Online Science Talk - Thomas Vogl - How genetics shape the human immune system

This talk is intended to inspire discussions around the question "What can we learn from a million genomes that we cannot learn from one?”

Lecture and Q&A with Thomas Vogl, Medical University of Vienna, Center for Cancer research

Online Science Talk on March 4, 2026, 12 pm, via Zoom Link, sent after the registration being closed:

Registration from January 15, to March 1, 2026

Antibodies are small molecules produced by our immune system that can target nearly any existing structure to eradicate harmful microbes. It has long been thought that this remarkable flexibility is achieved by randomly rearranging DNA sequences in the genome and mutating them – akin Lego bricks.

Recently it has been shown that humans differ strongly in their genomes in regard to these antibody sequences. Everybody possesses different sets of Lego bricks that restrict the palette for mounting immune responses. Studying the genome of a single person is insufficient to understand how these genetic variants affect immune responses and impact human health. Therefore, it is pivotal to study the genetic makeup of thousands of individuals to understand this large variation and its effect on infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases.

Here, I will give an overview of the underlying biologic processes, new technologies to study them, and implications for novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Fotocredit: feelimage / Matern