Michael Sieweke Group
Stem Cell and Macrophage Biology
Our research is located at the interface of immunology and stem cell research and our recent findings lay the groundwork for new cellular therapy approaches in regenerative medicine. One important line of our work has revealed mechanisms how hematopoietic stem cells can generate more myeloid cells to protect transplant recipients from lethal infections. Furthermore, we discovered that macrophages, mature cells of the immune system, can activate a network of genes shared with embryonic stem cells that enables them to proliferate indefinitely. Based on these discoveries macrophages can be amplified in culture as mature differentiated cells, without stem cell intermediates or tumorigenic transformation. Our results show the compatibility of self-renewal and differentiation and open the door for new macrophage based therapies.