Prof. Dr. Dr. med. Wolfgang Jungraithmayr

Area of Research

Description of Research Interest

The main interest of my research group is experimental as well as clinical transplant- and tumor immunology. In These Projects, a major role plays the model of mouse lung transplantation which we invented 9 years ago as the first group worldwide. We try to find out how Antigens interact with the host, wether transplantation, tumor or allergy. Through this model, new therapeutics and diagnostics will be developed, such as measures against ischemia-reperfusion injury, acute or chronic transplant rejection. For example, in a longstanding cooperation with the University of Antwerp, clinical biochemistry, or the Perelman University, Pennsylvania, we could show that by inhibition of the molecule CD26/DPP4, transplant survival was improved, and through diminishing the co-stimulation of CD26-bearing T cells, allograft rejection was dampened. Clinical studies focus on early detection acute and chronic rejection by specific cytokine patterns and MR-imaging.
With regard to tumor research, we try to find new therapeutics against lung cancer. When inhibiting CD26/DPP4, we found in vitro as well as in vivo a significant reduction of lung cancer in different representative mouse lung tumor models. Currently, we are testing if human lung cancer is inhibitable when targeting CD26/DPP4.
One more research concerns tissue engineering. We test stem-cell – seeded new materials for chest wall and tracheal replacement, such as PLGA.

Special Expertise

Transplant Immunology
Tumor Immunology
Tissue engineering