Dr. Anna Aschenbrenner at the 5th Internal miTarget Meeting
On 2 March 2026, the miTarget consortium gathered at the “Zentrum für Molekulare Biowissenschaften” in Kiel for the 5th Internal meeting of phase 2. Researchers from all participating projects presented and discussed their latest results, fostering exchange across disciplines and strengthening collaboration within the network.
A highlight of the meeting was the guest lecture by Anna C. Aschenbrenner, Senior Group Leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn. Dr. Aschenbrenner’s research focuses on the role of the immune system in ageing processes and its contribution to the early stages of chronic inflammatory diseases, particularly in older individuals. Another key aspect of her research is the investigation of infectious diseases as potential triggers of chronic inflammation and premature ageing of the immune system, which may contribute to the development of age-related diseases, such as neurodegeneration.
In her presentation (“Dynamic Responses, Diverse Patients: A Systems View of Precision Immunology“), Anna Aschenbrenner provided an overview of her ongoing research projects (e.g. DeCOI, ImmunoSep, NeuroCOV) and addressed a central question in immunology: why do individuals respond differently to the same immunological triggers, such as chronic viral infections or therapeutic interventions during acute infections? In her research group, this question is explored through a range of approaches, including the combination of whole-blood antigen stimulation assays with advanced single-cell omics technologies, enabling a detailed characterization of the heterogeneity of innate immune responses in clinically relevant settings1.
She further introduced a statistical framework that leverages natural variation in gene expression across populations to infer gene function2,3. Through illustrative examples, she demonstrated how the integration of statistical modelling, experimental approaches, and multi-omics data can support patient stratification based on distinct immune response patterns and contribute to more informed and timely clinical decision-making4,5.
We were very pleased to welcome her as a guest speaker and thank her for sharing her valuable insights with the miTarget consortium.
1. Müller S, Kröger C, Schultze JL, Aschenbrenner AC. Whole blood stimulation as a tool for studying the human immune system. Eur J Immunol. 2024 Feb;54(2):e2350519. PMID: 38103010.
2. Bonaguro L, Schulte-Schrepping J, Carraro C, Sun LL, Reiz B, Gemünd I, et al. Human variation in population-wide gene expression data predicts gene perturbation phenotype. iScience. 2022 Nov 18;25(11):105328. PMID: 36310583.
3. Aschenbrenner AC, Bonaguro L. huva: A human variation analysis framework to predict gene perturbation from population-scale multi-omics data. STAR Protoc. 2023 Jun 16;4(2):102193. PMID: 36964906.
4. Kröger C, Müller S, Leidner J, Kröber T, Warnat-Herresthal S, Spintge JB, et al. Unveiling the power of high-dimensional cytometry data with cyCONDOR. Nat Commun. 2024 Dec 19;15(1):10702. PMID: 39702306.
5. Knoll R, Helbig ET, Dahm K, Bolaji O, Hamm F, Dietrich O, et al. The life-saving benefit of dexamethasone in severe COVID-19 is linked to a reversal of monocyte dysregulation. Cell. 2024 Aug 8;187(16):4318-4335.e20. PMID: 38964327.