The ESR will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Heidelberg University, the oldest university in Germany. Specifically, the ESR will be joining the Cell Therapy Lab at the Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Immunology, associated to the German Red Cross Blood Donor Services Baden-Württemberg – Hessen.

The aim of this project, as part of the greater ITN program, is to establish a matrix of in vitro potency assays for immunomodulation, renoprotective effects and safety based on in vivo data in close collaboration with the other ESR at Heidelberg and within the consortium.

The specific tasks of this project are:

• Isolate and characterize adipose-tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (A-MSCs), their secretome and extracellular vesicles.
• Establish MSC and EV reference material/standards for quality metrics.
• Evaluate immunomodulatory functions specifically on macrophages and T cell populations.
• Evaluate renoprotective effects using live-cell imaging tools and sophisticated flow cytometry assays.
• Correlate in vitro data to in vivo data on mechanisms of action and establish a matrix of potency assays capable of predicting therapeutic efficacy.