Innate Immunity and Metabolic Inflammation

Prof. Dr. med. Triantafyllos Chavakis

Our research focuses on the field of Innate Immunity and Metabolic Inflammation / Immunometabolism. Our aim is to identify and characterize mechanisms that are involved in the regulation of acute and chronic inflammation in the context of metabolic pathologies, inflammatory diseases and cancer.

In this regard, we study the molecular mechanisms mediating leukocyte recruitment and activation during initiation of inflammation as well as resolution of inflammation. We have identified developmental endothelial locus-1 (DEL-1) as an inhibitor of beta2 integrin-dependent leukocyte-endothelial adhesion (1). Additionally, DEL-1 promotes macrophage efferocytosis and resolution of inflammation (2). Furthermore, we study the crosstalk between inflammation and metabolism at the cellular and systemic organism level (3-5).

Moreover, our group focuses on trained immunity / innate immune memory. We have demonstrated that trained immunity is initiated in the bone marrow by immunometabolic and epigenetic rewiring of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Trained immunity thereby promotes an anti-cancer phenotype of neutrophils. However, maladaptive trained immunity may promote chronic inflammation (6-10).

For further detailed information:

https://www.uniklinikum-dresden.de/ChavakisLab

Contact

Prof. Dr. med. Triantafyllos Chavakis

Director
Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
University Hospital Dresden, TU Dresden
Dresden, Germany

Tel: +49 351 4582109
Email: Triantafyllos.Chavakis@ukdd.de

Ten most important publications

1. Choi EY, Chavakis E, Czabanka MA, Langer H, Fraemohs L, Economopoulou M, Kundu RK, Orlandi A, Zheng YY, Prieto DA, Ballantyne CM, Constant SL, Aird W, Papayannopoulou T, Gahmberg CG, Udey MC, Vajkoczy P, Quertermous T, Dimmeler S, Weber C, Chavakis T. Del-1, an endogenous leukocyte endothelial adhesion inhibitor, limits inflammatory cell recruitment. Science. 2008; 322:1101-04.
2. Kourtzelis I, Li X, Mitroulis I, Grosser D, Kajikawa T, Wang B, Grzybek M, von Renesse J, Czogalla A, Troullinaki M, Ferreira A, Doreth C, Ruppova K, Chen LS, Hosur K, Lim JH, Chung KJ, Grossklaus S, Tausche AK, Joosten LAB, Moutsopoulos NM, Wielockx B, Castrillo A, Korostoff JM, Coskun Ü, Hajishengallis G*, Chavakis T*. DEL-1 promotes macrophage efferocytosis and clearance of inflammation. Nature Immunology. 2019; 20:40-49 * equal contribution; jointly supervised the work
3. Chavakis T, Alexaki VI, Ferrante AW Jr. Macrophage function in adipose tissue homeostasis and metabolic inflammation. Nature Immunology. 2023; 24:757-766
4. Chung KJ, Chatzigeorgiou A, Economopoulou M, Garcia-Martin R, Alexaki VI, Mitroulis I, Nati M, Gebler J, Ziemssen T, Goelz SE, Phieler J, Lim JH, Karalis KP, Papayannopoulou T, Blüher M, Hajishengallis G, Chavakis T. A self-sustained loop of inflammation-driven inhibition of beige adipogenesis in obesity. Nature Immunology. 2017; 18:654-664.
5. Subramanian P, Gargani S, Palladini A, Chatzimike M, Grzybek M, Peitzsch M, Papanastasiou AD, Pyrina I, Ntafis V, Gercken B, Lesche M, Petzold A, Sinha A, Nati M, Thangapandi VR, Kourtzelis I, Andreadou M, Witt A, Dahl A, Burkhardt R, Haase R, Domingues AMJ, Henry I, Zamboni N, Mirtschink P, Chung KJ, Hampe J, Coskun Ü, Kontoyiannis DL*, Chavakis T*. The RNA binding protein human antigen R is a gatekeeper of liver homeostasis. Hepatology. 2022; 75:881-897    * equal contribution
6. Mitroulis I, Ruppova K, Wang B, Chen LS, Grzybek M, Grinenko T, Eugster A, Troullinaki M, Palladini A, Kourtzelis I, Chatzigeorgiou A, Schlitzer A, Beyer M, Joosten LAB, Isermann B, Lesche M, Petzold A, Simons K, Henry I, Dahl A, Schultze JL, Wielockx B, Zamboni N, Mirtschink P, Coskun Ü, Hajishengallis G*, Netea MG*, Chavakis T*. Modulation of myelopoiesis progenitors is an integral component of trained immunity. Cell. 2018; 172:147-161. * co-senior authors
7. Kalafati L, Kourtzelis I, Schulte-Schrepping J, Li X, Hatzioannou A, Grinenko T, Hagag E, Sinha A, Has C, Dietz S, de Jesus Domingues AM, Nati M, Sormendi S, Neuwirth A, Chatzigeorgiou A, Ziogas A, Lesche M, Dahl A, Henry I, Subramanian P, Wielockx B, Murray P, Mirtschink P, Chung KJ, Schultze JL, Netea MG, Hajishengallis G*, Verginis P*, Mitroulis I*, Chavakis T*. Innate Immune Training of Granulopoiesis Promotes Anti-tumor Activity. Cell. 2020; 183:771-785 * co-senior authors
8. Li X, Wang H, Yu X, Saha G, Kalafati L, Ioannidis C, Mitroulis I, Netea MG, Chavakis T*, Hajishengallis G*. Maladaptive innate immune training of myelopoiesis links inflammatory comorbidities. Cell 2022; 185:1709-1727 * co-senior authors
9. Haacke N, Wang H, Yan S, Barovic M, Li X, Nagai K, Botezatu A, Hatzioannou A, Gercken B, Trimaglio G, Shah AU, Wang J, Ye L, Jaykar MT, Rauner M, Wielockx B, Chung KJ, Netea MG, Kalafati L*, Hajishengallis G*, Chavakis T*. Innate immune training of osteoclastogenesis promotes inflammatory bone loss in mice. Dev Cell. 2025; 60:1854-1870 * co-senior authors
10. Hajishengallis G, Netea MG, Chavakis T. Trained immunity in chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer. Nat Rev Immunol. 2025; 25:497-514

Here you can find all ILH-publications

Group Members

Julia Chronopoulus, Lydia Kalafati, Kyoung-Jin Chung