Category Research project
  • Toxikologie

National Research Data Infrastructure for Immunology

Project status
In Progress
Project start
Jan 2026
Project end
Dec 2026
Acronym
NFDI4Immuno
Department
Chemikalien- und Produktsicherheit

Description and Objective

The immune system plays a crucial role in the health of vertebrates, as it protects against infections and cancer. Faults in its regulation can lead to autoimmunity, allergies, immunodeficiencies and lymphoid tumours. The innate immune system recognises threats via pattern recognition receptors that are firmly encoded in the genome. The adaptive immune system, on the other hand, utilises billions of randomly generated immunoglobulins (antibodies) and T-cell receptors, produced by so-called B and T cells. A comprehensive characterisation of the various immune cells in healthy or diseased individuals can facilitate a new mechanistic understanding and the development of new diagnostic tests and therapies. The main objective of the NFDI4Immuno project is therefore to enable the combination of datasets from various studies, e.g. from flow cytometry, immune receptor sequencing, immunoassays and imaging, thereby facilitating complementary observations of immunological processes. To this end, the consortium will, amongst other things, 1) develop a data hub and uniform metadata standards for immunological data types, so that immunological datasets become available in accordance with the FAIR principles and in compliance with data protection regulations, 2) ensure that metadata standards are compatible with those of other NFDI consortia and national and international immunological platforms, thereby enabling cross-platform searches and cross-references, 3) support users in utilising the resources provided, thereby promoting FAIR data reuse and fostering a cultural shift towards open science and 4) develop tools and services that enable standardised and reproducible data analysis.
Type of project

Third-party funded project

Areas of research

Moderne Methoden in der Toxikologie / Alternativmethoden zum Tierversuch

Organisational units and partners

Lead unit: Toxikologie der Haut und des Immunsystems (75)
Contact persons: Dr. Katherina Siewert, Dr. Marina Aparicio Soto
Involved BfR partners: Experimentelle Toxikologie und ZEBET
External partner: Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Universität Münster, Technische Universität München

Funding body and grant number

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft e.V.
NFDI 49/1

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