Schober receives Heisenberg Professorship: Revolution in T-cell research!

Schober receives Heisenberg Professorship: Revolution in T-cell research!

On July 4, 2025, Prof. Dr. Kilian Schober received the Heisenberg Professorship at the Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU). This is a significant step in his career, supported by funding of over 500,000 euros from the German Research Foundation (DFG) over five years. Schober will particularly focus on T cells, which are considered key players in the human immune system. His goal is to better understand the biology of these cells and to develop innovative medical applications, particularly in vaccine and cancer therapy.

T cells are an essential component of the adaptive immune system, which has the ability to fight specific pathogens and recognize cancer cells. There are up to one hundred million T cells in the human body, each equipped with unique receptors. However, this adaptivity is also a double-edged sword: In some cases, T cells can trigger autoimmune reactions by attacking your own body. Schober plans to study the behavior of these cells in human tissue and is studying various forms of diseases in his group at the Institute of Microbiology, including infections, tumors and autoimmune diseases.

T cell therapies and the potential of genetic engineering

Therapy with our own T cells has become increasingly important in recent decades. A team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has made remarkable progress in this regard. Her research using CRISPR-Cas9 genetic technology has produced promising approaches. T cells were modified so that they closely resemble natural immune cells. The approach to T cell therapy includes two methods:

• Der Empfänger erhält T-Zellen von einem Spender.
• Die eigenen T-Zellen des Empfängers werden entnommen, genetisch umprogrammiert und dann im Körper gegen Infektionen oder Tumore eingesetzt.

Although the first method has shown promising results in clinical models, reprogramming one's own T cells remains a challenge that is fraught with various problems. Prof. Schober relies on these methods in his research and uses forward-looking approaches to optimize T cell responses to vaccinations, for example vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and yellow fever.

Collaboration and future prospects

Another central aspect of Schober's research work is the close collaboration with the Computational Health Center at the Helmholtz Center in Munich. Work is being done there to develop an antigen library, the aim of which is to use artificial intelligence to predict T cell receptor targets. This interdisciplinary approach can significantly contribute to the development of effective and targeted immunotherapies.

In addition, observational studies are carried out with samples from local clinical partners at the University Hospital Erlangen. These could lead to clinical studies in the future, which would further advance patient-oriented research in immunotherapy.

Schober is part of a young talent program that supports outstanding young scientists with the prospect of receiving a permanent professorship after five years. These Heisenberg Professorships represent a surge in innovation in academic teaching and research that could be of great importance in the field of T-cell immunology and beyond. In this context, the recent publication on genetic engineering and advanced gene editing systems, which appeared in the journal *Molecular Therapy – Nucleic Acids*, is also relevant. The article highlights the latest developments in this research area and their potential applications to improve T cell therapies PubMed reports that....

Continued research and development in the field of T cells not only promises significant advances in immunotherapy, but could also fundamentally transform the understanding of the human immune system. Given the challenges and opportunities presented by the genetic modification of immune cells, the next few years are crucial for the future of medical research.