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Leipzig researcher appointed Vice President of the American Society for Reproductive Immunology and receives highest honour

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Ana Zenclussen, Professor of Environmental Paediatric Immunology at Leipzig University and Head of the Department of Environmental Immunology at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), has been elected Vice President of the American Society for Reproductive Immunology (ASRI) at the society’s annual meeting. In addition, she was presented with the organisation’s highest honour, the Senior Award.

[Translate to English:] Gruppenbild, von links nach rechts stehend und zur Kamera schauend: Dr. Indira Myrosekar, ASRI-Präsidentin of the ASRI, Prof. Dr. Ana Zenclussen, Dr. Don Torry, Vorsitzender des Preiskommitees.
From left to right: Dr Indira Myrosekar, President of the ASRI, Professor Ana Zenclussen, Dr Don Torry, Chair of the Prize Committee and former President of the ASRI.

Professor Ana Zenclussen is considered a pioneer in the study of adaptive immune responses in the mother that support pregnancy and foetal development. She was the first to demonstrate how maternal regulatory T cells protect paternal antigens in the foetus. In addition, she identified pregnancy hormones as potent modulators of the maternal immune response. The American Society for Reproductive Immunology also recognised the work of Ana Zenclussen’s laboratory, which has contributed to a deeper understanding of the role of innate and adaptive immune cells in normal pregnancies as well as in pathologies such as miscarriage and preterm birth. 

Over the course of her scientific career, Ana Zenclussen has successfully secured both national and international research funding. She is a contributing researcher in major Leipzig University projects, including the Leipzig Center of Metabolism (LeiCeM) Cluster of Excellence and the Leipzig Reproductive Health Research (LE-REP) Center[RM1] . Just last month, LeiCeM was awarded top-level funding for the coming years as part of the German government’s Excellence Strategy. 

The American Journal of Reproductive Immunology Award is the highest award bestowed by the ASRI on a senior researcher for outstanding and lasting contributions to the field of reproductive immunology. Contributions can be in the area of clinical or basic research.