When: 23.10.2023 at 12.00-13.00

Where: Presidentti-auditorium, Visitor Center Joki

Steffen Jung. Professor at the Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Macrophages & Monocytes revisited – Origins do matter

E-mail: s.jung@weizmann.ac.il

Website: https://www.weizmann.ac.il/dept/irb/jung/

About the lecturer:

Born in Homburg, Germany, Steffen Jung started his academic journey at the University of Bonn and later pursued his Ph.D. in Cologne, under the guidance of Andreas Radbruch at the Institute of Genetics headed by Klaus Rajewsky. His research focused on using gene targeting technology to identify control elements in immunoglobulin class switch recombination.

After completing his Ph.D., Steffen continued his studies in Israel, joining Yinon Ben-Neriah’s lab at the Lautenberg Center (Hebrew University) to explore transcription factors and kinases in T cell signaling. He then moved to New York for a post-doc at the Skirball Institute for Molecular Pathogenesis, NYU Medical Center, where he concentrated on the chemokine receptor CX3CR1 and its ligand CX3CL1/fractalkine, creating CX3CR1gfp reporter mice.

In 2002, Steffen returned to Israel, becoming a faculty member in the Department of Immunology at the Weizmann Institute, eventually achieving tenure and full professorship. His current research focuses on understanding mononuclear phagocytes, including monocytes, DCs, and macrophages. His team employs cutting-edge techniques such as intra-vital imaging, gene ablation, and genomic analysis to study these cells in health and disease contexts. Recent work explores monocyte-derived intestinal macrophages, brain macrophages (including microglia and CNS-border associated macrophages), and their roles in metabolic disorders.

Presentative publications:

Perivascular cells induce microglial phagocytic states and synaptic engulfment via SPP1 in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease , De Schepper S., Ge J. Z., Crowley G. et al. (2023) Nature Neuroscience. 26, 3, p. 406-415

Distinct spatiotemporal features of microglia and monocyte-derived macrophages in glioma , Banerjee K., Ratzabi A., Caspit I. M., Ganon O., Blinder P., Jung S. & Stein R. (2023) European Journal of Immunology. e2250161.

Cognate microglia–T cell interactions shape the functional regulatory T cell pool in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis pathology , Haimon Z., Frumer G. R., Kim J. et al. (2022) Nature Immunology.

A Binary Cre Transgenic Approach Dissects Microglia and CNS Border-Associated Macrophages , Kim J., Kolesnikov M., Peled-Hajaj S. et al. (2021) Immunity. 54, 1, p. 176-190