Macrophages form the first line of defense against pathogens by ingesting them and breaking them down into their components (antigens). They present these antigens to other cells of the immune system and produce cytokines, which elicits an adapted immune response. According to recent scientific findings, however, resident macrophages have more tasks than previously thought: Beyond their classical role as scavenger cells, resident macrophages most likely significantly contribute to organ development. Elvira Mass investigates the function of resident macrophages in brain development. Supported by a highly endowed "Starting Grant" of the European Research Council she and her team investigate potential hazards of nanoplastics ingested with the food. The researchers’ aim is to clarify whether the nanoplastic reaches our organs, whether it is taken up there, especially by macrophages, and whether it can induce or contribute to the development of neurological diseases in the long term.
However, the paradigm shift in the field of resident macrophages does not only apply to the function, but also to the origin of the phagocytes. Resident macrophages have been shown to develop in many organs during embryonic development and to self-renew in adult tissues under homeostatic conditions. Elvira Mass's team is interested in understanding the contribution of resident macrophages during organ development, but also in the process of various disease conditions such as obesity or infectious diseases.
Born in present-day Kazakhstan, the Russian-German earned her PhD in Molecular Biomedicine at the University of Bonn, Germany, and returned to her alma mater after a three-year research stay at King's College London and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. In 2017, she started the research group Developmental Biology of the Innate Immune System at LIMES Institute. In 2019, Elvira Mass was appointed W2 Professor at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, but was reappointed to the University of Bonn in 2020.
“The scientific environment at the LIMES Institute and the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2 at the University of Bonn offers me an optimal environment for my research,” Elvira Mass says. This is based on the common scientific focus of the researchers at LIMES and other institutes united in the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2, as well as the connection to several national and international research networks. With the EMBO Young Investigator award, this environment is now extended by a renowned network.
The „EMBO Young Investigator Network“
EMBO is an organization of more than 1,800 leading researchers that promotes excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. This year, 26 researchers have been accepted into the EMBO Young Investigator Network. They come from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Great Britain, Israel and Singapore. The network currently brings together a total of 130 scientists.
Press release “Does nanoplastics promote neurological diseases? ERC Starting Grant for Elvira Mass” (9 April 2019): https://www.limes-institut-bonn.de/en/public-relations/news/articles/news/foerdert-nanoplastik-neurologische-krankheiten/
Contact:
Dr. David Fußhöller
Science Communication and Public Relations
Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2
Phone: +49 (0)228-287 51283
Email: david.fusshoeller@uni-bonn.de