Projects per year
Organisation profile
Organisation profile
Inappropriate CNS immune cell reactions often underpin neurological illnesses. Thus, their underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms have emerged as a potential therapeutic target. The Neuro-Immunology Group aims to identify the immunological properties of CNS immune cells, with microglia representing the key effector cells, as well as to investigate their crosstalk with peripheral immune cells under tumorigenic, inflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions in order to identify specific programs which could represent targets for therapeutic intervention.
The group consistently achieves these goals through three steps:
1. Characterise cells at the -omics level, for instance elucidating their epigenetic, transcriptional and metabolic signatures;
2. Identify genes and pathways that are perturbed under disease conditions and compare them to homeostatic states;
3. Investigate how manipulating the identified pathways affects the acquired phenotype and eventually the disease outcome.
To reach these objectives, the group takes advantage of valuable biological samples from patients and specific mouse models for human brain tumours and neurodegenerative diseases as well as in vitro eukaryotic cell cultures. They combine -omics analyses with specific molecular biology tools and cutting-edge biochemical assays. Additionally, they work in close collaboration with bioinformaticians and computational biologists to infer the underlying networks as well as to integrate their data with existing information gathered through literature review.
On top of this systems approach, much of their attention is focused on IRG1/ACOD1, a key immune response gene expressed by myeloid cells under inflammatory, tumorigenic and neurodegenerative conditions. They have previously elucidated the function of IRG1/ACOD1 protein by demonstrating that it links metabolism to immunity by catalysing the production of the anti-microbial/anti-inflammatory metabolite itaconate from cis-aconitate in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Notably, their discovery contributed to pave the way to the emerging field of immunometabolism, which is currently revealing the crucial role of metabolic reprogramming in immune responses.
A better understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the immunological properties of CNS immune cells and the subsequent ability to manipulate them, such as render them anti-tumorigenic or neuroprotective, will pave the way to novel therapeutic applications tailored to specific neurological diseases with an immunological component.
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Profiles
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RESTAGE: NR1D2 circadian clock gene as a target for reverting glioblastoma associated-immunosuppression via functional modulation of myeloid cells.
Poli, A. (PI), Michelucci, A. (CoPI) & Gezen, M. (Partner)
1/10/23 → 30/09/25
Project: Research
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CANBIO2 (Eleonora Campus): Elucidating the role of the IRG1/ACOD1-itaconate axis in TAMs polarization in glioblastoma
Michelucci, A. (PI) & Campus, E. (PhD Student)
FNR - Fonds National de la Recherche
15/09/23 → 14/09/27
Project: Research
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I2TRON Frida Lind-Holm Mogensen: Microglia programs under PARK7/DJ-1 deficiency, a genetic cause of Parkinson’s disease
Michelucci, A. (PI) & Lind-Holm, F. (PhD Student)
FNR - Fonds National de la Recherche
15/02/21 → 14/02/25
Project: Research
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Adenoviral delivery of the CIITA transgene induces T-cell-mediated killing in glioblastoma organoids
Salvato, I., Klein, E., Poli, A., Rezaeipour, M., Ermini, L., Nosirov, B., Lipsa, A., Oudin, A., Baus, V., Dore, G. M., Cosma, A., Golebiewska, A., Marchini, A. & Niclou, S. P., 13 Nov 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Molecular Oncology. 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
AllergoOncology: Biomarkers and refined classification for research in the allergy and glioma nexus—A joint EAACI-EANO position paper
Turner, M. C., Radzikowska, U., Ferastraoaru, D. E., Pascal, M., Wesseling, P., McCraw, A., Backes, C., Bax, H. J., Bergmann, C., Bianchini, R., Cari, L., de las Vecillas, L., Izquierdo, E., Lind-Holm Mogensen, F., Michelucci, A., Nazarov, P. V., Niclou, S. P., Nocentini, G., Ollert, M. & Preusser, M. & 10 others, , Jun 2024, In: Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 79, 6, p. 1419-1439 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
AllergoOnkologie: Gefahrensignale in der Allergologie und Onkologie Ein Positionspapier der European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI)
Bergmann, C., Poli, A., Agache, I., Bianchini, R., Bax, H. J., Castells, M., Crescioli, S., Dombrowicz, D., Ferastraoaru, D., Fiebiger, E., Gould, H. J., Hartmann, K., Izquierdo, E., Jordakieva, G., Josephs, D. H., Jutel, M., Levi-Schaffer, F., de las Vecillas, L., Lotze, M. T. & Osborn, G. & 11 others, , Dec 2024, In: Allergologie. 47, 12, p. 771-801 31 p.Translated title of the contribution :AllergoOncology: Danger signals in allergology and oncology. A European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Position Paper Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review