The University Hospital of Ulm (UUlm) is a major health care provider in southern Germany. All medical specialties are offered, including one ward designated to the treatment of contagious infectious diseases, e.g. tuberculosis. The university hospital is integrated into a multidisciplinary scientific network comprising applied and basic research. The designated central research topics are infectious diseases, hemato-oncology, trauma and molecular medicine, which is part of the excellence initiative of the German government.

Since 18 years, the research focus of the MyTb lab is to characterise and understand human immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis with emphasis on mycobacterial lipids.

Major research focus:

  • phenotypic and functional characterization of lipid-specific T-cells
  • identification of protective antimicrobial T-cell subsets
  • Correlation of immunological signatures with the outcome of Tb infection

Main investigator

Steffen Stenger is an MD with speciality training in Medical Microbiology. Since 2006 he is professor and director of the department of medical microbiology and hygiene at the university hospital in Ulm. The key responsibilities of the department are the diagnosis and treatment of severe infectious diseases including tuberculosis.

Uulm is involved in the peptidome work (WP1), lipid antigen discovery (WP1), and the lipid based biomarker work (WP5). Uulm is work package leader of WP1.1.

Relevant Publications:

  • Gilleron M*, Stenger S*, Mazorra Z, Wittke F, Mariotti S, Böhmer G, Mori L, Puzo G, DeLibero G. Diacylated sulfoglycolipids are novel mycobacterial antigens stimulating CD1-restricted T cells during infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. J. Exp. Med., 199: 649; 2004. * equal contribution.
  • Bastian M, Braun T, Bruns H, Röllinghoff M, Stenger S. Mycobacterial Lipopeptides Elicit CD4+ Cytolytic T Lymphocytes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infected Humans. J. Immunol., 180: 3436-3446; 2008.
  • Layre E., Collmann A, Bastian M, Mariotti S, Czaplicki J, Prandi J, Mori L, Stenger S, De Libero G, Puzo G, Gilleron M. Mycolic acids constitute a scaffold for mycobacterial lipid antigens stimulating CD1-resticted T cells. Chem Biol. 30: 82-92; 2009
  • Herzmann C, Ernst M, Ehlers S, Stenger S, Maertzdorf J, Sotgiu G, Lange C. Increased frequencies of pulmonary regulatory T-cells in latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Eur Respir J. 40(6):1450-7, 2012
  • Maertzdorf J, Weiner J 3rd, Mollenkopf HJ; TBornotTB Network, Bauer T, Prasse A, Müller-Quernheim J, Kaufmann SH. Common patterns and disease-related signatures in tuberculosis and sarcoidosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 15;109(20):7853-8, 2012
  • Kallert S, Zenk SF, Walther P, Grieshober M, Weil T, Stenger S. Liposomal delivery of lipoarabinomannan triggers Mycobacterium tuberculosis specific T.cells. Tuberculosis (Edinb).,95: 452-62; 2015