PI: Artem Kalinichenko
Focus: Using a multidisciplinary approach in combination with high-throughput screening techniques, we investigate the immunogenicity of different metabolic pathways. Using in vitro and ex vivo T cell-based assays, we evaluate how endogenous (genetic background) and exogenous (diet, pollution, drug treatment) factors alter the recognition of human cells and tissues by unconventional T cells. A key area of interest is to understand how T cell responses to metabolic changes can trigger aberrant immune responses and contribute to disease pathogenesis. We aim to identify metabolic pathways and metabolites that can modulate the activity of metabolite-specific (unconventional) T cells. Ultimately, we aim to learn how to pharmacologically manipulate the reactivity of metabolite-specific T cells in the context of infectious, autoimmune, and cancer diseases to favor treatment outcome. With a focus on pediatric tumors with their unique genetics and biology as a primary model, we also take advantage of rare genetic metabolic diseases and inborn errors of immunity to study the biology of unconventional T cells and their responses in the context of metabolic perturbations.
Network: In addition to collaborations within the Otto Loewi Research Center (Herbert Strobl, Stefano Angiari, Johannes Fessler, Sandra Holasek, Julia Kargl), we closely cooperate with the Division of Medical Chemistry (Tobias Madl), the Division of Paediatric Haematology-Oncology (Markus Seidel) at the Medical University of Graz and our international research partners from Germany, Norway, Sweden and Turkey.
