You are here: Skip Navigation LinksDepartment of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology

Prof. Dr. med. Jan C. Simon

​Scientific Director​

Prof. Dr. med. Jan C. Simon
 

Group Leader

  • Dr. rer. nat. habil. Ulf Anderegg
  • PD Dr. rer. nat. habil. Anja Saalbach
  • Prof. Sandra Franz​​​

​

Significance of the dermal microenvironment

Significance of the dermal microenvironment for inflammatory processes (Saalbach, Franz, Anderegg, Simon)​


Complex cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions play an important regulatory role in inflammatory processes. The importance of individual cell types such as fibroblasts, macrophages, dendritic cells, and their released mediators is being investigated in various in vitro and mouse models.
We demonstrated that dermal fibroblasts support the activation and migration of dendritic cells and that mediators released by dermal fibroblasts during wound healing can also apparently control the differentiation of inflammatory M1 macrophages into wound-healing-promoting M2 macrophages.

We are also interested in the relationship between chronic inflammatory reactions and the activation of skin adipose tissue via mediators and metabolites. We were able to show that the free fatty acids palmitic acid and oleic acid sensitize dendritic cells, which are central to the pathogenesis of psoriasis. This leads to increased secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators such as IL-1β and IL-6, as well as the release of the immune-regulating cytokines IL-23 and IL-12 after stimulation of the dendritic cells with a "danger signal" such as LPS. These data indicate that FFAs represent a link between psoriasis and obesity.

The role of adipokines in dermal inflammatory processes is also being investigated within the framework of the CRC 1052.

Third-party funding


DFG

Publications​

  • Ferrer RA, Saalbach A, Grünwedel M, Lohmann N, Forstreuter I, Saupe S, Wandel E, Simon JC, Franz S: Dermal fibroblasts promote alternative macrophage activation improving impaired wound healing.
    J Invest Dermatol. 2016 Dec 22. pii: S0022-202X(16)32801-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2016.11.035
  • Ulbricht D, Oertwig K, Arnsburg K, Saalbach A, Heiker JT: Basic Residues of β-Sheet A Contribute to Heparin Binding and Activation of Vaspin (SerpinA12).
    J Biol Chem. 2016 Dec 9. pii: jbc.M116.748020. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 27941022.
  • Stelzner K, Herbert D, Popkova Y, Lorz A, Schiller J, Gericke M, Klöting N, Blüher M, Franz S, Simon JC, Saalbach A: Free fatty acids sensitize dendritic cells to amplify TH1/TH17-immune responses.
    Eur J Immunol. 2016;46(8):2043-53.
  • Malecka A, Wang Q, Shah S, Sutavani RV, Spendlove I, Ramage JM, Greensmith J, Franks HA, Gough MJ, Saalbach A, Patel PM, Jackson AM.
    Stromal fibroblasts support dendritic cells to maintain IL-23/Th17 responses after exposure to ionizing radiation. J Leukoc Biol. 2016 Aug;100(2):381-9.
  • Saalbach A, Tremel J, Herbert D, Schwede K, Wandel E, Schirmer C, Anderegg U, Beck-Sickinger AG, Heiker JT, Schultz S, Magin T, Simon JC:
    Anti-Inflammatory Action of Keratinocyte-Derived Vaspin: Relevance for the Pathogenesis of Psoriasis. Am J Pathol. 2016;186(3):639-51.
  • Saalbach A, Janik T, Busch M, Herbert D, Anderegg U, Simon JC.
    Fibroblasts support migration of monocyte-derived dendritic cells by secretion of PGE(2) and MMP-1. Exp Dermatol. 2015 24 (8): 598-604
  • Polte T, Petzold S, Bertrand J, Schütze N, Hinz D, Simon JC, Lehmann I, Echtermeyer F, Pap T, Averbeck M: Critical role for syndecan-4 in dendritic cell migration during development of allergic airway inflammation.
    Nat Commun. 2015;6:7554.
  • Malesevic M, Gutknecht D, Prell E, Klein C, Schumann M, Nowak RA, Simon JC, Schiene-Fischer C, Saalbach A: Anti-inflammatory effects of extracellular cyclosporins are exclusively mediated by CD147.
    J Med Chem. 2013, 56(18):7302-11.
  • Bi J, Li Y, Sun F, Saalbach A, Klein C, Miller DJ, Hess R, Nowak RA.
    Basigin null mutant male mice are sterile and exhibit impaired interactions between germ cells and Sertoli cells. Dev Biol. 2013 Aug 15;380(2):145-56
  • Schultz S, Saalbach A, Heiker JT, Meier R, Zellmann T, Simon JC, Beck-Sickinger AG: Proteolytic activation of prochemerin by kallikrein 7 breaks an ionic linkage and results in C-terminal rearrangement.
    Biochem J. 2013 Jun1;452(2):271-80.
  • Saalbach A, Vester K, Rall K, Tremel J, Anderegg U, Beck-Sickinger AG, Blüher M, Simon JC: Vaspin - a link of obesity and psoriasis?
    Exp Dermatol. 2012; 21(4):309-12
  • Saalbach A, Klein C, Schirmer C, Briest W, Anderegg U, Simon JC.
    Dermal Fibroblasts Promote the Migration of Dendritic Cells.
    J Invest Dermatol. 2010 Feb;130(2):444-54
  • Saalbach A, Klein C, Sleeman J, Sack U, Kauer F, Gebhardt C, Averbeck M, Anderegg U, Simon JC: Dermal fibroblasts induce maturation of dendritic cells.
    J Immunol. 2007 Apr 15;178(8):4966-74
  • Averbeck M, Gebhardt C, Anderegg U, Termeer C, Sleeman JP, Simon JC.
    Switch in syndecan-1 and syndecan-4 expression controls maturation associated dendritic cell motility. Exp Dermatol 2007 Jul;16(7):580-9​



MeraNet

​The project aims to deliver a novel solution for malaria treatment in poverty-stricken regions. In Africa, malaria infections still kill up to 1 million people annually, most of them children under the age of 5.

While malaria is primarily determined by climate and ecology, the impacts are most severe for the poorest, as they are least able to afford preventive measures and medical treatment. Financial and geographical barriers to access to health services are among the most important factors contributing to the spread of malaria in remote, poor areas. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 20% of deaths from malaria infections are due to the use of substandard, readily available drugs.

Malaria, in turn, is one of the four leading causes of poverty, according to UN economic experts. WHO surveys show that the percentage of children with fever who were referred for treatment was higher in wealthier households (72%) than in poorer households (58%), and also higher among residents of urban areas (69%) than in rural areas (60%).

MeraNet aims to provide a suitable solution to this problem by enabling

  1. complete treatment of malaria disease with minimal intervention and
  2. malaria elimination by interrupting the transmission cycle.​

PollenNet

​Pollen-related respiratory allergies affect up to 30% of the world's population, especially children. These allergies cause high medical costs, lead to missed work and school, and result in early deaths.

Due to climate change, the pollen problem will become even more severe in the coming years, as more and more aggressive pollen is expected over longer periods.

PollenNet pursues the following goals using and further developing AI methods:

  1. Precise analysis and prediction of the distribution of allergenic plants, especially their growth phases (phenology)
  2. Better characterization of pollen properties, particularly with regard to allergenicity and dispersal, using cytometric analyses and fluid mechanics experiments
  3. Development of pollen transport and dispersal models for high-resolution spatial, temporal, and taxonomic prediction of pollen exposures
  4. Research into objective individual EEG markers for allergy sufferers in the home environment The integration of these findings will lead to the development of an approach that enables significantly more accurate and up-to-date prediction of local pollen load.

PsoNutrition​

The study investigates the influence of a dietary intervention including nutritional counseling on the inflammatory cytokine pattern, as well as clinical disease activity and quality of life in psoriasis patients with loss of efficacy of biologic therapy.

Previous data show a clear association between free fatty acid concentrations and the manifestation of psoriasis. It has not yet been investigated whether a reduction in free fatty acid concentrations can mitigate the loss of efficacy of biologic therapy in psoriatic patients. We aim to determine whether a dietary intervention including nutritional counseling influences the loss of efficacy of biologic therapy in psoriatic patients.

Furthermore, we aim to investigate the association between psoriasis disease activity and serum concentrations of adipokines (e.g., vaspin, chemerin), cytokines, lipids, and fatty acids during a dietary intervention including nutritional counseling. The examination of two skin biopsies is intended to provide further information about the effects of the dietary intervention and, if necessary, identify new therapeutic approaches.​
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