Platform 4 is responsible for the phenotyping of organs and tissues and the characterization of potential immune responses following optogen transfer. First, we will carefully look for changes in tissue histology and, if present, identify infiltrating immune cells and examine them for upregulated cytokines. Second, we will process and analyze isolated sera from various animal species, identifying antibodies directed against AAV vectors and individual components of the optogen transfer, as well as analyze peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). This information will allow us to identify the key triggers that may lead to an immune response and work on strategies to prevent them.

This platform combines the expertise of several laboratories and principal investigators -> PIs: Kathrin Kusch at the German Primate Center, Tobias Brügmann at the Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology, Christine Stadelmann-Nessler at the Institute of Neuropathology, and Phillip Ströbel at the Institute of Pathology at the University Medical Center Göttingen, as well as Hildegard Büning from the Institute of Experimental Hematology and Christine Falk from the Institute of Transplantation Immunology at Hannover Medical School.