January 2010 sees the launch of a new junior research group at Twincore. Matthias Lochner will be researching the immune response of the intestine at the Institute for Infection Immunology with the generous HiLF fellowship of the MHH. Until now he has been working in Paris, at the Pasteur Institute. "What tempted me to Hanover after four years in Paris is the excellent working conditions at Twincore," he says. "I am working on a specific factor that is important for the development of lymph tissue in the intestine and for the production of specific immune cells: TH-17 cells." These immune cells regulate the immune response in the intestine, where they play a special role in inflammation reactions, autoimmune diseases and chronic infections. "A typical disease in this field is Crohn's disease," says Matthias Lochner.
His research is an ideal fit to Twincore and complements the research of the Institute for Infection Immunology. Director Tim Sparwasser specialises in the mechanisms with which the immune system regulates itself. He knows Matthias Lochner from their joint research in Munich. And Matthias Lochner already plans to collaborate with the Experimental Immunology department at the HZI before he even arrives back in Germany. Director Jochen Hühn is delighted that he is coming to Twincore, as he is one of the leading experts in the field of TH-17 biology. "We will already be commencing joint projects at the beginning of 2010. We will be researching the stability of regulatory T-cells and TH-17 cells."
"I am looking forward to the time at Twincore," says Matthias Lochner, "because for me it is a key step towards having my own group." When the funding of the HiLF fellowship is completed in one year he hopes to have established a team of several doctoral students and technical staff, using funding from the German Research Foundation or other sources.