Prestigious ERC starting grant for the Lachmann Lab

Macrophages are unique hematopoietic cells and have seminal functionalities to maintain the function of the human organism. To establish new macrophage-based therapies, the lab of Dr. Nico Lachmann received an ERC-starting grant ("iPSC2Therapy"). Within this grant, the Lachmann lab aims to use human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to unravel the ontogeny of human macrophages and to establish new regenerative therapies for pulmonary infections.

Below you will find more information from the German press (Text; MHH Department of Communications)

Associate professor Dr. Nico Lachmann receives prestigious "ERC Starting Grant" award

Associate professor Dr. Nico Lachmann receives the prestigious EU science grant for his research on immune cell transplantation.

It is one of the highest awards for excellent research work: the coveted scientific funding from the European Union. Dr. Nico Lachmann has now been awarded the prestigious "ERC Starting Grant" by the European Research Council (ERC) for his "iPSC2Therapy" project in the junior researcher category. The biomedical scientist works at the Institute of Experimental Haematology and the REBIRTH Research Center for Translational and Regenerative Medicine at Hannover Medical School (MHH). He is now receiving funding of 1.5 million euros over five years. In his research project, he wants to investigate how human macrophages (phagocytes) develop in the lungs. The findings should help to transplant macrophages directly into the organs and thus develop new therapies against mycobacteria, which cause serious lung diseases, among other things.

How do macrophages develop in early human development?

For his work, the scientist relies on so-called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). Although these all-rounders are created in the laboratory, they are similar to the cells of an early embryo and can therefore give rise to any cell in the human body. These cells will be used to investigate how macrophages develop in early human development. The macrophages are part of the white blood cells, are part of the immune system and eliminate pathogens such as mycobacteria. If this does not work or does not work sufficiently, serious infections are the result, which can even be fatal.

On the way to new therapies

"The knowledge about the exact development of macrophages should lead to a completely new type of therapy," says Dr. Lachmann. The aim is to replace and treat an existing but misdirected immune response in the lungs directly with healthy macrophages cultivated in the laboratory. Similar to a bone marrow transplant, diseased macrophages are replaced with healthy ones. "This approach is completely new and has many advantages," explains the biomedical scientist. For one thing, there are fewer undesirable side effects, as the therapeutic phagocytes only need to be inhaled by the patient. Accompanying chemotherapy, as is usual with bone marrow transplants, would not be necessary. Secondly, macrophages apparently have similar properties to stem cells: Once established in the lungs, they remain in the body for life. Researching this process allows new insights into previously unknown therapies in the lungs.

Scavenger cell transplantation with great potential

"Being able to use macrophages directly as a therapeutic intervention would be spectacular and has great potential," says Dr. Lachmann. This new method of macrophage transplantation could then be extended to other lung diseases and could lay the foundation for new treatment options for tuberculosis or other lung diseases such as mucoviscidosis or asthma. In addition, the indication could be extended to other organs in which defective macrophages cause severe disorders - such as chronic inflammatory diseases in the intestine or neuronal disorders in the brain.

The "iPSC2Therapy" project is based on national and international cooperation and combines the unique expertise of infection, regeneration and transplantation at the MHH. Together with Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kalinke, Managing Director of the Twincore, Dr. Gesine Hansen, Director of the Clinical Department of Paediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology at MHH, and other researchers from the REBIRTH Center, the foundation stone is to be laid for the novel therapeutic approach using phagocytes.