Carolin Daniel

Director of the Institute for Metabolism and Immunology (IMI) & Professor of Immunomodulation at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU), Division of Clinical Pharmacology

+49 89 3187 2188 carolin.daniel@helmholtz-munich.de Website

Gebäude / Raum: 106, 124

“The core of my research is to understand how the immune system interacts with metabolic processes in health and disease, with a particular focus on regulatory T cells (Tregs) as key mediators of immune–metabolic crosstalk. We investigate molecular mechanisms underlying Treg dysfunction, specialization, and plasticity in autoimmune and metabolic diseases such as type 1 diabetes, as well as their heterogeneity and functional adaptation across metabolic tissues.

Our overall goal is to integrate immunology and metabolism to better understand disease initiation and progression and to enable precision immune modulation. Building on our long-standing work in immune tolerance, we aim to translate mechanistic insights into disease-specific, Treg-based strategies that not only suppress pathological immune responses but also support tissue function, regeneration, and long-term metabolic health.”

Visit IMI website

Carolin Daniel obtained her Ph.D. in Immune Pharmacology from the European Graduate School of the German Research Foundation in Frankfurt, and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, in 2008. She then received a fellowship from the Leopoldina/National Academy of Sciences Germany, allowing her to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship in Immunology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the laboratory of Harald von Boehmer, with a joint appointment at Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA.

With a Leopoldina return fellowship, she joined the Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Munich in 2012 as a Young Investigator Group Leader, where she studied immune mechanisms of type 1 diabetes in childhood. From 2017 to 2022, she led an independent research group, expanding her focus to T cell tolerance in diabetes and obesity. Since 2019, she has been Professor of Immune Modulation at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology. In 2022, she was appointed Head of the independent Research Unit Type 1 Diabetes Immunology (TDI). In 2026, she became Director of the newly founded Institute for Metabolism and Immunology (IMI) at Helmholtz Munich.

Her research focuses on the role of regulatory T (Treg) cells in metabolic and autoimmune diseases, with a particular emphasis on type 1 diabetes. She aims to harness regulatory T cells for precision immune modulation to better understand, prevent, and treat autoimmune and metabolic disorders such as diabetes.

Beyond her research activities, Carolin Daniel is deeply engaged in the scientific community. She leads the Type 1 Diabetes Academy of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and serves as Speaker of the International Helmholtz Graduate School for Diabetes. She is Co-Spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Centre TRR 355 and coordinates the Helmholtz Munich Immunology Cross-Topic Activity, thereby actively fostering scientific exchange across disciplines.

For her outstanding scientific contributions, she has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Werner Creutzfeldt Prize and the Ferdinand Bertram Prize of the German Diabetes Association (DDG), the Isil Berat Barlan Prize for outstanding female scientists in immunology, the Georges Köhler Prize of the German Society for Immunology (DGfI), and the Early Career Research Award in Vaccine Research from the International Union of Immunological Societies.

“For me, the most important drivers of scientific discovery are talented and passionate individuals and the ideas they generate and exchange. Therefore, my team remains at the center of my work, and it is essential to me that all members have sufficient space and support for their professional and personal development, both within and beyond science.

My leadership style is based on trust, openness, and the recognition of individual strengths. I see my role as creating an environment that fosters curiosity-driven research while enabling independence, diversity, and different career paths. A supportive and collaborative culture is essential for scientific excellence as well as personal growth. Ultimately, leadership for me means enabling individuals to thrive while working toward shared scientific goals, guided by my favorite Ubuntu principle: I am because we are.”

Immune System Immune Tolerance Immune Modulation Autoimmunity Type 1 Diabetes Regulatory T cells Antigen-Specific Regulatory T Cells

Immune-Metabolic Crosstalk Tissue-Specific Regulatory T Cells microRNAS

Since 2026

2022 - 2025

Since 2019

2016 - 2022

2012 - 2016

2008 - 2012

2007-2008

2025 Werner Creutzfeldt Prize for outstanding contributions to the pathophysiology and treatment of diabetes mellitus
2021 Isil Berat Barlan Award for Outstanding Women Scientists in Immunology
2021 Member of AcademiaNet nominated by the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers
2021 Ferdinand Bertram Award of the German Diabetes Society (DDG)
2021 Research Prize 2021 of the Heinz-Bürger-Büsing Foundation for research in diabetes
2020 Early Career Research Prize in Vaccinology R&D from the International Union of Immunology Societies (IUIS) and Vaccines Europe
2019 Nils-Ilja Richter Prize of the German Society for Autoimmune Diseases (DGfAE)
2018 Georges Köhler Prize of the German Society for Immunology (DGfI)
2017 Awarded as "New leader in the field" by the Women in Metabolism/Rosie Project of the journal Cell Metabolism
2017 Ernst Friedrich Pfeiffer Prize of the German Diabetes Society (DDG)
2010 Prize for the best poster presentation, Annual Meeting of the Department for Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Boston, USA
2008 Fritz-Külz-Prize 2007, German Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology
2007 Science Award of the Rhine-Main Society for Gastroenterology

Hand holding trophy cup tophy form lines, triangles and particle style design. Illustration vector

Becker M, Kälin S, Neubig AH, Lauber M, Opaleva D, Hipp H, Salb VK, Ott VB, Legutko B, Kälin RE, Hippich M, Scherm MG, Nascimento LFR, Serr I, Hosp F, Nikolaev A, Mohebiany A, Krueger M, Flachmeyer B, Pfaffl MW, Haase B, Yi C-X, Dietzen S, Bopp T, Woods SC, Waisman A, Weigmann B, Mann M, Tschöp MH, Daniel C

Regulatory T cells in the mouse hypothalamus control immune activation and ameliorate metabolic impairments in high-calorie environments

Hipp H, Tondello C, Gmehling H, Scholz LK, Stavridou A, Becker M, Bührer A-M, Hintermann E, Dirschl SM, Johannsmann TM, Scherm MG, Kohlhof H, Serr I, Christen U, Daniel C

Inhibition of pyrimidine de novo synthesis fosters Treg cells and reduces diabetes development in models of Type 1 Diabetes

Becker M, Joseph S, Garcia-Carrizo F, Tom R, Opaleva D, Serr I, Tschöp M, Schulz T, Hofmann S, Daniel C

Regulatory T cells require IL6 receptor alpha signaling to control skeletal muscle function and regeneration

Scherm MG, Serr I, Zahm AM, Schug J, Bellusci S, Manfredini R, Salb VK, Gerlach K, Weigmann B, Ziegler AG, Kaestner KH, Daniel C

miRNA142-3p targets Tet2 and impairs Treg differentiation and stability in models of type 1 diabetes

Becker M, Serr I, Salb VK, Ott VB, Mengel L, Blüher M, Weigmann B, Hauner H, Tschöp MH, Daniel C.

Short-term cold exposure supports human Treg induction in vivo

Serr I, Scherm MG, Zahm AM, Schug J, Flynn VK, Hippich M, Kälin S, Becker M, Achenbach P, Nikolaev A, Gerlach K, Liebsch N, Loretz B, Lehr C-M, Kirchner B, Spornraft M, Haase B, Segars J, Küper C, Palmisano R, Waisman A, Willis RA, Kim W-U, Weigmann B, Kaestner KH, Ziegler AG, Daniel C.

miRNA181a/NFAT5 axis links impaired T cell tolerance induction with autoimmune type 1 diabetes

Kälin S, Becker M, Ott VB, Serr I, Hosp F, Mollah MMH, Keipert S, Lamp D, Rohner-Jeanrenaud F, Flynn VK, Scherm MG, Nascimento LFR, Gerlach K, Popp V, Dietzen S, Bopp T, Krishnamurthy P, Kaplan MH, Serrano M, Woods SC, Tripal P, Palmisano R, Jastroch M, Bluher M, Wolfrum C, Weigmann B, Ziegler AG, Mann M, Tschöp MH, Daniel C.

A Stat6/Pten Axis Links Regulatory T Cells with Adipose Tissue Function

Serr I, Fürst RW, Ott VB, Scherm MG, Nikolaev A, Gökmen F, Kälin S, Zillmer S, Bunk M, Weigmann B, Kunschke N, Loretz B, Lehr CM, Kirchner B, Haase B, Pfaffl MW, Waisman A, Willis RA, Ziegler AG, Daniel C

miRNA92a taargets KLF2 and PTEN signaling to promote human T follicular helper precursors in T1D islet autoimmunity

Serr I, Fürst RW, Achenbach P, Scherm MG, Gökmen F, Haupt F, Sedlmeier E-M, Knopff A, Shultz L, Willis RA, Ziegler A-G, Daniel C.

Type 1 diabetes vaccine candidates promote human Foxp3+Treg induction in humanized mice

von Boehmer H and Daniel C

Therapeutic opportunities for manipulating Tregs in autoimmunity and cancer. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery

Daniel C, Weigmann B, Bronson R, von Boehmer H

Prevention of type 1 diabetes in mice by tolerogenic vaccination with a strong agonist insulin mimetope

Daniel C, Wennhold K, Kim HJ, von Boehmer H

Enhancement of antigen-specific Treg-vaccination in vivo

Nolting J, Daniel C, Reuter S, Stuelten C, Li P, Sucov H, Kim BG, Letterio JJ, Kretschmer K, Kim HJ, von Boehmer H

Retinoic acid can enhance conversion of naive into regulatory T cells independently of secreted cytokines