Associate Professor Guillaume Jacquemet and Professor Cecilia Sahlgren from Åbo Akademi University and the InFLAMES Research Flagship have been awarded funding for the Research Council of Finland Centre of Excellence in Immune-Endothelial Interactions (IMMENs), conducted in collaboration with the University of Helsinki.

The project explores how immune cells (leukocytes) interact with specialized cells in the lymphatic system, known as lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs), to regulate localized immune responses. The researchers aim to understand how these interactions function in both healthy and diseased states, and how tumors manipulate them to evade immune detection. “The insights generated by this project could pave the way for new strategies to harness the immune system and enable more effective therapies,” says Guillaume Jacquemet.

IMMENs is led by Professor Taija Mäkinen (University of Helsinki) and Jacquemet, Sahlgren and Docent Kari Vaahtomeri (University of Helsinki) complete the newly awarded Centre of Excellence. Research Council of Finland selected altogether eleven Centres of Excellence for the 2026–2033 programme period and the aim is to strengthen Finnish research by raising its level, contributing to its regeneration and promoting its societal impact.

Cecilia Sahlgren and Guillaume Jacquemet. Photo: Åbo Akademi University.