Professor Dr. Axel Roers is the new director of the Immunological Institute at UK Heidelberg
01.03.2022 17:15
As of January 1st, Professor Dr. Axel Roers is the successor to Professor Dr. Stefan Meuer took over as Medical Director of the Institute for Immunology at Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD). Previously, he headed the Immunological Institute at the University Hospital Dresden for 13 years.
“We are pleased to have gained an experienced institute director in Professor Roers, who brings extensive expertise in the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases and immune deficiencies as well as in translational cancer research - a combination that fits perfectly with the clinical and scientific focus of the Heidelberg Medical Center. “The campus fits,” says Professor Dr. Ingo Autenrieth, Chief Medical Director of the UKHD. “Thanks to his many years of management experience, Professor Roers will further expand the strong position of the Heidelberg Immunological Institute, which is one of the largest institutions of its kind in Germany and is involved in health care in many areas,” says Commercial Director Katrin Erk.
“Since 2017, Professor Roers has led and coordinated a research network funded by the German Research Foundation on so-called type 2 immune responses, which play a central role in allergies, asthma and neurodermatitis. He was also the Dresden site spokesman for the Transregional Collaborative Research Center “Nucleic Acid Immunity”. “With his research topics, the existing Heidelberg focal points in oncology and infectiology will be significantly strengthened and new topics will be brought to Heidelberg,” explains Professor Dr. Hans-Georg Kräusslich, Dean of the Medical Faculty.
Use virus detection system to combat tumors
The term “nucleic acid immunity” describes mechanisms with which the immune system recognizes pathogens that are not the body's own genetic material, which consists of nucleic acids in the form of DNA or RNA. This ability is particularly indispensable for defense against viruses, as they often consist mainly of DNA or RNA. “Immune cells carry special sensors for viral genetic material, but it is not always possible to distinguish the viral genetic material from the body’s own DNA or RNA,” explains Roers. If the sensors are activated by the body's own molecules, a permanent alarm can occur in the immune system. The result is then severe autoimmune diseases. With his working group, he is investigating the underlying mechanisms of this incorrect activation, as well as the use of these principles in cancer therapy.
“Malignant tumor cells systematically put the immune system in their surroundings to sleep in order to protect themselves from the immune cells’ attack. A targeted activation of the virus detection systems in the tumor tissue has great potential as a wake-up call for the local immune system,” says the immunologist. Irradiation of the tumor tissue can also trigger such alarm signals, which is why Roer's working group wants to examine possible interactions between radiation therapy and cellular virus detection. The combination with another modern therapeutic strategy, so-called checkpoint inhibition, should also be investigated. “Heidelberg is a great location, especially for research in the field of tumor biology, with an impressive tradition and many outstanding groups in basic research and clinical oncology at the University Hospital, the National Center for Tumor Diseases and the German Cancer Research Center,” says the researcher, looking forward to future collaborations.
Another focus is research into allergic diseases. Prof. Roers is particularly interested in the question of why the immune system of some people reacts allergically to harmless environmental substances. The type 2 immune responses, which are accompanied by the release of certain inflammatory substances, interleukins 4, 5 and 13, play a key role. The immune system uses them to react to worm infections, tick or spider bites, for example, and they promote wound healing and tissue regeneration. If they get out of control, they are the driving force behind allergies, asthma and neurodermatitis and also play a role in cancer growth. The regulation of type 2 responses is only incompletely understood. In the DFG research group (FOR) 2599 'Tissue Type 2 Immunity', which is now coordinated from Heidelberg, leading experts in this area have come together to answer these questions.