On December 2nd and 3rd, 2024, researchers from the Disease Area DPLD (Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Disease) of the five DZL sites gathered at the Clinical Research Center Hannover to exchange ideas and foster collaboration. On the second day, young scientists presented their current projects. Out of a total of 36 submitted works, the contribution by BREATH scientist Dr. Lara-Jasmin Schröder was awarded second place. Dr. Schröder has been working as a PostDoc in the Lung Research Group at the Institute of Pathology at Hannover Medical School since 2023. In her research project, “Establishing a 3D cell culture model system for primary human alveolar type II epithelial cells from pulmonary fibrosis patients,” she and the Lung Research Group aim to specifically control the clonal expansion and differentiation of cells in a 3D culture and validate AT-II cell-specific biomarkers. The goal is to develop a reliable in vitro model system for studying pulmonary fibrosis.

To establish this model, Dr. Schröder and her research group isolated human primary AT-II epithelial cells from fibrotic lung explants and healthy, tumor-free lung tissue, cultivating and expanding them into alveolospheres in a 3D in vitro system. In the cellular and molecular analysis of lung organoids from various interstitial lung diseases, including idiopathic and secondary pulmonary fibrosis, the team confirmed the presence of specific AT-II markers such as HT-II-280 and Prosurfactant Protein C, as well as lamellar bodies.

To enable flexible use of the model over time, Dr. Schröder and her research group successfully conducted experiments on cryopreserving AT-II cells, storing them long-term at -150°C in a biobank. Upon subsequent revitalization, a high cell viability was demonstrated. Furthermore, the ex vivo model can be induced with a cytokine cocktail to simulate fibrotic remodeling under laboratory conditions. The successful preliminary work will be expanded through further flow cytometry and immunofluorescence analyses, as well as spatial transcriptomics and electron microscopy on an extended cohort of IPF and secondary pulmonary fibrosis patients. The aim is to create a personalized model system for clinical diagnostics and enable early therapeutic interventions.

We warmly congratulate Dr. Schröder on receiving this award, which is endowed with 1,500 EUR, and wish her continued success in her ongoing and future projects.

Text: BREATH/ AB

Photo: private