B-cell memory

Thomas Dörner is professor for Innovative Therapies in Autoimmune Diseases at the DRFZ and Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin at the Department of Medicine/Rheumatology and Clinical immunology at the Charité. Here he is also responsible for Clinical Hemostaseology with a focus on autoimmune and coagulation disorders and leading the interdisciplinary hemostaseology consultancy service.

His particular research area comprises translational rheumatologic/clinical immunology studies with a tracking record on B lineage cells in autoimmunity and identifying new treatment targets and strategies. He has also a proven record as PI in developing new concepts and implementing innovative immune therapies in autoimmune diseases. Most of his studies in early clinical development (Phase I/FIH to Phase IIa/b) have been performed with Charité Research Organization Berlin with a dedicated phase I unit. In addition to “first in man” or early clinical trials, he has been involved in a number international task forces to define clinical aspects:

– developing new ACR/EULAR classification criteria and tools to assess disease activity in Sjögren’s (Ann Rheum Dis. 2017; Ann Rheum Dis. 2016) including patient reported outcomes (Ann Rheum Dis. 2016; Ann Rheum Dis. 2015)

– developing new ACR/EULAR criteria for SLE (Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2019)

– involvement in EULAR/ERA/EDTA recommendations for the treatment of lupus nephritis (Ann Rheum Dis. 2012) and state of the art recommendations of difficult to treat SLE (Lupus. 2012; Lupus. 2013)

– involvement in an initiative defining remission in SLE (DORIS; Ann Rheum Dis. 2017) and treat to target in SLE (Ann Rheum Dis. 2014)

– member of the EULAR task force for the management of antiphopsholipid syndrome (Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2019)

Since 1998: Principle Investigator of the Collaborative Research Centers (SFB) “Antigen presentation in infection and autoimmunity”/SFB421, “Mucosal Immunity”/SFB633, “Translation of immune mechanism into human applications”/SFB650 and CRC “Immunobone” as well as TR130 (since 2016) on plasma cell heterogeneity in human bone marrow. Since 2020 Sino-German Collaboration funded by the Chinese Research Council and DFG for a joint project with Prof. Klaus Rajwesky (MDC Berlin), Prof. Changung Xiao (Univ. Xiamen, Cina) and Dörner lab at DRFZ/Charité.

• Since 2009 Professor „Innovative Therapies for Autoimmune Diseases“ at Charité and DRFZ
• Since 2004 Head of Clinical Hemostaseology at Charité, Berlin
• 2004 – 2009 Senior consultant Clinical Hemostaseology, Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Immune Hematology, Charité
• 2004 Professor of Rheumatology/Head Rheumatology at Ludwig Maximilian University Munich
• 2000 – 2003 Head of Day Care Clinic Department of Medicine/Rheumatology and Clinical immunology at Charité Berlin
• Since 1998 Liaison Group Leader „Translation/B cell Memory“ at DRFZ, Berlin

• 2010 Board certification Transfusion Medicine (Berliner Ärztekammer)
• 2007 Board certification Hemostaseology (Berliner Ärztekammer)
• 2001 Certificate “Zusatzbezeichnung Bluttransfusionswesen” (Berliner Ärztekammer)
• 2000 Board certification Rheumatology (Berliner Ärztekammer)
• 1998 PD Dr. med. Habilitation, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Humboldt University/ Charité Berlin
• 1996 – 1998 Post-Doc, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, TX. USA
  funded through a Stipend by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
• 1996 Board certification Internal medicine (Berliner Ärztekammer)
• 1991 Dr. med., Humboldt University/Charité Berlin
• 1990 Dipl. Med. Humboldt University/Charité Berlin
• 1990 Approbation
• 1990 Medical School Humboldt University/Charité Berlin

• Since 2016 Member of the Scientific Program Committee of EULAR
• 2019 Program Chair of EULAR
• 2018 Abstract Chair of EULAR
• Since 2009 Board member Rheumaliga Berlin e.V.
• Since 2009 Board member Wolfgang Schultze Foundation Berlin
• Since 2013 Chair of the Laboratory Committee by the DGRh (German Rheumatology Society) and Member “Arbeitskreis Schwangerschaft (Pregnancy in rheumatic diseases)”
• Since 2009 Faculty member, Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
• 2004 Faculty member, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany

• 2014-2021 Chair of the Scientific advisory committee of the MASTERPLAN program at the University of Manchester, UK
• Since 2010 Scientific Advisory Board, German League against Rheumatism, Bonn, Germany
• Since 2009 Advisor for projects and collaborative research programs to the MRC, London, UK
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Rheumatologie

• 2010 Randy-Fischer Price by NIAMS, NIH, USA
• 2003 Wolfgang Schultze Price of the Stiftung Deutsche Rheumaliga e.V., Germany
• 2000 Rudolf-Schoen Price of the German Society of Rheumatology, Germany
• 1998 Senior Scholar Award of the ACR, USA
• 1990 Congress award by the German Research Foundation (DFG), Germany

Selection

• 2017-2021
  H2020 funding within pan-European HarmonicSS
• 2017 – 2021
  TRR130 Characterization of bone marrow plasma cell subsets
• 2017 – 2020
  DFG projects Do491/9-1 “B cell functions in SLE” and Do491/7-3 “B cells and tissue”
• 2013 – 2016
  Immunobone SPP (Do491/8-2) “Delineation of human plasma cell subsets and their bone marrow niche”
• 2012 – 2016
  SFB650, subproject “New generation anti-B cell therapy”
• 2011 – 2015; 1998 – 2007
  SFB 633, subproject: “Characterization of human peripheral and intestinal T cell” SFB 421 subproject: “Role of the spleen in the induction and mainentance of reactive B cell memory”
  Single project fundings by DFG throughout

1. Fleischer SJ, Daridon C, Fleischer V, Lipsky PE, Dörner T (2016). Enhanced Tyrosine Phosphatase Activity Underlies Dysregulated B Cell Receptor Signaling and Promotes Survival of Human Lupus B Cells. Arthritis Rheumatol. 68, 1210-21.
2. Mei,H.E., Wirries,I., Frolich,D., Brisslert,M., Giesecke,C., Grun,J.R., Alexander,T., Schmidt,S., Luda,K., Kuehl,A.A., Engelmann,R., Durr,M., Scheel,T., Bokarewa,M., Perka,C., Radbruch,A., and Dörner,T. (2015). A unique population of IgG-expressing plasma cells lacking CD19 is enriched in human bone marrow. Blood 125, 1739-1748.
3. Schrezenmeier E, Jayne D, Dörner T (2018). Targeting B Cells and Plasma Cells in Glomerular Diseases: Translational Perspectives. J Am Soc Nephrol.; 29:741-758.
4. Lisney AR, Szelinski F, Reiter K, Burmester GR, Rose T, Dörner T (2017). High maternal expression of SIGLEC1 on monocytes as a surrogate marker of a type I interferon signature is a risk factor for the development of autoimmune congenital heart block. Ann Rheum Dis.; 76:1476-1480.
5. Mei,H.E., Yoshida,T., Sime,W., Hiepe,F., Thiele,K., Manz,R.A., Radbruch,A., and Dörner,T. (2009). Blood-borne human plasma cells in steady state are derived from mucosal immune responses. Blood 113, 2461-2469.
6. Giesecke,C., Frolich,D., Reiter,K., Mei,H.E., Wirries,I., Kuhly,R., Killig,M., Glatzer,T., Stolzel,K., Perka,C., Lipsky,P.E., and Dörner,T. (2014). Tissue Distribution and Dependence of Responsive-ness of Human Antigen-Specific Memory B Cells. Journal of Immunology 192, 3091-3100.
7. Shen,P., Roch,T., Lampropoulou,V., O’Connor,R.A., Stervbo,U., Hilgenberg,E., Ries,S., Dang,V.D., Jaimes,Y., Daridon,C., Li,R., Jouneau,L., … Grutzkau,A., Grun,J.R., Horn,K., Kuhl,A.A., Dörner,T., Bar-Or,A., Kaufmann,S.H.E., Anderton,S.M., and Fillatreau,S. (2014). IL-35-producing B cells are critical regulators of immunity during autoimmune and infectious diseases. Nature 507, 366-
8. Wahren-Herlenius,M. and Dörner,T. (2013). Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases 3. Immuno-pathogenic mechanisms of systemic autoimmune disease. Lancet 382, 819-831.
9. Daridon,C., Loddenkemper,C., Spieckermann,S., Kuhl,A.A., Salama,A., Burmester,G.R., Lipsky, P.E., and Dörner,T. (2012). Splenic proliferative lymphoid nodules distinct from germinal centers are sites of autoantigen stimulation in immune thrombocytopenia. Blood 120, 5021-5031.
10. Mei,H.E., Frolich,D., Giesecke,C., Loddenkemper,C., Reiter,K., Schmidt,S., Feist,E., Daridon,C., Tony,H.P., Radbruch,A., and Dörner,T. (2010). Steady-state generation of mucosal IgA(+) plasmablasts is not abrogated by B-cell depletion therapy with rituximab. Blood 116, 5181-5190.
11. Giesecke C, Meyer T, Durek P, …, Thiel A, Radbruch A, Ullrich R, Dörner T. (2018) Simultaneous Presence of Non- and Highly Mutated Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH)-Specific Plasmablasts Early after Primary KLH Immunization Suggests Cross-Reactive Memory B Cell Activation. J Immunol. 200(12): 3981-3992.
12. Lino AC, Dang VD, Lampropoulou V, Welle A, Joedicke J, Pohar J, Simon Q, Thalmensi J, Baures A, Flühler V, Sakwa I, Stervbo U, Ries S, Jouneau L, Boudinot P, Tsubata T, Adachi T, Hutloff A, Dörner T, Zimber-Strobl U, de Vos AF, Dahlke K, Loh G, Korniotis S, Goosmann C, Weill JC, Reynaud CA, Kaufmann SHE, Walter J, Fillatreau S. LAG-3 Inhibitory Receptor Expression Identifies Immunosuppressive Natural Regulatory Plasma Cells 2018 Jul 17;49(1):120-133.e9.
13. Dörner T, and Furie R. (2019). Novel paradigms in systemic lupus erythematosus. Lancet 93(10188):2344-2358.
14. Fillatreau S, Manfroi B, Dörner T. Toll-like receptor signalling in B cells during systemic lupus erythematosus. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2021 Feb;17(2):98-108.