke recovery. Our focus is on microglia and T cells as the main constituents of the post-stroke chronic inflammation in this process.
Members of this consortium have been selected based on scientific excellence and complementary expertise for this multi-disciplinary Research Unit.
Stroke-Immunology Meeting, Munich, September 29-October 2, 2025
SAVE THE DATE! The “Stroke-Immunology Meeting” will take place next year September 29-October 2, 2025 in Munich! Book your calendar to join our fantastic lineup of speakers!
FOR2879 Retreat, Munich, November 13/14th 2024
We are approaching mid of the second funding period of our collaborative work in „ImmunoStroke“ by official meeting in November. Besides PIs, also the (newly recruited) project scientists as well as our external scientific advisory board will join this 2-day meeting....
Stroke-Immunology Conference, September 18-21, 2023
The 3rd edition of « The EMBO Workshop on Stroke-Immunology » will take place from the 18th to the 21st of September 2023 at the Schloss Hohenkammer in the iconic country side of Munich. This meeting provides a unique environment for scientists at all career levels to...
FOR2879 Kickoff Symposium, Munich, April 19/20th 2023
We will start the second phase of our collaborative work in „ImmunoStroke“ by official kickoff meeting in April. Besides PIs, also the (newly recruited) project scientists as well as our external scientific advisory board will join this 2-day meeting. We are looking...
Stroke-Immunology Conference, March 9-12, 2022
The aim of this new meeting series is to provide a platform for uniting experts in the stroke-immunology field with leading scientists from related research areas, including immunology, neuroscience, and advanced research tools. This shall facilitate close...
FOR2879 Retreat, November 10/11th 2021
We will further update our collaborative work in „ImmunoStroke“ by an online Retreat on November 10/11th 2021. As usual, all participants, including the newly recruited project scientists, as well as our external scientific advisory board will join this two-day Zoom...
FOR2879 Retreat, September 24/25th 2020
We will update our collaborative work in „ImmunoStroke“ by an official Retreat in September 2020. Besides PIs, also the (newly recruited) project scientists as well as our external scientific advisory board will join this 2-day Zoom meeting. We are looking forward to...
FOR2879 Kickoff Symposium, Essen, December 12/13th 2019
We will start our collaborative work in „ImmunoStroke“ by official kickoff meeting in December. Besides PIs, also the (newly recruited) project scientists as well as our external scientific advisory board will join this 2-day meeting. We are looking forward to...
Stroke-Immunology Conference, April 1-3 2020
The aim of this new meeting series is to provide a platform for uniting experts in the stroke-immunology field with leading scientists from related research areas, including immunology, neuroscience, and advanced research tools. This shall facilitate close...