DENDRITIC CELLS are the natural sentinels of our immune system. In all tissues and organs, they make surveillance over possible dangerous invaders – e.g. bacteria or viruses – in order to trigger the alarm system at the initial contact with the ‘enemy’. Fragments of the enemy (antigens) are captured by the dendritic cells. From the place of contact with the enemy, these cells then migrate to the lymph nodes, the switch centres of the immune system. There they activate the killer cells of the immune system that swarm out to detect and eliminate the enemy.

We are particularly interested in:

• the development and maturation of dendritic cells

• antigen uptake into dendritic cells

• migration of these cells

• activation of killer cells (T- and NK cells) by the dendritic cells