New Research Group at TBC: Immune cell navigation
Our research aims to understand how immune cells – and especially dendritic cells – navigate and move according to different molecular cues in changing tissue environments.
Gradients of extracellular signaling molecules are a fundamental concept in biology, and gradients of chemotactic cytokines, and chemokines, position cells in development, malignancy, and immunity. Chemotaxis, including gradient sensing and directional migration according to it, is especially critical for leukocytes such as the antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs), which need to be recruited within short time frames and to migrate directionally over long distances. Efficient, directional DC migration is crucial for a functioning immune system, and defects in DC navigation can lead to various autoimmune disorders. Same guidance clues have been shown to be utilized also by certain metastasizing cancers. Nevertheless, how chemokine gradients are regulated and maintained in vivo to ensure efficient leukocyte migration in changing conditions has remained somewhat of a mystery.
Our recent work with Prof. Michael Sixt revealed soluble self-generated chemokine gradients as novel regulators of leukocyte migration: by constant depletion of a soluble chemokine, DCs were able to guide not just themselves, but also the co-migrating T cells irrespective of the shape of the pre-existing gradient (Alanko et al. 2023). Moreover, these self-generated gradients gave the cells the ability to navigate in complex environments and sense upcoming obstacles from a distance, thereby ensures efficient directed cell migration in changing conditions. This work was the first indication of self-generated gradients regulating immune cells, and as such, has opened up a completely new and unexplored area of research, which we are further investigating in our ongoing research. In addition, the role of the local tissue environment on DC navigation and the subsequent adaptive immune response is investigated with techniques including various in vitro cell migration setups, advanced matrix biology, and quantitative live cell microscopy.
Together, our research aims to define new targets and methodology for future development of advanced immunomodulating therapies, and to answer the very basic, yet, fundamental question in biology: how our immune cells know where to go?
Group Leader
Jonna Alanko, PhD, Academy Research Fellow / InstruFoundation Fellow
Contact information:
Turku Bioscience, Biocity
Tykistökatu 6, FIN-20521 Turku, Finland
Recent Posts
- New computational tool helps scientists interpret complex single-cell data Researchers from Laura Elo’s group, have developed a new computational method to interpret complex single-cell Read moreNovember 17, 2025
- Carlos Rogério Figueiredo received the Young Investigator Award Carlos Rogério Figueiredo has received the Young Investigator Award from the Scandinavian Society for Immunology. Read moreNovember 4, 2025
- Participate to Open Hardware Workshop, sign up now! Access to research hardware remains a global challenge and it impacts also researchers in high-income Read moreNovember 3, 2025
- The Academy of Finland granted Johanna Ivaska €2,400,000 in funding for an Academy Professor position The Academy of Finland granted our Group Leader, Professor Johanna Ivaska €2,400,000 in funding for Read moreOctober 30, 2025
- Guillaume Jacquemet and Cecilia Sahlgren receive funding for the Research Council of Finland Centre of Excellence in Immune-Endothelial Interactions (IMMENs) Associate Professor Guillaume Jacquemet, our Group Leader, and Professor Cecilia Sahlgren, our affiliated Group Leader, Read moreOctober 30, 2025
- Registration to AI2Med imaging event is now open! Registration for AI2Med Turku 2025 is open! The event is organized by the Turku PET Read moreOctober 21, 2025