Nanomedicine & Immune Cell Engineering

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Immune cell-based therapies have transformed modern medicine, particularly in oncology, and are now being explored for autoimmune and infectious diseases. Yet, the activity of immune cells such as T cells, NK cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells is often reduced within complex and immunosuppressive microenvironments, especially in solid tumors. This Focus Group investigates how synthetic materials can enhance immune cell functionality in targeted, controllable, and biocompatible ways - complementing or surpassing genetic engineering approaches.

Bridging immunology, materials science, polymer and supramolecular chemistry, biomedical engineering, and systems biology, this interdisciplinary group explores how designed materials can reprogram immune cell behavior. Topics include intracellular self-assembly, biomimetic scaffolds, and stimuli-responsive delivery systems for modulating immune activity in preclinical and human ex vivo models.

By fostering exchange between chemists, material scientists, and immunologists across MPIP, JGU, and the University Medical Center Mainz, the Focus Group enables collaborative research and interdisciplinary training in this emerging frontier. It provides a platform for developing next-generation immunotherapies and for critically discussing challenges in delivery, biocompatibility, and translational potential.

Research Scope

  • Nano- and biomaterial design: development of polymeric, supramolecular, and hybrid nanomaterials to control immune responses

  • Intracellular engineering: self-assembling and stimuli-responsive systems for targeted immune cell activation and signaling modulation

  • Immuno-nanomedicine: nanostructured carriers and scaffolds for immune cell delivery, reprogramming, and in vivo persistence

  • Mechanistic understanding: studying immune-material interfaces at the molecular, cellular, and systemic level

  • Data-driven and computational approaches: machine learning and multiscale simulations to optimize material-immune interactions

  • Translational and clinical integration: bridging synthetic chemistry, immunology, and nanomedicine to accelerate therapeutic development

Focus Group Leaders

Image of Prof. Dr. Tanja Weil

Prof. Dr. Tanja Weil

Director, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research
Website of Department of Synthesis of Macromolecules
Image of Prof. Dr. Tobias Bopp

Prof. Dr. Tobias Bopp

Professor for Molecular Immunology, University Medical Center Mainz
Website of Bopp Group
Image of Prof. Dr. Volker Mailänder

Prof. Dr. Volker Mailänder

Professor at University Clinic Dermatology, Mainz & Group Leader at Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research
Website of Mailänder Group
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