SPRING: Spatial PRoteome ImagiNG

Bioinformatics and pathway analysis

Multimodal mass spectrometry imaging: Annotation, visualization and integrated discovery research.

Sophisticated

Whole Slide Imaging

A prerequisite for an unbiased analysis

Local inflammation after infection

Macrophage localization in infections

Imaging of important immunological aspects

Proteome Imaging

Mass spectrometry

Unravel the tissue secrets

Schiwon et al. Cell 2014

Communication

Cross talk of two types of macrophages regulates neutrophil migration into the infected epithelium.

Read More

Chemokine secretion

Smart & Simple

Secretion of prestored chemokines by tissue macrophages.

Read More

Bad bugs

Infection

Pathogenic E.coli infection invade into mucosal epithelium

Multimodal imaging to decode immunological landscapes

The Department of Immunodynamics investigates immunological mechanisms that underlie diseases such as persistent infections and cancer. We employ state of the art approaches, such as imaging mass spectrometry, bioinformatics and microscopy to understand the mechanisms that spatially regulate leukocyte migration and function. We develop interdisciplinary co-registration algorithms that combine multimodal imaging approaches, such as immunohistochemistry (IHC), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Our overall aim is to decode immunological landscapes to develop novel therapeutic approaches to treat diseases. 

Crosstalk of tissue macrophages and neutrophils 

Neutrophils are continuously generated within the bone marrow and released into the circulation. They rapidly migrate into infected tissues to not only significantly contribute to inflammation, but also to the antimicrobial process. However, the mechanisms that regulate the interstitial migration and the function of neutrophils in infected organs are incompletely understood. We use state of the imaging techniques to analyse the role of tissue macrophages, which form a dense network of sentinel cells within tissues, for the  regulation of neutrophil migration and function in inflamed tissues.    

 

box1

Macrophages

Resident and inflammatory macrophages
Regulation of Immunology
Induction of immunity

box2

Neutrophils

Recruitment from the circulation
Interstitial migration
Crossing of barriers in Immunology

box3

Immunology

Cutting edge microscopy
Computational analysis in Immunology Proteomics and MALDI Imaging