October 22, 14:00: Dr. Stephanie Talker
A toast to fundamental immunology across species: exploring the mononuclear phagocyte system
Speaker: Dr. Stephanie Talker, Group Leader, Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI), University of Bern, Switzerland
Time: Thursday, October 22 at 14.00.
Meeting link (Zoom):
https://nmbu.zoom.us/j/65481674948?pwd=t5ZziFDYjK6IeB16raxAiHdDaPm12C.1
Stephanie will present her journey in the characterization of mononuclear phagocytes in ruminants, as well as in the horse and the dog, including the discovery of transitional dendritic cells in these species. She will highlight comparisons with human DCs and monocytes, underscoring the importance of comparative immunology in general.
Bio: Stephanie Talker studied Veterinary Medicine in Vienna (Austria), where she gained her PhD in 2016 by investigating the porcine T-cell response to viral infection. From 2017 to 2023 she held a postdoctoral position in the Summerfield lab at the Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) in Bern (Switzerland), where she trained herself in the analysis of (single-cell) RNA-seq data, focusing mostly on bovine dendritic and monocytic cells. With her appointment as group leader in March 2023, she became a strong advocate for high-quality fundamental research in Veterinary Immunology. The in-depth exploratory analyses performed at the IVI are setting new standards for the definition of mononuclear phagocyte heterogeneity across veterinary species, such as cattle, pig, horse, and dog, and provide a rich resource for comparative analyses. “As we explore similarities and differences across species, we are reminded that fundamental immunology transcends boundaries. Every insight gained in one species enriches our understanding of another and strengthens the spirit of One Health.”
Key papers:
1. Dendritic-cell diversity in equine blood revealed by single-cell transcriptomics
2. Unraveling porcine dendritic-cell diversity: welcome tDC and DC3
3. Single-cell transcriptomics reveals striking heterogeneity and functional organization of dendritic and monocytic cells in the bovine mesenteric lymph node
4. Monocyte biology conserved across species: Functional insights from cattle