Immune cells are activated, migrate and perform their functions in tissues with different chemical and physical properties. How do immune cells adapt their behavior to the ever-changing environment that surrounds them?

With his research at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, Dr. Matteo Villa will answer this question by analysing the molecular events underlying the adaptation of T cells during their migration from the lymph nodes to the intestinal environment. Using technology known as single-cell RNA sequencing, he will profile individual cells, build their “family tree” and define the steps of the environmental adaptation that allows T cells to thrive in the intestine.
Understanding the details of this process will aid the design of therapies targeted to modulate T cell function in a tissue-specific fashion.

The project of Dr. Matteo Villa is supported from 2020 to 2021 by the “Young Investigator Fund for Innovative Research Ideas” of the Schering Stiftung and the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.