Dr. Maximina Yun awarded DFG funds to explore thymus regeneration

Dr. Maximina Yun and her research group will explore the cellular and molecular basis of thymus regeneration. The work is supported by a grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Humans have rather limited ability to regenerate damaged tissues. However, there are animals that fall on the quite opposite end of the spectrum. The Yun research group at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) at the TU Dresden and Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) studies regeneration in the Mexican salamander known as the axolotl. “When it comes to regeneration, axolotl is a truly exceptional species,” explains Dr. Yun. “As it turns out, axolotl is the only known species able to regenerate thymus from scratch.”

The thymus is a critical organ for our adaptive immune system. It is where T cells mature, the crucial cell type in the response against pathogens and cancerous cells. It is located in the upper part of the chest and reaches its full size by puberty. From that moment on, it starts to degenerate. Over the years this leads to a decreased immune response, poor recovery from infection, and inefficient tumor clearance.

“I believe that understanding how axolotls are able to regrow their thymus from scratch after its complete removal could lay foundations for new therapeutic efforts. Approaches that promote thymus regeneration or its replacement could combat pathological and age-related declines in immunity,” says Dr. Yun.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has granted over €300,000 for the initial three years of the project. The Yun group will use their expertise in modern molecular biology techniques such as single-cell RNA sequencing, advanced microscopy, and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to establish which cells give rise to the regenerated thymus and characterize its regeneration at a molecular level. The group will take advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities of the Technology Platform at the Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB) and at the Max Planck Institute for Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden.

The project has also received funds from the TU Dresden Internationalization Funding Program to establish a collaboration between the Yun research group and the group of Prof. René Maehr, an expert in thymus biology at the University of Massachusetts, USA.