Thank you for being our guest, Verena!
We had wonderful poster walk with our guest, Verena Raker, from Augsburg. She engaged in lively discussion of the different projects of the RTG and gave a inspiring talk in the Distinguished Lecturer Series in the afternoon. We hope to see her again in the future!
Pint of Science 2026
From 18.05. until 20.05.26, Pint of Science is taking place! Jakia Khan will give a short presentation on “Traffic jam in your lungs - and the rogue protein behind it” on Tuesday in the Finnigan Irish Pub.
For further information, please have a look at the website: https://pintofscience.de/event/winzig-aber-maechtig-die-medizin-von-morgen-kommt-im-kleinstformat/
Posterwalk no. 12 with Miriam Wittmann
It was a wonderful day with her: After seven wonderful poster presentations and discussions with our guest, the following exchange sessions were a delight for the students and the PIs. The day was finished by a brilliant talk from her on the topic “From ANA positivity to LE. Are there biomarkers and therapy options?”
Thank you for visiting us, Miriam!
Congratulations to Sadegh Mousavi!
He defended his PhD thesis on “Diet as an intervention in autoimmune pre-disease” on April 29th 2026 successfully.
Congratulations to Farbod Bahreini!
He defended his thesis succesfully on the topic of "CD4+ T cell receptor sequences during progression towards experimental pemphigoid".
We wish her all the best at his new PostDoc position at the Institute of Anatomy in Lübeck!
Congratulations to Afsaneh Mehrpouyan!
She defended her thesis succesfully on the topic of "Clinical and experimental investigation of T helper cytokines dysregulation in systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension".
We wish her all the best at her new PostDoc position!
Thank you for the wonderful Spring Retreat!
We also thank Henrik Oster and Lina Jegodzinski for being our guests and their inspiring talks.
Next Autumn Retreat: 17. + 18.11.2026
Congratulation to Luise Janusch!
We are happy to announce the successful defense of Luise's doctoral thesis! The topic was the establishment of a 3D model for pemphigus vulgaris, using fibroblasts and keratinocytes to grow skin equivalents.
THE RTG2633 IS PROLONGED!
Thank you to all RTG members. Without each and everyone of you this would have not been possible!
We look forward the second funding period and the next generation of doctoral researchers.
For further information, please follow the link: Graduiertenkolleg 2633 erhält zweite DFG-Förderperiode
Sarah is now Dr. rer. nat. Stenger
Over the last years, she worked on the topic of “Exploring the pre-disease phase of autoimmunity in lupus-prone mouse models” and defended her thesis successfully on November 3rd 2025 -
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Vero!
On October 30th 2025, she defended her thesis on the principle of the pathogenesis of Pemhigus vulgaris successfully. Well done!
Congratulations to Leon!
He successfully defended his thesis on autantibody clonotype tracking and subsequent pathogenicity testing in a murine model aof autoimmune skin disease.
We wish him all the best for his future scientific career!
Congratulation to Daniel Mehlberg
He defended his thesis successfully across the ocean!
We wish him all the best!
Swayanka is now Dr. rer. nat. Biswas!
Swayanka Biswas defended her doctoral thesis on the topic of B cell activation in murine lupus successfully in the beginning of October!
Congratulations!
Congratulations to now Dr. rer. nat. Saurabh!
In September, Rochi defended her thesis on comprehensive genetic and comorbidity profiling of autoimmune disease utilizing data sets from UK Biobank, TriNetX and Global Data.
Good luck and all the best to her!
Jovan Schanzenbacher defended his doctoral thesis successfully
We congratulate him on his successful defense of his thesis on “The C5aR2 pathway as a novel checkpoint for B cell activation in autoimmunity”!
We wish him all the best for his future research career!
First defence of an associated PhD
On 25th July 2025, Sen Guo became the first associate PhD who completed his doctorate.
Congratulations!!
We wish him all the best for the future, here, too, it remains exciting to see where his path will lead him.
Second PhD defence in the first generation
On 18th July 2025, Justus Ohmes, the second PhD from the first RTG generation successfully defended his doctoral thesis.
We are delighted and wish Justis all the best for the future. We are very excited to see where his next steps will take him.
Congratulations!!
Posterwalk with Prof. Spindler
It was a pleasure to host Prof. Volker Spindler from the UKE. Our discussions around project posters were both stimulating and insightful, and his DLS talk offered a fascinating glimpse into his research.
Pint of Science - May 2025
The popular international festival for science communication took place in Lübeck for the fourth time and attracted numerous Lübeck residents to the sold-out pubs.
Posterwalk with Prof. Vidarsson
We were delighted to welcome Prof. Gestur Vidarsson from the Netherlands. His visit sparked engaging discussions around project posters, and his DLS presentation offered us valuable insights into his research.
Joint Spring Retreat RTG2633 x CRC1526
This year's spring retreat took place on 25th and 26th March 2025 and this time together with the CRC1526 “Pathomechanisms of Antibody-mediated Autoimmunity (PANTAU) - Insights from Pemphigoid Diseases”, also from the campus Lübeck.
We had two great days with six great guest talks, inspiring poster walks and a good time together in the large group.
Third medical graduation in the RTG
The RTG fellow Cristian Papara, defended his dissertation successfully on 14th January 2025. He is the therefore third person to receive his medical doctorate in our RTG.
Congratulations!!!
First PhD defence in the first generation
On 27th September 2024, the first PhD from the first RTG generation, Jana Buhre successfully defended her doctoral thesis.
We are delighted and wish her all the best for the future. We are very excited to see where her path will take her.
Congratulations!!
International Congress on Autoimmune Pre-Disease
The International Congress on Autoimmune Pre-Disease took place from 16.09. - 17.09.2024 in the Audimax Lübeck. We had a great congress, with exciting talks and posters, lively scientific exchange and a good atmosphere.
Thanks to all participants for their efforts and for this great event, we are already looking forward to the next time!
DAAD - Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP)
The graduate program "Autoimmune Pre-Disease" at the University of Lübeck has received funding from the DAAD to offer international PhD scholarships through the Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP). This will support research on autoimmune disease predisposition, including the role of aging. The program aims to strengthen international collaboration and enhance the university’s global visibility.
Second Graduation within the RTG
The RTG fellow Jianrui Zheng, defended his dissertation successfully on May 24th, 2024. He is the therefore second person to receive his medical doctorate in our RTG.
After his time within our RTG he started working within the Department of Cardiology in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China.
Congratulations!!!
Posterwalk with Prof. Christian Vestergaard
16.05.2024
The GRK 2633 would like to thank Prof. Christian Vestergaard for a wonderful and interesting day.
Spring Retreat 2024
26 March 2024
Our third spring retreat took place at Fraunhofer IMTE. Many thanks to everyone who took part and a special thank you to our two guests Annika Raschdorf and Stefanie Derer-Petersen. It was a pleasure for us to have you there.
First Graduation within the RTG
David Aldo De Luca Laredo, RTG fellow from May 2022 - April 2023, defended his dissertation successfully on March 19th, 2024.
He is the first person to receive his doctorate in our RTG.
Congratulations!!!
Application for MD scholarships
Application deadline: 1st August 2026
- Starting date: 1 October 2026 for a total of 6 - 12 months.
- Medical students and medical doctors qualify
- Application open, information on projects and principal investigators on this website
- Submit application (with project description minimum 3 maximum 5 pages) to the RTG secretary Jennifer Schenk in one PDF
Application must include:
- Letter of motivation
- Project description (in consultation with your potential supervisor)
- Curriculum vitae
- Abitur certificate or equivalent
- University certificates, incl. physicum grade
Upcoming RTG Events
Posterwalks:
22.10.2026 with Frank Siebenhaar
15.04.2027: Guest tba
24.06.2027: Guest tba
25.11.2027: Guest tba
Autumn Retreat:
17.+18.11.2026 Guests: Tim Lämmermann and Anja Hauser
preliminary date of Joint Spring Retreat with RTG3095: 23.02. - 25.02.2027
