Centre of Excellence in Immune-Endothelial Interfaces (IMMENs)

Mäkinen, Taija UH; Jacquemet, Guillaume ÅAU; Sahlgren, Cecilia ÅAU; Vaahtomeri, Kari UH

Our immune system protects the body against infections and diseases, and recent advances in immunotherapy have transformed the treatment options for several cancers in particular. However, when immune activity becomes dysregulated, it can drive chronic inflammation or trigger autoimmune diseases. Although the systemic immune regulation of the whole body is increasingly well understood, it has become clear that crucial regulatory processes also occur locally within inflamed tissues. These local mechanisms, however, remain poorly characterised.

IMMENs focuses on uncovering how the endothelial cells lining lymphatic vessels communicate with immune cells and control their functions. The CoE will develop new methods and tools for studying these interactions. By identifying molecular mechanisms that regulate local immune responses more precisely, the CoE will pave the way for more precise and effective treatment strategies in the future.