Special Research Area in immunology extended for four more years

The Special Research Area (SFB) "Histone Deacetylases (HDACs) as Regulators of T-Cell-Mediated Immunity in Health and Disease", coordinated by MedUni Vienna, was extended for an additional four years at the most recent meeting of the FWF Board of Trustees. The research network led by Wilfried Ellmeier from MedUni Vienna's Centre for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology will thus be able to continue its successful path established in recent years. "The funding for an additional four years, including the establishment of 2 new research groups, shows that MedUni Vienna has succeeded in establishing an internationally recognised focus in the field of T-cell immunology, which will be expanded over the next few years", says a delighted Wilfried Ellmeier, Head of the Institute of Immunology at MedUni Vienna's Centre for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology. The research focus of the Special Research Area is the role of histone deacetylases (HDACs) as T-cell regulators. Histone deacetylases are important epigenetic factors that regulate the development and differentiation of cells. In addition, HDACs also regulate the acetylation status and thereby the activity of non-histone target proteins in cells. Preclinical data suggest that specific modulation of individual members of the protein family could be useful for the treatment of T-cell mediated diseases (e.g.