Organ Transplantation

Professor Geissler oversees a clinical cooperation research group engaged in Transplantation Immunology research. This group aims to develop strategies for reducing both the rejection of organ transplants and the need for conventional immunosuppressive drugs. To this end, Professor Geissler led an EU-FP7 international consortium known as The ONE Study—looking to apply immunomodulatory cellular therapy to renal transplant recipients to reduce allograft rejection. Additionally, he coordinated a clinical research group known as KFO 243—funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)—which studied the early immunological determinants of late transplant outcome. New treatment strategies for reducing transplant-related pathology are expected to be clinically translated from this research.

Representing the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy, Professors Geissler and Hutchinson focus their combined efforts on the study of a regulatory macrophage (M regs) population. This shows promising therapeutic potential in humans, with two renal transplant recipients having already been treated with these cells (J Immunol, 187:2072-2078, 2011). Independently, Professor Hutchinson currently leads two EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks—researching regulatory monocyte-derived cells and the use of extracorporeal photophoresis to reduce alloimmune responses. Previously used to promote kidney allograft acceptance in The ONE Study, the two investigators are now engaged in research to determine how regulatory macrophages function in promoting tolerance to organ allografts. Both are additionally involved in a large integrated EU consortium (EU Pathfinder Challenge) on Emerging Technologies in Cell and Gene Therapy to develop a therapeutic tolerogenic DC cell product.

As part of this initiative, the following objectives have been identified:

Objective 1: Establish GMP-compliant, serum-free tissue culture conditions for manufacturing M regs

Objective 2: Identify a naturally occurring counterpart from the ex vivo-generated human M regs in tissue

Objective 3: Study the effect of M regs on co-cultured T cell and dendritic cell populations

Objective 4: Contribute to the establishment of an integrated immune-monitoring facility

Discover more by visiting Professor Geissler’s dedicated UKR page!

Here is a selection of the most important publications from the last few years:

Guinan EC, Contreras-Ruiz L, Crisalli K, Rickert C, Rosales I, Makar R, Colvin R, Geissler EK, Sawitzki B, Harden P, Tang Q, Blancho G, Turka LA, Markmann JF. (2023) Donor antigen-specific regulatory T cell administration to recipients of live donor kidneys: A ONE Study consortium pilot trial. Am J Transplant Jul 7:S1600-6135(23)00543-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajt.2023.06.012.PMID: 37422112.

Schnitzbauer AA, Filmann N, Adam R, Bachellier P, Bechstein WO, Becker T, Bhoori S, Bilbao I, Brockmann J, Burra P, Chazoullières O, Cillo U, Colledan M, Duvoux C, Ganten TM, Gugenheim J, Heise M, van Hoek B, Jamieson N, de Jong KP, Klein CG, Klempnauer J, Kneteman N, Lerut J, Mäkisalo H, Mazzaferro V, Mirza DF, Nadalin S, Neuhaus P, Pageaux GP, Pinna AD, Pirenne J, Pratschke J, Powel J, Rentsch M, Rizell M, Rossi G, Rostaing L, Roy A, Scholz T, Settmacher U, Soliman T, Strasser S, Söderdahl G, Troisi RI, Turrión VS, Schlitt HJ, Geissler EK. (2020) mTOR inhibition is most beneficial after liver transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in patients with active tumors. Ann Surg. 272(5):855–862.

Sawitzki B, Harden PN, Reinke P, Moreau A, Hutchinson JA, Game DS, Tang Q, Guinan EC, Battaglia M, Burlingham WJ, Roberts ISD, Streitz M, Josien R, Böger CA, Scottà C, Markmann JF, Hester JL, Juerchott K, Braudeau C, James B, Contreras-Ruiz L, van der Net JB, Bergler T, Caldara R, Petchey W, Edinger M, Dupas N, Kapinsky M, Mutzbauer I, Otto NM, Öllinger R, Hernandez-Fuentes MP, Issa F, Ahrens N, Meyenberg C, Karitzky S, Kunzendorf U, Knechtle SJ, Grinyó J, Morris PJ, Brent L, Bushell A, Turka LA, Bluestone JA, Lechler RI, Schlitt HJ, Cuturi MC, Schlickeiser S, Friend PJ, Miloud T, Scheffold A, Secchi A, Crisalli K, Kang SM, Hilton R, Banas B, Blancho G, Volk HD, Lombardi G, Wood KJ, Geissler EK. (2020) Regulatory cell therapy in kidney Transplantation (The ONE Study): A harmonised design and analysis of seven non-randomised, single-arm, phase 1/2A trials. Lancet. 395(10237):1627-1639.

Riquelme P, Haarer J, Kammler A, Walter L, Tomiuk S, Ahrens N, Wege AK, Goecze I, Zecher D, Banas B, Spang R, Fändrich F, Lutz MB, Sawitzki B, Schlitt HJ, Ochando J, Geissler EK, Hutchinson JA. (2018) TIGIT+ iTregs elicited by human regulatory macrophages control T cell immunity. Nat Commun. 9(1):2858.

Geissler EK, Schnitzbauer AA, Zülke C, Lamby PE, Proneth A, Duvoux C, Burra P, Jauch KW, Rentsch M, Ganten TM, Schmidt J, Settmacher U, Heise M, Rossi G, Cillo U, Kneteman N, Adam R, van Hoek B, Bachellier P, Wolf P, Rostaing L, Bechstein WO, Rizell M, Powell J, Hidalgo E, Gugenheim J, Wolters H, Brockmann J, Roy A, Mutzbauer I, Schlitt A, Beckebaum S, Graeb C, Nadalin S, Valente U, Sánchez Turrión V, Jamieson N, Scholz T, Colledan M, Fändrich F, Becker T, Söderdahl G, Chazouillères O, Mäkisalo H, Pageaux GP, Steininger R, Soliman T, de Jong KP, Pirenne J, Margreiter R, Pratschke J, Pinna AD, Hauss J, Schreiber S, Strasser S, Klempnauer J, Troisi RI, Bhoori S, Lerut J, Bilbao I, Klein CG, Königsrainer A, Mirza DF, Otto G, Mazzaferro V, Neuhaus P, Schlitt HJ. (2016) Sirolimus use in liver transplant recipients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A randomized, multicenter, open-label phase 3 trial. 100(1):116-125.

Prof. Edward Geissler

Head of LIT Cooperation Group | Organ Transplantation

Email: Edward.Geissler@ukr.de