Research
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a prototypic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Mounting evidence suggests a fundamental role of the gut microbiota and pivotal but multifaceted B cell functions. Deconvoluting the spatio-temporal cellular and molecular landscape of functionally heterogeneous B cells across compartments and their interaction with gut microbiota at the mucosal interface is therefore key to understanding underlying disease mechanisms and to develop cell-type and microbiota-specific precision therapies.
Research in the Pröbstel Lab integrates a broad spectrum of methods combining human immunology and immune repertoire analysis, single-cell bioinformatics, microbiota sequencing, and experimental (gnotobiotic) mouse models with a focus on B cell and microbial contributions to neuroinflammation.
We aim at understanding the functional diversity and antigen specificity of B cells and their interaction with gut microbiota that are underlying immune-mediated diseases with a focus on the central nervous system. We strive to develop strategies to foster immune regulatory responses through targeted manipulation of the gut microbiome that can be translated back to the clinic to treat MS and related diseases.