Role of Type 1 Interferons as Trigger of Cytokine Storm in MAS

The 5th How I Treat Autoinflammatory Disorders Course

Christoph Kessel

Assistant Professor of Immunology, Translational Inflammation Research, Department of Pediatric Rheumatology & Immunology, WWU Medical Center (UKM), Germany

(Speaker)

As Assistant Professor in Immunology Dr Christoph Kessel is currently leading the unit for Translational Inflammation Research within the Department of Pediatric Rheumatology and Immunology at the University Children’s Hospital in Muenster, Germany. His primary research interest is on understanding of disease mechanisms and biomarkers in the context of systemic rheumatic diseases, with a particular focus on systemic JIA and Macrophage Activation Syndrome. Current main research tracks comprise investigating interleukin 1 vs type 1 interferon signaling in hemophagocytic cytokine storm conditions, understanding of T cell immunology in systemic JIA as well as studying sterile vs infection induced inflammatory pathways in context of (auto)inflammation.

Dr Kessel graduated in Biosciences and obtained a PhD from Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany, on mapping of conformational B cell epitopes and peptide-derived B cell targeting approaches. In 2009 he joined Prof Rikard Holmdahl and Medical Inflammation Research at Karolinska Institute (Stockholm, Sweden) for postdoctoral training on the role of post-translational modifications in generating B and T cellular neo-epitopes driving break-of-tolerance in autoimmune conditions. Following his interest in studying particularly innate immune functions in inflammation in highly translational research settings he joined Prof Dirk Foells team at Muenster University Medical Center in 2012. Together with Drs. Claudia Bracaglia, Francesca Minoia and Sebastiaan Vastert, Dr Kessel is currently steering the systemic JIA and Macrophage Activation Syndrome working party of the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS), where he is responsible for coordinating science and research.