Dr. Caroline von Spee-Mayer is a researcher in the “Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology” research group of Prof. Dr. Gabriela Riemekasten, a liaison group of the German Rheumatism Research Center and the Charité Berlin. In her lecture on “Regulatory T Cells and Interleukin-2 in the Pathogenesis and the Treatment of SLE,” Spee-Mayer will explain that an Interleukin-2 deficiency is responsible for changes in the regulatory T-cell population, thus playing an important role in the pathogenesis of the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Spee-Mayer’s work provides the foundation for the clinical translation of an Interleukin-2-based therapy as a new treatment option for SLE patients. Initial promising results suggest that a low-dose Interleukin-2 therapy is an effective and safe way to treat patients with long-term refractory SLE, demonstrating the importance of this work for rheumatology research and the development of urgently needed treatment approaches.

Dr. Christian Neumann is a researcher in the “Cellular Immunology” research group of Prof. Dr. Alexander Scheffold, a liaison group of the German Rheumatism Research Center and the Charité Berlin. In his lecture, “Inflammatory Th1 and Th17 cells employ different transcriptional networks to control immune-regulatory IL-10 expression,” he will talk about inflammatory T cells. These cells have the ability to shut themselves off. A lack of self-control can result in excessive inflammatory reactions and autoimmunity. Neumann was able to describe the molecular factors and regulatory pathways that control this self-limitation. This knowledge could be used to activate the physiological self-healing powers of pathogenous T cells in order to restore the natural balance of the immune response.