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Projects / Collaborations

Doctoral thesis (under guidance and supervison of our staff members):

• 9/1994-4/1997: "ApoE, APP und Alzheimer´sche Krankheit - potentielle Rolle des Apolipoprotein E im Amyloid Precursor-Protein Metabolismus" by Frau Dipl.-Biologin Silke Haß
• 7/1994-6/1997: „Analyse des Aktivierungsmechanismus von PKC-theta in humanen Jurkat T-Lymphozyten“ by Mag.rer.nat Birgit Bauer
• 11/1998-12/2002: „Studies on the PKC gene module, especially on the PKC-theta gene and ist function in T-Lymphozyten“ by Mag. rer. nat. Kurt Kofler
• 10/1999-12/2002: “Evidence of functional modulation of the MEKK/JNK/cJun signaling cascade by the low-density lipoprotein-receptor related protein” by Mag. MTA Christina Lutz (awarded with the Aventis Price 2002)
• 12/1999-4/2003„PKC-theta affects Ca2+ mobilization and NF-AT activation in primary mouse T cells”, by Mag.rer.nat MTA Christa Pfeifhofer (awarded with the Aventis Price 2003)
• 11/2000-1/2004: “Studies on the physiological roles of distinct protein kinase C isotypes in T cell signaling employing the gene knockout strategy”, by Mag.rer.nat Thomas Gruber
• 12/2001-12/2004: “Molecular studies on the physiological roles of PKCalpha, beta, epsilon and zeta isotypes in T cell signaling”, by Mag.rer.nat Nikolaus Thuille (awarded with the Aventis Price 2005)
• 12/2003-12/2006: PKCtheta selectively controls the adhesion-stimulating molecule Rap1 via a direct RapGEF2 phosphorylation in T lymphocytes”, by Mag.rer.nat Thomas Letschka
• 12/2005-11/2008: „Potential role of Protein Kinase C isotypes alpha and beta in T cell adhesion“ by Mag. rer. nat. Veronika Kollmann
• 4/2008-5/2012: „Molecular characterization of the T cell intrinsic Cbl-b signaling pathway and its evaluation as a unique cancer therapeutic target“ by DI Reinhard Hinterleitner (awarded with the Erwin-Schrödinger-Stipendium J3408: Virus-vermittelter Verlust der oralen Toleranz und Zöliakie, University of Chicago).
• 4/2008-5/2012: „The role of PKCalpha in CD4+ Th17 cell effector autoimmune pathology“ by Mag. rer. nat. Marlies Meisel (awarded with the Erwin-Schrödinger-Stipendium J3418: Rolle der Ernährung auf IL-15 induzierter Dysbiose, University of Chicago).
• 12/2009-6/2014: „Functional Roles of Protein Kinase C θ, and classical PKC isotypes α and β, in murine effector T lymphocytes.“ by Mag. rer. nat. Katarzyna Wachowicz
• 4/2012-9/2015: „Molecular role and mode of action of the nuclear orphan receptor NR2F6 in cancer immune surveillance.” by Mag. rer. nat. Victoria Klepsch
• 10/2014-10/2019: “Role of Cbl-b in autoimmunity and tumor immunity” by Sebastian Peer, MSc
• 10/2015-10/2019: “Orphan nuclear receptor NR2F6 prevents excessive T follicular helper cell accumulation through regulation of the cytokine IL-21“ by William Joseph Olson, MSc
• 7/2017-9/2022: The role of NR2F6 as an inducible exhaustion factor and alternative cancer immune checkpoint in the CD8 T cell compartment by Tajana Sajinovic, MSc

International Collaborations

• Jürgen Wagner and Gerhard Zencke; Novartis Pharma, Basel, Switzerland
• Noah Isakov, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
• Wallace Langdon, University of Western Australia, Perth, AUS
• Arthur Kaser, Department of Gastroenterology, Cambridge, UK
• Shoji Yamamoto, Daiichi Sankyo Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
• Michael Leitges, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John`s, Canada

Major Projects

1. Austrian Science Funds: # FWF-DK, 2015-2019: PhD program in „Molecular Cell Biology and Oncology (MCBO)“; Faculty members: Gottfried Baier and Natascha Kleiter
2. European Union: # EC grant/FP7-HEALTH-Large-scale Integrating Project: Modelling of T-cell activation, Title: Systems Biology of T Cell Activation, Acronym SYBILLA, 2009-2013
3. Austrian Science Funds: # FWF-P25044 (Gottfried Baier): Analysis of PKCalpha-mediated regulation of TGFß receptor signaling in T cells, 2012-2017
4. Austrian Science Funds: # FWF Lise Meitner Program M1636: PKCtheta/Coro1A axis in CD4+ T cell subpopulations (Kerstin Siegmund & Gottfried Baier) 2014-2018
5. Austrian Science Funds: # FWF P28694: NR2f6 governs immune defense against microbial pathogens (Natascha Kleiter) 2016-2019
6. Austrian Scienec Funds: # FWF P25828: Analysis of the TGFß/Cbl-b pathway in autoimmunity and tumor immunity (Thomas Gruber) 2014-2018
7. Austrian Research Promotion Agency: # FFG BRIDGE-842388, Acronym CBL-AIM: Blocking Cbl-b immune-inhibitory signaling pathways as a unique cancer therapeutic target (Gottfried Baier), 2014-2017
8. CD Laboratory for Immune Therapy‐mediated Cancer Rejection via NR2F6 blockade; Acronym: I-CARE (Coord. Gottfried Baier) 2016-2020
9. Austrian Science Funds: # FWF P30324: Adenosine A2A receptor function(s) in the patho-physiology of immune diseases (Gottfried Baier), 2017-2021
10. Austrian Science Funds #FWF P31383: Nuclear receptors as cancer immune checkpoint (Gottfried Baier), 2018-2022
11. ERC Advanced grant # 786462: Host Protective Engineering of Cancer Immunity, Acronym: HOPE (Coord. Gottfried Baier) 2018-2023
12. PhD program in Molecular Cell Biology and Disease, Austrian Science Funds (FWF) DK-MCBD (Natascha Kleiter), 2021-2025
13. Therapie zerebraler Malaria mit Adenosin2a Rezeptor Blockade, Austrian Science Funds (FWF) TAI 80 (Karin Albrecht-Schgör), 2021-2022
14. Sox macht den Unterschied, Austrian Science Funds (FWF) TAI 88 (Kerstin Bellaire-Siegmund), 2021-2022
15. Die Rolle der Proteinkinase D in T-Zellen, Austrian Science Funds (FWF) P34368  (Kerstin Bellaire-Siegmund), 2021-2025
16. Darmbakterien manipulieren Immunantwort gegen Krebs, Austrian Science Funds (FWF) T-1292 Firnberg-Programm (Victoria Klepsch), 2021-2024
17. ERC Proof of concept grant, CAR-T-uning: Tuning Chimeric Antigen T Cell (CAR-T) therapy to lung cancer Acronym: CAR-T(uning) (Coord. Gottfried Baier), 2022-2024
18. Potentiating CD8 CAR-T cells by targeting of the lymphatic PKD3 pathway, ÖAW’s DOC research scholarship (Jiri Koutnik), 2022-2024
19. FFG Bridge grant #49465145, Extension of CAR-T cell therapy success by CBLB pathway blockade (EXCEL-T; Coord. Gottfried Baier), 2023-2025
20. ERC Proof of concept grant #101189004, NR2F6-AIM - NR2F6 Blockade as Adoptive Immune Cell Therapy for Metastatic Melanoma (Gottfried Baier), 2024-2025
21. Austrian Science Funds #FWF PAT 9292223: The role of the Nemo-like kinase signaling pathway in the avoidance of T cell exhaustion during antitumor immunity (Thomas Gruber), 2024-2028
22. Austrian Science Funds #FWF TAI 7132824: Umkehrung der altersbedingten Immunoseneszenz (Coord. Gottfried Baier), 2024-2026
23. Austrian Science Funds #FWF PAT 601462: NK-intrinsic role of NR2F6 in tumor immunity (Natascha Kleiter), 2024-2028
24. Austrian Science Funds #FWF PAT 1317523: A2AR pathway as a candidate pathological driver of experimental cerebral malaria (Coord. Gottfried Baier), 2024-2028