Gerckens/Mümmler Lab

Lung Transplantation: Therapeutic Immunology

Lung transplantation is a life-saving treatment option for patients with the most severe lung diseases. The aim of our working group - led jointly by the doctors Dr. Michael Gerckens and Dr. Carlo Mümmler - is to improve outcomes after lung transplantation. The two group leaders bring their extensive experience in clinical and scientific research to this initiative and pursue an innovative management concept that integrates clinical and scientific tasks. The group works in close cooperation with the Hospital of the University of Munich (KUM).

This integration of clinical practice and scientific research across this research focus facilitates a better understanding of lung transplant function and the development of new therapeutic approaches in order to - hopefully - significantly improve the quality of life and survival of patients after lung transplants.

Lung transplantation is a life-saving treatment option for patients with the most severe lung diseases. The aim of our working group - led jointly by the doctors Dr. Michael Gerckens and Dr. Carlo Mümmler - is to improve outcomes after lung transplantation. The two group leaders bring their extensive experience in clinical and scientific research to this initiative and pursue an innovative management concept that integrates clinical and scientific tasks. The group works in close cooperation with the Hospital of the University of Munich (KUM).

This integration of clinical practice and scientific research across this research focus facilitates a better understanding of lung transplant function and the development of new therapeutic approaches in order to - hopefully - significantly improve the quality of life and survival of patients after lung transplants.

Click & View

Unfortunately, long-term survival rates and long-term prognosis after lung transplantation remain unsatisfactory compared to other organ transplants. This is due to a variety of complications associated with patients' immunosuppression and concomitant therapies after lung transplantation. These include various types of lung transplant failure.

A central concern of the research efforts is to characterize chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), a serious complication characterized by a progressive loss of lung function after an initial stable plateau, in more detail in order to derive new therapeutic options. In addition, the group is investigating different types of transplanted lung dysfunction, such as primary graft dysfunction (PGD) or baseline lung allograft dysfunction (BLAD). Humoral and acute rejection are also significant challenges that greatly influence survival and prognosis after lung transplantation.

Picture right: Digitalized bronchoalveolar lavage cytospin for further automated analysis

Another important area of research is the study of pleural effusions, which occur as a complication of lung disease and other diseases. Pleural effusions are accumulations of fluid between the pleural sheets that may result from dysfunction of the pulmonary or cardiovascular systems or from other causes such as malignancies or immunological events. In lung transplant recipients, we observe a previously unknown form of lymphocyte-rich pleural effusions, which influence survival and morbidity after lung transplantation and the cause of which is also being investigated by the research group.

A central concern of the working group is the automated analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), an important diagnostic tool in lung diseases and transplantation processes. Bronchoalveolar lavage can be obtained through bronchoscopy with lung lavage and provides valuable information about the immunological conditions in the lungs. The working group is researching how machine learning and artificial intelligence can be used to improve and simplify these analyses. The aim is to develop a clinically usable tool that makes the analysis of lung fluid more efficient and precise.

Picture right: Digitalized bronchoalveolar lavage cytospin for further automated analysis