Cologne, Germany – Professor Dr. Jonathan Jantsch, Director of the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at the University Hospital Cologne (Uniklinik Köln), has been re-elected as Secretary to the Board of the European Macrophage and Dendritic Cell Society (EMDS). The election affirms Professor Jantsch’s continued leadership within the prominent European scientific organization dedicated to the study of crucial components of the human immune system.
The EMDS, founded in 1992, brings together leading European scientists researching monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells – cells central to immune responses, inflammation, and potential therapeutic strategies, particularly in oncology. The society facilitates scientific exchange through annual meetings held in various European cities, alongside targeted programs to support early-career researchers and recognize significant contributions to the field.
Professor Jantsch has served as Secretary of the EMDS Board since 2017, and his re-election underscores the growing international connections of Uniklinik Köln within immunologic research. According to the Uniklinik Köln, the next EMDS annual meeting will be held this year in Amsterdam.
Professor Jantsch’s research focuses on the interplay between Salmonella infection and the immune system, specifically examining how low-oxygen conditions within gut tissue influence bacterial replication within macrophages. He is also investigating how these conditions impact antimicrobial activity and Salmonella virulence.
Since April 2022, Professor Jantsch has held the W3 professorship for Microbiology and Hygiene and directs the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at Uniklinik Köln. Prior to this, he served as Associate Professor at the University of Regensburg from 2014 to 2022. His earlier career included research group leadership and residency positions at University Hospital Erlangen, spanning from 2010 to 2014, and postdoctoral fellowships at the same institution from 2005 to 2009. He completed his doctoral thesis at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg in 2005.
Professor Jantsch is also a member of the Council of the European Macrophage and Dendritic Cell Society and, since 2023, has been a Deputy Speaker of the Working Group on Infection Immunology of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM) and the German Society for Immunology (DGfI). He currently serves as a Principal Investigator at the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne.
