Immunological memory – a roadblock to regeneration of tolerance in autoimmunity

Prof. Dr.Andreas Radbruch has been Scientific Director of the DRFZ from 1996 – 2023. He was Professor of Experimental Rheumatology at the Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University in Berlin (Charité) from 1998. He became an emeritus professor in 2021. He continues as a senior professor at the Charité and leads the group Cell Biology. His scientific contributions have earned him prestigious awards, including the Karl-Heinz Beckurts Prize (1994), the Carol-Nachmann Prize in Rheumatology (2014), the Avery-Landsteiner Prize (2014),  and an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) (2011-2016). He served as the President of the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC) (2016-2016) and the President of European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS) from 2019 to 2021.

Prof. Radbruch’s research interests focus on autoimmunity, inflammation, and immunological memory. He investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying antibody class switching in B lymphocytes and the development of memory B and T lymphocytes. His work also explores the role of immunological memory in chronic diseases, particularly rheumatic inflammation, and how tissue-resident memory cells contribute to long-term immune responses. Radbruch’s research has led to new insights into the organization of immune memory and its implications for therapeutic strategies in autoimmune diseases.