Clarissa Campbell
After obtaining her PhD, Clarissa remained under the mentorship of Dr. Alexander Rudensky at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to continue her work on host-commensal interactions and pursue broader scientific questions bridging the fields of immunology and metabolism. Her research has characterized a circuit whereby microbial metabolites including short-chain fatty acids and secondary bile acids facilitate the differentiation of peripherally induced Treg cells, which in turn suppress immune responses to colonization and preserve a niche for a group of intestinal bacteria. More recently, she found that a bile acid-sensing nuclear receptor contributes to the cell-intrinsic responsiveness of effector T cells to fasting. Clarissa Campbell joined CeMM as a principal investigator in July 2021. Her lab is interested in investigating how changes in microbial and organismal metabolism contribute to regulating immune-cell function.
Joris van der Veeken
Joris, based in IMP Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, specializes in investigating T cell biology within the adaptive immune system. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms driving T cell differentiation and function, particularly in health and disease contexts. Joris explores how T cells develop from hematopoietic precursors in the thymus, become activated by antigen-presenting cells during infections, and subsequently differentiate into diverse effector types such as Th1, Th2, Th17, TFH, and cytotoxic T cells. He also investigates the role of regulatory T cells in maintaining immune balance and preventing autoimmunity. Additionally, Joris studies the impact of chronic antigen stimulation on T cell dysfunction and exhaustion, as well as the unique features acquired by tissue-resident T cells in different tissue environments. Through his work, Joris aims to unravel the intricate mechanisms underlying T cell responses, paving the way for novel therapeutic strategies in immunology.