Profile
Abstract
Current position: W3 Professor of Environmental Pediatric Immunology, UL (since 2020), Head of the Department Environmental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research -UFZ- & Perinatal Immunology Research Group, Saxonian Incubator for Clinical Translation, Medical Faculty, UL
2007-2020: W2 Professor of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg
2006: Habilitation, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, venia legendi Immunology
2001: PhD in Immunology, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
1996: Biochemist, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Argentina
Awards: New Investigator Award, American Society for Reproductive Immunology (2002) , GEMI Grant (Harvard/Karolinska) (2007)
Fellowships: Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellowship (2001-2003), Rahel-Hirsch-Habilitation Fellowship (2003-2005)
Research: Feto-maternal immune communication, perinatal exposure to environmental chemicals and long-term consequences for the offspring
My research interest is the understanding of immunological mechanisms that underlie maternal tolerance towards paternally derived fetal antigens during pregnancy. I particularly care about perinatal events associated with pregnancy success and pathologies associated with their dysregulation. We first reported antigen specific regulatory T cells (Treg) as main regulators of pregnancy. My group also described the relevance of the fetal hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in modulating immune cells towards tolerance. In the last years, we have focussed on unveiling how environmental chemicals and in particular endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interfere with these mechanisms. Using models of perinatal exposure to EDCs, we seek to unveil long-term effects in the progeny and the underlying mechanisms. Our research relies on the use of complex state of the art in vitro approaches likewise the use of organoids as well as the validation of the results in mouse models and samples obtained in the context of human cohorts.