Lidia Bosurgi’ laboratory

Macrophages in infections and Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases

Our lab focuses on uncovering the mechanisms of Innate Immune Regulation, with a particular emphasis on macrophage biology. We investigate the cellular processes and molecular pathways that guide macrophages to drive efficient tissue remodeling in homeostasis and across a range of pathological conditions. These include immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs)—such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and autoimmune liver diseases, both of which have seen a rising incidence in recent decades—as well as parasitic infections.

A key area of focus is the macrophages’ ability to engulf dying cells and the downstream effects of this process on the surrounding environment in both human pathological settings and murine experimental disease models.

As macrophage-based cell therapies enter a transformative era, our goal is to develop innovative strategies that enhance the efficiency of these therapies and improve the treatment and management of diverse diseases. By leveraging the unique capacity of macrophages to promote tissue remodeling and resolve inflammation, we aim to unlock their full therapeutic potential.

Team:

Former members:

Clarissa Lanzloth, Ph.D. candidate, graduated

Amirah Al Jawazneh, Ph.D. candidate, graduated

Madeleine Hamley, Ph.D. candidate, graduated

Felix Piecha, clinician scientist

Benjamin Kraft, Master student, graduated

Ongoing projects:

• The influence of apoptotic cell nature on macrophage function
  
  
• Phagocytic macrophage control of cholangitis progression
  
  
• The paradoxical role of IL-23 released by efferocytic macrophages in the damaged liver
  
  
• Dying cell-derived extracellular vesicles and their impact on macrophage behavior
  
  
• Lipid processing and efferocytic capacity of adipose tissue macrophages
  
  
• The role of NMES1 in intestinal inflammation
  
  

Fundings:

• DFG, 5198/7-1
  
  
• DFG, TRR333, project B04, Co-PI with Dr. A. Worthmann
  
  
• DFG, CRC1700, project A04, Co-PI with Dr. A. Worthmann
  
  
• DFG, CRC1700, project B07, Co-PI with Dr. N. Feliu and Prof. F. Grüner
  
  
• DFG, RU5775, Project 6
  
  
• Werner Otto Stiftung, 04/105
  
  
• DZIF, Namaste, Co-PI with Dr. D. Fusco
  
  
• Landesforschungsförderung Hamburg, Pathogene und Autoimmunerkrankungen, Co-PI with Prof. Dr. med. K. Krebs
  
  

Selected publications

Liebold I#, Bosurgi L#. 2024. Harnessing apoptotic cells to enhance efficiency of macrophage-based cell therapy. Clin Transl Med 14: e70008. 10.1002/ctm2.70008 . Open access


Andreeva L, Bosurgi L, Chong SZ, Chu C, Ge Y, Hoste E, Jurado KA, Lengefeld J, Mishra A, Wculek S, Young A. 2024. Women in STEM becoming independent: Our shared motivation and enthusiasm are our driving force. J Exp Med 22110.1084/jem.20240971. Open access


Liebold I, A Al Jawazneh, C Casar, C Lanzloth, S Leyk, M Hamley, MN Wong, D Kylies, SK Gräfe, I Edenhofer, I Aranda-Pardos, M Kriwet, H Haas, J Krause, A Hadjilaou, AB Schromm, U Richardt, P Eggert, D Tappe, SA Weidemann, S Ghosh, CF Krebs, N A-Gonzalez, A Worthmann, AW Lohse, S Huber, CV Rothlin, VG Puelles, T Jacobs, N Gagliani#, L Bosurgi#. Apoptotic cell identity induces distinct functional responses to IL-4 in efferocytic macrophages. Science. 2024;384(6691):eabo7027. doi: 10.1126/science.abo7027 . Free download: https://www.science.org/stoken/author-tokens/ST-1791/full


Hamley M*, Leyk S*, C Casar, I Liebold, A Al Jawazneh, C Lanzloth, M Böttcher, H Haas, U Richardt, CV Rothlin, T Jacobs, S Huber, L Adlung, P Pelczar, J Henao-Mejia, L Bosurgi. Nmes1 is a novel regulator of mucosal response influencing intestinal healing potential. Eur J Immunol. 2024;54(2):e2350434. doi: 10.1002/eji.202350434 . Open access


Zhao L*, Giannou AD*, Xu, Y*, AM Shiri, I Liebold, B Steglich, T Bedke, T Zhang, J Lücke, P Scognamiglio, J Kempski, A Woestemeier, J Chen, T Agalioti, DE Zazara, D Lindner, M Janning, JK Hennigs, RM Jagirdar, OS Kotsiou, SG Zarogiannis, Y Kobayash, JR Izbicki, S Ghosh, CV Rothlin, L Bosurgi#, S Huber#, N Gagliani#. Efferocytosis fuels malignant pleural effusion through TIMP1. Sci Adv. 2021;7(33):eabd6734. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abd6734 . Open access


Zhao Y*, Kilian C*, Turner JE*, Bosurgi L*, Roedl K*, P Bartsch, AC Gnirck, F Cortesi, C Schultheiß, M Hellmig, LUB Enk, F Hausmann, A Borchers, MN Wong, HJ Paust, F Siracusa , N Scheibel, M Herrmann, E Rosati, P Bacher, D Kylies, D Jarczak, M Lütgehetmann, S Pfefferle, S Steurer, JS Zur-Wiesch, VG Puelles, JP Sperhake, MM Addo, AW Lohse, M Binder, S Huber, TB Huber, S Kluge, S Bonn, U Panzer#, N Gagliani#, CF Krebs#. Clonal expansion and activation of tissue-resident memory-like Th17 cells expressing GM-CSF in the lungs of severe COVID-19 patients. Sci Immunol. 2021;6(56):eabf6692. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abf6692 . Open access


Liebold I, Al Jawazneh A, Hamley M, Bosurgi L. Apoptotic cell signals and heterogeneity in macrophage function: Fine-tuning for a healthy liver. Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Nov;119:72-81. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.06.012 .


Bosurgi L, Rothlin CV. Management of cell death in parasitic infections. Semin Immunopathol 2021 Aug;43(4):481-492. doi: 10.1007/s00281-021-00875-8 . Open access

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* equally contributing authors; # corresponding author;

Scientific illustration by C. Di Pietro (@VisualSciSketch) . Liebold I et al, Science 2024

Contact:

Lidia Bosurgi

email: l.bosurgi@uke.de

phone: +49 (0) 152 22815534

address:
Spectrum at UKE
W20, Entrance B, 2nd floor
Martinistraße 64
20251 Hamburg

Room: 2.1.004; 2.1.006; 2.1.007; 2.1.008;