Team TDA

Immunology

Team TDA

Tracing Immune Cell Dysfunction in Autoimmunity and Neuroinflammation

Cell metabolism guides immune cell activation towards proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory reactions, depending on the cues from the microenvironment. In autoimmune diseases, as well as in neuroinflammation, immune cells display metabolic changes, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress signatures resembling cellular senescence.

The main objective of team TDA is to understand global mechanisms that regulate mitochondrial function among cells and organs in health versus disease. In particular, the team is focused on extracellular vesicles as carriers of mitochondrial components released from dysfunctional cells that could lead to alteration of the metabolic state and senescence of recipient immune cells. We are developing in vitro cell-based assays that combine proteomics and single-cell transcriptomics with gene-editing techniques to identify and validate robust molecular signatures during disease development.

Team TDA’s final goal is to improve patient outcomes by identifying new targets and novel therapeutic approaches for restoring immune homeostasis in autoimmune diseases and in neuroinflammation.

 Mentors
  • Dr. Angelika Schmidt
    Senior Scientist, Research Unit – Neuroscience & Immunology, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (Industry mentor)
  • Dr. Philipp Haselmayer
    Associate Director, Research Unit – Neuroscience & Immunology, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (Industry mentor)
  • Dr. David Sebastián Muñoz
    Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, School of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona (Academic mentor)
The research of this team is kindly sponsored by Merck.

Our Team Members

Dr. Gorjana Rackov

Group Leader

 Short Bio
  • 2019 – 2021: Postdoc in extracellular vesicle-mediated cell-to-cell communication and the role of mitochondrial ROS in innate and adaptive responses during inflammation and autoimmunity. HM Hospitals Research Foundation and Spanish National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC)
  • 2016 – 2018: Postdoc in cancer stem cell targeting for glioblastoma immunotherapy. Supervisor: Dr. Angel Ayuso Sacido, IMDEA Nanoscience Institute, Madrid, Spain
  • 2011 – 2015: PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biomedicine and Biotechnology. Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. Supervisor: Dr. Dimitrios Balomenos at Spanish National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
 Contact

Dr. Arindam Dey

Postdoctoral Researcher

 Short Bio
  • 2021 – 2021: Postdoctoral researcher at Institute for Advanced Biosciences, France
    • Development of mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 using cationic lipid nanoparticles
    • Evaluating the effect of charge on cationic lipid nanoparticles on antigen presentation using a co-culture system of dendritic cells and T cells
  • 2016 – 2020: Doctoral student at the Institute for Advanced Biosciences, UGA, France. Thesis title: “Study of the effects of nanoparticles on the immune system, supervision: Dr. Patrice Marche
    • NEWDEAL project: New siRNA nano therapy for inflammatory bowel diseases, targeting Janus kinase
    • NANOGLIO project: Nanotechnology-based immunotherapy for glioblastoma.
  • 2016 – 2016: Master thesis at the Institute for Advanced Biosciences, UGA, France. Thesis title: “Study of Antigen Presenting Cell functions after exposure to nanoparticles”, supervision: Dr. Patrice Marche
    • Immunotoxicological effect of gold nanoparticles and neutral-lipid nanoparticles on the redox, metabolic, and cytokine profile of macrophages
 Contact

Iris Potakowskyj

PhD Student

 Short Bio
  • 2020 – 2021: Master’s degree in Experimental and Medical Biosciences and master’s thesis investigating cellular interactions in the gut of Crohn’s Disease patients (immunofluorescence and light microscopy), Linköping University, Sweden
  • 2019 – 2021: Master’s degree in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria
  • 2016 – 2019: Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Analytics, University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt, Austria
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Sneha Prabhakara Shastry

PhD Student

 Short Bio
  • 2018 – 2021: Master of Science in Regenerative Biology and Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
  • 2017 – 2018: Research Trainee at the Department of Biochemistry,
    Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
  • 2013 – 2017: Bachelor of Engineering in Biotechnology,
    M.S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India
 Contact

Adrián Parrilla Mesas

Intern

 Short Bio
  • 2021 – 2022: Master’s degree in Pharmacological Research and master’s thesis focused on the evaluation of novel neuroprotective compounds for neurodegenerative diseases, Autonomous University of Madrid
  • 2017 – 2021: Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, Complutense University of Madrid
 Contact

Seyedehsaba Nateghi

Intern

 Short Bio
  • 2022 – present: Erasmus+ International Master’s in Innovative Medicine (IMIM), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany
  • 2020 – 2021: Student intern at the Elite Foundation of Iran, Laboratory of Advanced Medical Biotechnology, Iran
  • 2017 – 2021: Bachelor’s in Biology, Department of Microbiology, University of Tehran, Iran
 Contact

Sara Obeso DĂ­az

Master's Student

 Short Bio
  • 2022 – present: Master’s degree in Translational Medical Research, Heidelberg University, Germany
  • 2021 – 2022: Research assistant, Erasmus+ Internship, the Institute for Molecular and Celular Cognition of the Centre for Molecular Neurobiology, Hamburg, Germany
  • 2017 – 2021: Bachelor’s degree in Health Biology, Alcalá de Henares University, Spain
 Contact

Olga Głatki

Master's Student

 Short Bio
  • 2022: research intern, Signal Transduction by the T-cell Antigen Receptor Group at the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology, Madrid, Spain
  • 2020 – 2023: Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
 Contact

Team TDA Alumni

At BioMed X we care for the people who work with us. Staying in touch with those who left but mainly contributed to BioMed X’s success is key. That’s why they have their designated place on our website. So let’s keep connected!

Dr. Marcel Hahn