Our Team

Prof. Dr. Johannes U. Mayer

Professor for Dermatological Immunotherapy

I have always been intruiged by cell-cell interactions and cellular communication and signalling. To explore some of these interactions I worked on several research projects in Germany and abroad, such as the Helmholtz Center Munich, the ENS Lyon in France and the Rockefeller University in New York. I became really interested on how Dendritic cells within the intestine sense parasites and received a wellcome trust scholarship to study these responses at the University of Glasgow, UK, where I obtained my Master of Research (M.res.) degree in 2013 and my Ph.D. in Immunology in 2017. 

To further work on this research question and investigate if the tissue environment could also directly influence the functional specialisation of dendritic cells in different organs I joined the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in Wellington, New Zealand in 2017. 

​In 2021 I moved back to Germany to build my own research group at the Department of Dermatology and Allergology at the Philipps Universität Marburg, where my research focused on the role of different dendritic cell populations in the skin in health and disease. I was recently appointed Professor for Dermatological Immunotherapy at the Department of Dermatology of the University Medical Center Mainz where we are continueing our research efforts to understand the role of Dendritic Cells in chronic skin diseases and their interaction with other immune, stromal and epithelial cells.

Mani Meghana Konga

PhD Student

I enjoy conducting root cause analysis because identifying pathogens in diseases makes pinpointing the root cause easier. Furthermore conditions with complex origins, such as autoimmunity or cancer, especially pique my curiosity.

When I discovered the chromium hyperaccumulating potential of Brachiaria ramosa plant during my master's dissertation, I was inspired to explore molecular-level controls. Simultaneously, with the pandemic around, my focus shifted to the immune system, leading me to work at Syngene with the Cell Therapy group for two years. Through diverse industry projects like γδ T cells expansion, CAR-T, therapeutic bispecific antibodies, and a target validation study, my interests in therapeutic development intensified, particularly in immune system augmentation.

I am inspired to leverage the existing immune system to cure pathologies. This drives me to explore rare, unexplored populations of T-cells. At the Mayer lab, I study Ex-Tregs (Tregs that lost their regulatory properties) and explore their application in cancer immunotherapy.

Carolin Rother 

PhD Student

I have been interested in the natural sciences for a long time. After graduating from high school, I studied Biochemistry at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. During my Bachelor's degree, I developed a particular interest in medical research topics and therefore decided to do my Master's in Biomedicine at Hannover Medical School. 

For my Master's thesis, I worked on the development of CAR-NK cells as a treatment option for cervical cancer. This made me realise that my greatest passion is immunology, in particular how immune cells are involved in diseases and how they can be harnessed for cell-based therapies. I am therefore very happy that I have the opportunity to do my PhD in the Dermatological Immunotherapy group in Mainz to study the role of Dendritic Cells in skin cancer.

Philipp Blöcher

Dr. med. Student

I am passionate about understanding the intricacies of the human body and why diseases develop. I therefore became a medical student at the University Medical Center  Mainz. This journey began with a voluntary year at a hospital, which solidified my desire to study medicine.

Alongside my studies, I'm excited to be a medical doctoral student at the lab of Prof. Johannes Mayer. My work focuses on the fascinating realm of the innate immune system, particularly on very new aspects that focus on innate memory. My doctoral thesis will explore the changes in function and differentiation of dendritic cells and their progenitors during chronic infection to see if these changes play a long-term role on how we recognize pathogens. In my project I will use a 30-color full spectrum flow cytometry panel to profile the changes of innate and adaptive progenitor cells in the bone marrow and am excited about using this novel technology.