(2020)
Salt generates antiinflammatory Th17 cells but amplifies pathogenicity in proinflammatory cytokine microenvironments.
J Clin Invest 130(9),
4587-4600.

Prof. Dr. Christina Zielinski
Infection Immunology · Head +49 3641 532-1251 christina.zielinski@leibniz-hki.deCurriculum vitae
Main Research Areas
- Regulation of human T cells in physiological and pathological contexts
- Communication of human T cells with the tissue microenvironment
- Identification of pharmacological targets for T cell-based immunotherapies in chronic infections
Professional Career
since 2021 | W3-Professorship (Chair of Department of Infection Immunology) at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Hans Knöll Institute), University of Jena |
2015 - 2020 | Professorship of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at the Technical University of Munich |
2011 – 2015 | Clinical training in dermatology and allergology at the Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Department of Dermatology) and Clinical Scientist Track Program of the Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies, Board certification 2015 |
2008 – 2011 | Postdoctoral training (DFG fellowship) at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Bellinzona, Switzerland (Supervisor: Federica Sallusto, PhD) |
2006 – 2008 | Clinical training in dermatology at the University of Tübingen (Head of department: Prof. Dr. med. M. Röcken) |
2007 | Doctor of Medicine (summa cum laude): “Intrinsic T cell defects in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus“ |
2006 | Approbation (license to practice medicine) |
1999 – 2006 | Medical School at the University of Heidelberg (1 Semester Harvard Medical School, 1 Semester Duke Medical School), Scholar of the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) |
Awards · Appointments · Scientific Activities
2020 | Paul Langerhans Preis der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Dermatologische Forschung |
2019 | Ingrid zu-Solms Preis für Medizin |
2019 | Deutscher Neurodermitis Preis der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft |
2015 | Vortragspreis auf dem International Congress on Autoinflammation, Dresden |
2014 | Forschungspreis der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Rheumatologie |
2014 | Silver Award der LEO Pharma Research Foundation für außerordentliche Beiträge zur Dermatologischen Forschung (European Society for Dermatological Research, ESDR) |
2014 | Wolfgang-Schulze Preis (Deutsche Rheuma-Liga) |
2013 | Oscar-Gans-Förderpreis (wichtigster Preis für dermatologische Forschung in Deutschland) |
2013 | Paul Janssen-Preis für Dermatologie und Immunologie der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft |
2013 | Forschungspreis der Berliner Gesellschaft für Dermatologie |
2012 | Robert-Koch-Postdoktorandenpreis für Immunologie |
2012 | Nils-Ilja-Richter-Preis der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Autoimmun-Erkrankungen |
2012 | Celgene Award for Innovation in Inflammation and Immunology Research into Dermatological Diseases (bester europäischer Beitrag zur Dermatologie durch Nachwuchsforscher, European Society for Dermatological Research) |
2011 | Vortragspreis, European Academy and Clinical Immunology Conference, Istanbul |
2011 | gewähltes Mitglied der ‘ESDR Academy for Future Leaders in Dermatology’ |
2011 | Posterpreis, Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Allergologie und Immunologie, Lugano |
2010 | Posterpreis, Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Immunologie, Leipzig |
2010 | Vortragspreis, World Immune Regulation Meeting, Davos |
Publications
(2019)
Guidelines for the use of flow cytometry and cell sorting in immunological studies (second edition).
Eur J Immunol 49(10),
1457-1973.
(2019)
Sodium chloride is an ionic checkpoint for human TH2 cells and shapes the atopic skin microenvironment.
Sci Transl Med 11(480),
(2019)
Shaping the diversity of Th2 cell responses in epithelial tissues and its potential for allergy treatment.
Eur J Immunol 49(9),
1321-1333.
(2019)
Meeting the Challenges of High-Dimensional Single-Cell Data Analysis in Immunology.
Front Immunol 10,
1515.
(2017)
Long-term response to gluten-free diet as evidence for non-celiac wheat sensitivity in one third of patients with diarrhea-dominant and mixed-type irritable bowel syndrome.
Int J Colorectal Dis 32(1),
29-39.
(2017)
TH17 cells express ST2 and are controlled by the alarmin IL-33 in the small intestine.
Mucosal Immunol 10(6),
1431-1442.
(2017)
Hierarchical governance of cytokine production by 6-sulfo LacNAc (slan) dendritic cells for the control of psoriasis pathogenesis.
Exp Dermatol 26(4),
317-318.
(2017)
Human T cell immune surveillance: Phenotypic, functional and migratory heterogeneity for tailored immune responses.
Immunol Lett 190,
125-129.
(2016)
Dysregulation of proinflammatory versus anti-inflammatory human TH17 cell functionalities in the autoinflammatory Schnitzler syndrome.
J Allergy Clin Immunol 138(4),
1161-11169.e6.