FCE News: FOCIS Center of Excellence at Ghent University Hospital
Prize for Fundamental Research in Medicine 2025 awarded to Dr. Joke Deprez by Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine
Dr. Joke Deprez, postdoctoral researcher in the FOCIS Center of Excellence at Ghent University Hospital directed by Prof. Dr. Dirk Elewaut, has been honored with a prestigious award from the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium in recognition of her doctoral research on nanomedicine delivery by myeloid cells in inflammatory conditions.
Her award-winning work, published in Nature Nanotechnology (impact factor 38.1), fundamentally challenges the long-standing belief that nanomedicines accumulate in inflamed tissues primarily via passive leakage through blood vessels—the so-called Enhanced Permeation and Retention (EPR) effect. Through an elegant series of experiments in rheumatoid arthritis models, Dr. Deprez demonstrated that circulating myeloid immune cells—monocytes and neutrophils—play a pivotal role in transporting liposomal drug carriers directly to sites of inflammation. Remarkably, depleting these immune cells reduced liposome accumulation by over 50-60%, revealing that more than half of drug delivery relies on cell-mediated
transport rather than passive diffusion.
This discovery marks a significant paradigm shift in nanomedicine, pointing toward immune-cell–targeted strategies as a way to improve drug delivery for chronic inflammatory conditions. The award from the Royal Academy highlights how her research not only advances scientific understanding but also paves the way for more effective, tailored treatments for autoimmune patients.
Dr. Deprez’s recognition by one of Belgium’s most esteemed scientific institutions underscores both the novelty and translational potential of her work.
FCE News: Benaroya Research Institute
New Genomic Screens Illuminate How Genetic Variants Drive Autoimmune Disease Through T Cells
In a Nature Genetics study published in September, Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) researchers led by John Ray, PhD, reveal how autoimmune-associated genetic variants directly impact gene regulation and function in primary human CD4 T cells. First author Ching-Huang Ho, PhD, developed a high-throughput pipeline using massively parallel reporter assays (MPRA) to test over 18,000 variants linked to diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Unlike traditional studies that rely on immortalized cell lines, this work used primary CD4 T cells from human donors — offering a more physiologically relevant view of variant function. The team identified 545 expression-modulating variants (emVars) that influence gene activity in CD4 T cells. These emVars were enriched for pathways related to inflammation and T cell activation, underscoring their relevance to autoimmune pathogenesis.
To validate functional impact, researchers used CRISPR-interference (CRISPRi) to perturb emVar-containing loci and observed that many of them affect T cell proliferation. This provides compelling evidence that non-coding genetic risk regions can shape immune responses by altering T cell behavior.
This primary CD4 T cell emVars dataset serves as a powerful launchpad for in-depth functional studies to identify genes that cause multiple autoimmune diseases. It brings the field a step closer to understanding the mechanisms underlying autoimmune diseases and finding therapeutic targets.
The study reflects a collaborative effort with Dr. Ryan Tewhey at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, Dr. Carl de Boer at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Michael Guo at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Jay Shendure at the University of Washington, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of modern immunogenomics. To learn more about the study, read the full press release published by BRI.
FCE NEWS: Yale Human and Translational Immunology Program
October 2025 – Yale Immunology Update
David Hafler
The Hafler lab has recently published several articles of interest to the FOCiS community:
- Wei J, Moon J, Yasumizu Y, Zhang L, Radassi K, Buitrago-Pocasangre N, Deerhake ME, Strauli N, Chen CW, Herman A, Pedotti R, Raposo C, Yim I, Pappalardo J, Longbrake EE, Sumida TS, Axisa PP, Hafler DA. Transcriptomic profiling after B cell depletion reveals central and peripheral immune cell changes in multiple sclerosis. J Clin Invest. 2025 Mar 11;135(11):e182790. doi: 10.1172/JCI182790. PMID: 40067358; PMCID: PMC12126227.
- Yoshida TM, Nguyen M, Zhang L, Lu BY, Zhu B, Murray KN, Mineur YS, Zhang C, Xu D, Lin E, Luchsinger J, Bhatta S, Waizman DA, Coden ME, Ma Y, Israni-Winger K, Russo A, Wang H, Song W, Al Souz J, Zhao H, Craft JE, Picciotto MR, Grutzendler J, Distasio M, Palm NW, Hafler DA, Wang A. The subfornical organ is a nucleus for gut-derived T cells that regulate behaviour. Nature. 2025 Jul;643(8071):499-508. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09050-7. Epub 2025 May 28. PMID: 40437096.
New clinical trial:
The PRISM clinical trial, led by Dr. Hafler, is starting. PRISM is a large-scale exploratory study focused on preventing the progression of prodromal Parkinson’s Disease that is funded by The Marcus Foundation. The trial will assess the Potential for Rational Immune System Manipulation to prevent emergence of synucleinopathy manifestations in persons with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD).
Prashanth Vallabhajosyula
The Vallabhajosyula Lab would like to share a scientific discovery of interest to the FOCiS community that has been reported in three recent publications:
Development of a novel biomarker platform for acute rejection monitoring in transplant patients
Our laboratory investigates the potential diagnostic utility of cell-specific extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cardiovascular diseases. Specifically, there’s a critical need for biomarkers to monitor acute cellular rejection (ACR) after heart and lung transplantation. We hypothesize that ACR leads to changes in the secretory EV output of cells involved in the acute rejection process. Thus, we proposed that ACR would result in changes in T-cell and donor tissue EV profiles in peripheral circulation.
Over the past year, we developed a novel T cell EV platform using a rodent heart transplant ACR model1. We then translated these EV methodologies to a clinical setting, validating their potential in heart transplant patients2. Our study demonstrated that the protein and RNA cargoes of circulating donor heart EVs and T cell EVs can accurately diagnose ACR2.
Building on these findings, we developed a novel B cell EV platform for antibody mediated rejection diagnosis. Currently, reliable biomarkers for AMR surveillance in transplant patients are lacking, as are biomarkers distinguishing AMR from ACR. In a case series, we observed time-specific changes in B cell EV profiles in a heart transplant patient with AMR2. Similarly, we noted parallel changes in a lung transplant patient with AMR3.
Collectively, our work supports further investigation into cell-specific EVs as novel biomarkers for acute rejection monitoring in transplant patients.
References/Publications
1. Korutla L, Hodman JR, Rostami S, et al. Circulating T cell specific extracellular vesicle profiles in cardiac allograft acute cellular rejection. Am J Transplant. 2024; 24(3):419-435.
2. Korutla L, Hu R, Liu Y, et al. Circulating Tissue Specific Extracellular Vesicles for Noninvasive Monitoring of Acute Cellular Rejection in Clinical Heart Transplantation. Transplantation. 2025;109(9):1540-1550.
3. Korutla L, Bai YZ, DeMarais N, et al. B-cell extracellular vesicle biomarkers for detection of antibody-mediated rejection in lung transplantation. JTCVS Tech. 2025;31:224-232.
Member Society NEWS: German Society of Immunology
Highlights of German Immunology
DGfI Study Groups: Be simply the best!
The “Best of” Satellite Symposium of the Study Groups of the German Society of Immunology (DGfI) was scheduled for August 17 2025. The event showcased recent achievements in various research areas while maintaining a focus on the clinical relevance of immunological research. The symposium attracted scientists from around the world who gathered in beautiful Vienna for the IUIS Congress.German immunologists are organized into sixteen Study Groups within the DGfI that cover a variety of topics. These areas range from immune cells and organ immunity to basic and clinical immunology.
This diversity was reflected in the talks delivered by members of the study groups. Min Ae Lee-Kirsch (Dresden University of Technology) and Fabian Hauck (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) presented elegant studies unveiling the molecular basis of the genetic determinants of autoimmune disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as innate immune deficiencies. Triantafyllos Chavakis (Dresden University of Technology) discussed the context-dependent effects of trained innate immune memory, including beneficial anti-tumor effects and potential maladaptive memory due to clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential.
Specific functions of different immune cell populations were revealed in the context of disease. Adelheid Cerwenka (Heidelberg University) reported on novel approaches and platforms, including patient-derived organoids, and discussed the impact of microenvironmental factors, such as hypoxia, on NK cell functions as well as the potential of NK cell–based anticancer therapies. Dirk Brenner (University of Luxembourg) highlighted the intrinsic metabolic requirements of T cells for maintaining intestinal integrity and defending against gastrointestinal pathogens. Gerhard Krönke (Charité University Medicine Berlin) reported on new metabolic checkpoints in macrophages that modulate the resolution of inflammation. Several talks focused on the complex nature of immune cell cross-talks and their impact on disease outcomes. Stefan Bittner (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) addressed glial-T-cell interactions and emphasized the importance of cell circuitries in multiple sclerosis, as well as the untapped potential of neuroimmunology in developing new therapies. Jan Böttcher (University of Tübingen) discussed improved cancer therapies which target ferroptosis and oxylipins to stimulate conventional dendritic cells and induce potent T-cell immunity. Ricardo Grieshaber-Bouyer (Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) presented breakthrough advances in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as B-cell maturation antigen CAR T-cell therapy and bispecific T-cell engagers. Luciana Besedovsky (Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich) raised awareness of the immune system’s broad impact on physiology, including the co-regulation of sleep and immune cell functions. Sharing novel concepts and interesting experimental findings stimulated scientific debate, expertly chaired by Anca Dorhoi (Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut), Stefanie Scheu (Rostock University Medical Center), Alexander Scheffold (Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel), and Dietmar Zehn (Technical University of Munich). Our “Best of” session undoubtedly facilitated scientific exchange, networking, and the generation of new ideas.
In this spirit, the German immunology community is planning future Study Group events to be held in Munich from September 15 to 17, 2026, as part of the DGfI annual meeting. Save the date and join us as we explore new frontiers in immunology in health and disease. Let’s bring out our best again!!
Member Society NEWS: The Japanese Society of Clinical Immunology
The 5th International Symposium of Clinical Immunology, 22-23 May 2026 in Japan
The 5th International Symposium of Clinical Immunology will be held in 22-23 May 2026 at Maihama, Japan. You can participate either in person or online.
Abstract submission and early registration will be available from January 2026.
Please visit the website below:
https://icongroup.co.jp/isci2026/
Member Society NEWS: American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI)
2026 ASHI Annual Meeting – Montreal
The American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) is partnering with the Canadian Society for Transplantation (CST) to host a joint scientific meeting from October 26–30, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec. Together, the two societies will present the ASHI/CST Joint Scientific Meeting: Advancing the Science of Transplantation—a collaborative program dedicated to sharing the latest research, innovations, and clinical advancements in the field. For more information, contact ASHI at info@ashi-hla.org.
