Dendritic Cell and Macrophage Ontogeny

Dendritic cells (DCs), monocytes and macrophages play crucial and distinct roles in tissue homeostasis and immunity, but also contribute to a broad spectrum of pathologies and are thus attractive therapeutic targets. Potential intervention strategies aiming at manipulation of these cells will require in-depth insights of their origins and the mechanisms that govern their homeostasis.

The focus of the laboratory is to understand the ontogeny of DCs, monocytes and macrophages, their differentiation pathways and how their unique ontogeny dictates their immune functions. Our approach encompasses the integration of high dimensional platforms such as RNAseq, single cell transcriptome analysis using microfluidic RNA sequencing and deep immunophenotypic assessment using state of the art 18 parameters flow cytometry orCytometry by Time-Of-Flight mass spectrometry (CyTOF) (In collaboration with Dr Evan Newell, SIgN). Such high density molecular profiling at the single level and at unprecedented dimensionality and complexity will provide new insights in the biology of DC, monocyte and macrophage cell populations.Defining macrophage and DC populations on the criteria of their origin may aid our understanding of their discrete roles in tissue immunity and homeostasis, as ontogeny of DC and macrophage subsets likely underlie their functional specializations.