Type 1 Diabetes Immunology

Our main research interest focusses on understanding the role of regulatory T cells in the development and progression of autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 Diabetes. To do so, we combine the analysis of human immune cells from different disease stages with mechanistic studies in murine and humanized in vivo models. We focus on the following research topics: We dissect key molecular mechanisms underlying regulatory T cell impairments in autoimmunity and investigate the heterogeneity, plasticity and functional specialization of regulatory T cells in metabolic tissues of diabetes. Our studies have the overarching goal to facilitate the future context-specific manipulation of regulatory T cells in (autoimmune) diabetes.

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Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease with a dramatically increasing incidence, particularly in childhood. It results from a breakdown in immune tolerance that causes the autoimmune-mediated destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and a subsequent loss of glycemic control. We aim to advance our understanding of the immune mechanisms underlying Type 1 Diabetes development. Our overall vision is to contribute to the development of immune therapies that can decelerate or even halt autoimmune progression and prevent diabetes complications.

Autoantigen-specific T cell and Treg responses

Personalized immunological models of human disease

Treg impairments during islet autoimmunity

Next-generation miRNA targeting strategies

Novel drug candidates to control T1D autoimmunity

Immune-metabolic crosstalk in target tissues of diabetes

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October 08, 2024

Every year on October 3rd, the German broadcaster WDR organizes the event "Doors Open with The Mouse." This year, 770 companies and research institutions across Germany participated, welcoming children and parents under the theme "Working Together."…

May 03, 2024

For her groundbreaking research on the intricate interactions between immune cells and metabolic tissues, Maike Becker was honored in Berlin.

January 15, 2024

Metabolic disorders are increasingly threatening global health, demanding urgent exploration of innovative strategies for prevention and treatment. Recently, the intricate interplay between immune cells and metabolic tissues (e.g., adipose tissue or…

September 20, 2023

How do our muscles respond at the molecular level to exercise? Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE) have unraveled the cellular basis and signaling pathways responsible for the positive…

September 01, 2023

With a 2.25 million US dollar grant provided by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Prof. Matthias Hebrok, Prof. Heiko Lickert, and Prof. Carolin Daniel from the Helmholtz Munich Diabetes Center, and Prof. Eckhard Wolf from Ludwig…

January 19, 2023

The German Research Foundation funds a new Collaborative Research Centre (CRC)/Transregio (TRR) which aims at employing regulatory T cells to create the basis for tailor-made immunotherapies. This initiative is an alliance of the University Mainz and…

October 03, 2022

Since October 2022, Carolin Daniel heads the new, independent Helmholtz Munich Research Unit ‘Type 1 Diabetes Immunology’ (TDI). Her research, for which she already received numerous awards, focuses on the immunology of diabetes. We talked to her…