Professor Philipp Henneke, MD
Professor of Infection and Immunity
E: philipp.henneke@uniklinik-freiburg.de
Ronja Messmer (Assistant to P. Henneke)
E: ronja.messmer@uniklinik-freiburg.de
T: +49 (0)761 270-77542
F: +49 (0)761 270-77600
Medical Center– University of Freiburg
Institute for Immunodeficiency, Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI)
and Center for Pediatrics, Department of General Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine and Neonatology, Section for Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Breisacher Str. 115
79106 Freiburg
Germany
The core scientific interest of the Henneke group is the development of cellular innate immunity at interfaces. Of particular interest are cellular programs and microenvironmental signals in site-specific differentiation and adaptation of tissue macrophages throughout life, i.e. starting in utero, and extending from bone-marrow to critical body sites (e.g. skin, lung, intestine).
We combine experimental infection models in mice and in vitro, high resolution imaging, multi-color flow cytometry, single cell transcriptomics and metabolic analysis to break new ground in understanding and modulating limits of cellular plasticity. Our research is of particular importance for understanding postnatal development of natural immunity, and ultimately enables the design of intervention strategies to combat infectious diseases and promote tissue repair from early on.
TEAM
If you are interested in joining our research team as an MD or PhD student or as a post-doc, please contact Philipp Henneke (philipp.henneke@uniklinik-freiburg.de) with a short description of your research experience and interests.
For more information about individual team members, please click on their names.
Group Leader: Philipp Henneke
Postnatal Macrophage Development
- Julia Kolter (post doc)
- Clarissa-Laura Döring (Master’s student)
- Mirjam Freudenhammer (PhD student)
- Aaron Forde (PhD student)
- Vitka Gres (PhD student)
- Clara Gadatsch (MD student)
- Ramona Eckert (MD student)
Mycobacterial Immunity
- Anne Lösslein (MD student)
- Florens Lohrmann (post doc)
- Philipp Merck (MD student)
- Jana Neuber (PhD student)
- Christian Kleimeyer (MD student)
- Björn Schorch (post doc)
- Stephan Schwer (MD student)
Macrophage reprogramming by CMV
Macrophages in intestinal homeostasis
Junior Group: Antiviral Innate Immunity
SARS-CoV-2 transmission patterns in children; host and pathogen determinants of human parechovirus infections.
- Roland Elling (Junior Group Leader)
- Alexander Hilger (PhD student)
Technicians
- Anita Imm
- Maria Lickert
- Bernhard Kremer
- Tihomir Saso
RESEARCH THEMES
Major topics of the laboratory are:
- Macrophage differentiation in tissue immunity against mycobacteria. Multinuclear macrophages (MGC) are the hallmark of mycobacterial granulomas. We investigate the cellular and metabolic basis of MGC formation in granulomas as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets in mycobacterial infections. A specific focus lies on lipid biosynthesis and macrophage progenitors.
- Development and environmental adaptation of sub-mucocutaneous and CNS macrophages at the beginning of life. Key questions: Are microanatomical niches imprinting differentiation programs on macrophages ? How does origin and self renewal impact on these processes? How does niche driven macrophage adaptation impact on tissue defense against staphylococci and streptococci and on tissue repair?
- Impact of early cytomegalovirus infections on macrophage/ monocyte programming. Key questions: What is the influence of cytomegalovirus infections on intestinal macrophage development? How does early cytomegalovirus infection affect the immune response to bacterial infections later in life?
- Role of macrophages in intestinal homeostasis. Key questions: Which signaling events guide regulatory properties of lamina propria macrophages? Can synthetic macrophages be engineered as cell therapy for intestinal inflammation?
- Monogenetic defects in cellular innate immunity. Key questions: Which genes in myeloid and epithelial cells are essential for anti-microbial defense in children? How do aberrations in these genes drive immunopathology?
SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Complete list of publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=henneke+p
- Cytomegalovirus subverts macrophage identity. Baasch, S., Giansanti, P., Kolter, J., Riedl, A., Forde, A.J. Runge, S., … & Henneke, P. 2021. Cell, 184(14): 3774.
- Monocyte progenitors give rise to multinucleated giant cells. Lösslein, A., F. Lohrmann, L. Scheuermann, K. Gharun, J. Neuber, J. Kolter, A. Forde, … & P. Henneke. 2021. Nat Comm 12, 2027.
- Resident macrophages acquire innate immune memory in staphylococcal skin infection. Feuerstein, R., Forde, A.J., Lohrmann, F., Kolter, J., Ramirez, N.J., Zimmermann, J,. Gomez de Agüero, M., & Henneke P. 2020. Elife. 2020 Jul 8;9:e55602.
- A subset of skin macrophages contributes to surveillance and regeneration of local nerves. Kolter, J., R. Feuerstein, …, T. Lämmermann, M. Prinz & Henneke, P. Immunity, 2019, 50:1482-1497.
- Preserved effector functions of human ORAI1 and STIM1 deficient neutrophils. Elling, R., Keller, B., Häffner, M., Deshmukh, S., Weidinger, C., Zee, I., Speckmann, C., Ehl, S., Schwarz, K., Feske, S., & Henneke. P. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2016, 137:1587-91.
- DNA damage signaling instructs polyploid macrophage fate in granulomas. Bergdolt, L.,…, Henneke, P. & Triantafyllopoulou, A. Cell, 2016. 167:1264-1280.
- Deficiency of innate and acquired immunity caused by an IKBKB mutation. Pannicke U*, Baumann B*, Fuchs S*. Henneke P*…, and Schwarz K. N Engl J Med, 2013, 369:2504-14. (* equal contribution)