Immunology
Team MFW
Next-Generation Clinically Relevant Models of Fibrosis and Wound Healing
Chronic fibroinflammatory diseases (NASH, PF-ILDs, scleroderma, Crohn’s disease, and others) are characterized by aberrant tissue repair and are driven in part by pathological matrix production, macrophage and fibroblast activation, and metabolic reprogramming. Similar processes impact the solid tumor microenvironment, contributing to tumorigenesis, immune suppression, and drug resistance.
In close collaboration with our pharma partner Boehringer Ingelheim, the task of this new research group is to develop new physiologically relevant fibrotic disease models that can help us better understand pathological fibrosis as compared to normal wound healing processes. This will increase the chances of developing effective therapies that can maximally reduce fibrosis progression without interfering with the natural wound healing processes.
Mentors
- Dr. John Broadwater
Director, Cardio-metabolic Diseases Research, Early-Stage Portfolio, Boehringer Ingelheim (Industry Mentor) - Prof. Dr. Jill Steinbach-Rankins
Senior Associate Director, Innovation Technology Lead, Development Sciences and Management, Boehringer Ingelheim (Industry Mentor) - Dr. Ernest Raymond
Principal Scientist, Non-clinical Drug Safety, Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim (Industry Mentor) - Dr. Yoo-Chun Kim
Senior Principal Scientist, Material and Analytical Sciences, Development New Chemical Entity, Boehringer Ingelheim (Industry Mentor) - TBD
(Academic mentor)
Team Location XSeed Labs Ridgefield
The research of this team is kindly sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim.
Our Team Members
Dr. Lorenzo Talà
Group Leader
Short Bio
- 2023: System Specialist at the BioImaging & Optics Core Facility at EPFL, Switzerland
- 2017 – 2022: PhD in Biotechnology and Bioengineering at EPFL, Switzerland, with Prof. Alexandre Persat. Global Health Institute and Institute of Bioengineering.
- 2016: Research Engineer in the Genetic skin diseases lab at Institut Imagine, INSERM, Paris, France, with Prof. Alain Hovnanian