Mass cytometry

Henrik Mei studied medical biotechnology at the Technical University of Berlin. He continued working on the homeostasis of human antibody-secreting plasma cells at the Charité Berlin and the DRFZ Berlin, and obtained his PhD from the Humboldt University for studies on the regulation of humoral memory in human in 2010. He contributed to the concept of competition and mobilization of plasma cells as a basis for the regulation of humoral memory, and showed the continuous presence of mucosal plasmablasts in the blood of normal individual and their contribution to characteristic plasmacytosis in SLE.

As a postdoc, Henrik demonstrated for the first time CD19+ and CD19- plasma cells in human bone marrow as dynamic and static cell populations jointly providing humoral immunity.

In 2013, Henrik joined the Human Immune Monitoring Center (HIMC) at Stanford University (USA) where he performed immune monitoring projects using mass cytometry with Holden Maecker. There he pioneered antibody-based live cell sample barcoding for mass cytometry and developed patented platinum labeling of antibodies for mass cytometry.

In 2015, Henrik Mei became Scientific Head of Mass Cytometry at the DRFZ Berlin. His lab pursues collaborative studies in clinical immunology, the advancement of mass cytometry assays, and plasma cell homeostasis.

His work has been honored with the Hans-Hench Price for Clinical Immunology by the DGfI, the Start-up grant by the German Society for Rheumatology, and the Research Award by the Wolfgang Schulze Foundation. Henrik Mei initiated and coordinates the German Mass Cytometry Network, and is Vice President of the German Society for Cytometry.

• Since 2015 Scientific Head of Mass Cytometry at DRFZ Berlin
• 2013 – 2015 Postdoc, Stanford University, USA
• 2010 – 2013 Postdoc, DRFZ
• 2004 – 2009 PhD project at DRFZ and Charité Berlin

• 2009 Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) at the Humboldt University Berlin
• 2004 Diplom-Ingenieur in Medical Biotechnology, obtained from the Technical University Berlin

• Marylou Ingram Scholar of the International Society for the Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC)
• Council member of the German Society for Cytometry
• Founder and Coordinator, German Mass Cytometry Network
• Editorial Board Member, Cytometry Part A
• Guest Associate Editor, FrontiersCancer Immunity and Immunotherapy

• Since 2015 German Society for Cytometry (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zytometrie, DGfZ),
• Since 2014 ISAC (International Society for Advancement of Cytometry)
• Since 2009 German Society for Rheumatology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Rheumatologie, DGRh)
• Since 2008 German Society for Immunology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Immunologie, DGfI)

• 2012 Research Award by the Stiftung Wolfgang Schulze, awarded by the Deutsche Rheuma-Liga
• 2011 Hans Hench Price for Clinical Immunology), awarded by German Society for Immunology (DGfI)

Selection (from 2011 – ongoing)

• 2010-2022 BMBF – InnoCyt
• 2017 – 2021 DFG – TRR130 – B cells: Immunity and autoimmunity
• 2017 – 2020 DFG – German Mass Cytometry Network
• 2010 – 2016 DFG -SPP ImmunoBone (joint project with T. Dörner)
• 2009 Start-up grant by the German Society for Rheumatology, Germany

1. Chang HD, Tokoyoda K, Hoyer B, Alexander T, Khodadadi L, Mei H, Dörner T, Hiepe F, Burmester GR, Radbruch A.: Pathogenic memory plasma cells in autoimmunity. Curr Opin Immunol. 2019 Oct 29;61:86-91
2. Schulz AR, Mei HE: Surface Barcoding of Live PBMC for Multiplexed Mass Cytometry. Methods Mol Biol. 2019;1989:93-108.
3. Schulz AR, Baumgart S, Schulze J, Urbicht M, Grützkau A, Mei HE: Stabilizing Antibody Cocktails for Mass Cytometry. Cytometry A. 2019 Aug;95(8):910-916.
4. Budzinski L, Schulz AR, Baumgart S, Burns T, Rose T, Hirseland H, Mei HE: Osmium-Labeled Microspheres for Bead-Based Assays in Mass Cytometry. J Immunol. 2019 May 15;202(10):3103-3112
5. Böttcher C, Schlickeiser S, Sneeboer MAM, Kunkel D, Knop A, Paza E, Fidzinski P, Kraus L, Snijders GJL, Kahn RS, Schulz AR, Mei HE, NBB-Psy, Hol EM, Siegmund B, Glauben R, Spruth EJ, de Witte LD, Priller J.: Human microglia regional heterogeneity and phenotypes determined by multiplexed single-cell mass cytometry. Nat Neurosci. 2019 Jan;22(1):78-90
6. Mei Henrik E., Hahne Stefanie, Redlin Andreas, Hoyer Bimba F., Wu Kaiyin, Alexander Tobias, Rudolph Birgit, Dörner Thomas: Plasmablasts With a Mucosal Phenotype Contribute to Plasmacytosis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Arthritis & Rheumatology 2017 Jun 16. Doi: 10.1002/ART.40181
7. Baumgart Sabine, Schulz Axel, Peddinghaus Anette, Stanislawiak Silke, Gillert Sarah, Hirseland Heike, Krauthäuser Susanne, Dose Christian, Mei Henrik*, and Grützkau Andreas*: Dual-labeled antibodies for flow and mass cytometry. * senior authors contributed equally Eur J Immunol. 2017 Jun 27. Doi: 10.1002/eji201747031.
8. Mei Henrik E., Wirries Ina, Frölich Daniela, Brisslert Mikael, Giesecke Claudia, Alexander Tobias, Schmidt Stefanie, Luda Kasia, Kühl Anja A., Engelmann Robby, Dürr Michael, Scheel Tobias, Bokarewa Maria, Perka Carsten, Radbruch Andreas, Dörner Thomas: A unique population of IgG-expressing plasma cells lacking CD19 is enriched in human bone marrow. Blood. 2015, Mar 12;125(11):1739-48. Comment in “Blood”, PMID 25766561
9. Mei Henrik E., Leipold Michael D., Schulz Axel, Chester Cariad, Maecker Holden T: Barcoding of live human PBMC for multiplexed mass cytometry. J Immunol. 2015 Feb 15;194(4):2022-31
10. Mei Henrik, Yoshida Taketoshi, Sime Wondossen, Hiepe Falk, Thiele Kathi, Manz Rudi A., Radbruch Andreas, Dörner Thomas. Blood-borne human plasma cells in steady state are derived from mucosal immune responses. Blood. 2009 Mar 12;113(11):2461-9 (IF 10.5)