We are focusing on development and homeostatic turnover of immune cells and organ tissues to understand the driving forces and control mechanisms of cell fate decision. We investigate a variety of systems which prominently show constant turnover, lineage plasticity, and response to perturbations in terms of cell differentiation dynamics. For example, we investigate the role of the hematopoietic niche, i.e., the effect of a varying microenvironments, such as fetal liver and bone marrow, on blood cell differentiation, and compare to aberrant cell fate decision upon diseases such as leukemia.

As a complementary system we are studying plasticity and turnover of epithelial cells and their crosstalk with tissue-resident immune cells in the liver, the central metabolic organ of the human body. The liver exhibits high regenerative capacity, driven by complex interactions with the immune, endothelial, and mesenchymal cell compartment.

In our studies we are aiming to address basic research questions, such as the identification of the molecular mechanisms underpinning robust cell differentiation, but also aim at translating our findings into clinically relevant novel therapeutic approaches.