Julia Sbierski-Kind is part of the DZD NEXT Young Talent Program 2025/26
The DZD NEXT Young Talent Program supports our young scientists within the DZD on their way to scientific independence. Young group leaders can apply with a scientific project every year. The grants are used to finance a postdoc for two years who will work on the project.
We are very pleased to congratulate Julia Sbierski-Kind, group leader and physician scientist at the IDM in Tübingen, on her selection to the DZD Young Investigator Program 2025/26.
Julia, tell us..
..what is the main aim of the project?
We hypothesize that the cross-talk between lymphocytes with liver stromal cells as well as lymphocyte topography in MASLD and hepatic insulin resistance is driven by commensal bacteria. To study the role of the gut microbiota for immune zonation, we will use germ free and gnotobiotic mouse models, stool transplantation from human MASLD donors and metagenomic shot-gun sequencing and study the development of MASLD-like pathology in distinct murine models of insulin resistance and liver fibrosis. We will then use quantitative volumetric imaging, genetically modified mice and spatial transcriptomics to explore spatial topography in the hepatic immune niche.
..how is it relevant to the public?
The worldwide epidemic of obesity has led to an increasing prevalence of T2D and MASLD promoting the development of irreversible liver fibrosis. Our research should deepen our understanding of lymphocyte topography and immune-microbiome interactions in MASLD and liver fibrosis and may lead to disease-relevant personalized therapeutic strategies.
For me, the DZD means …
... the opportunity to meet and (potentially) to collaborate with talented scientists across Germany to combat diabetes and its associated complications.
More information to the DZD Young Talent Program is available at the DZD webpage.