Biologist, Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow
Education:
Ph.D., 2017, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany
Languages Spoken: German
Biography
Hannes Bongartz is an experimental biologist and a Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow in the Computational Systems Biology Section (CSBS). He received his Ph.D. in 2017 from Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany, for his work on the pathogenesis of dysregulated cellular signaling pathways associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms. Hannes joined CSBS in 2021 to further pursue his interest in intracellular signaling cascades and to expand his skills in applying computational approaches to the analysis of wet-lab-derived data. Currently, he is exploring the regulation of LPS-induced endotoxin tolerance in macrophages. Endotoxin tolerance occurs during infection with Gram-negative bacteria to dampen the immune response triggered by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and prevent damage to infected tissue or the entire host. In this context, balancing the secretion of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines that trigger both the immune response and endotoxin tolerance is critical to ensure pathogen clearance without compromising host health during the immune response. Another interest of Hannes is the molecular regulation of cellular migration, which he studies using high-resolution microscopy and microfluidic devices. When he is not in the lab, he enjoys playing guitar and hiking.