Welcome

Welcome to the website of our research laboratory for reproductive biology and placenta immunology!

The placenta is a completely transient 5 in 1 organ. It performs the actions of the lungs, kidneys, liver, intestines and glands. All in order to ensure a proper metabolic supply of the fetus.

A normally developed and functioning placenta is essential for the growth and development of the fetus. A poorly developed placenta is often associated with higher perinatal morbidity and mortality caused by preterm delivery, pre-eclampsia and other severe pregnancy associated disorders. The development of a haemochorial placenta involves the invasion of extravillous trophoblast cells into the uterine wall and the remodelling of the uteroplacental vessels. (Zygmunt 1998)

During pregnancy, immune homeostasis is crucial for pregnancy maintenance. Local and systemic immune adaptations facilitate the implantation and later the accommodation of the growing fetus. These adaptations include the promotion of uterine vascular remodeling and the induction of immune tolerance. Both maternal lymphocytes and fetal derived cells including trophoblast establish a complex interaction to balance the inflammatory environment providing protection against pathogens and the necessary cytokine milieu that allows local structural modifications during placentation. (Heusler 2021)

The unfulfilled wish for a child affects many couples. A common reason for this is a proximal tubal occlusion. In close cooperation with the Institute for Implant Technology and Biomaterials e.V. and the University of Rostock, we are working on the development of a fallopian tube stent to enable a natural pregnancy.

Yours sincerely,

Damián Muzzio and Marek Zygmunt

• 27.7.26 - We congratulate Dr. Anne-Sophie Senge on earning her medical doctorate, which she received following an excellent defense of her dissertation. She was part of our team from 2021 to 2022 and investigated “the influence of pregnancy-specific factors on hCG expression and hyperglycosylation of hCG.” We are very happy and wish her all the best for the future.
• 16.6.26 - Our team had the opportunity to attend the 21st National Healthcare Industry Conference in Rostock. We were able to attend a wide range of presentations, talks and panel discussions addressing current issues and challenges in the healthcare sector. What makes this event special is the coming together of various representatives from fields including politics, research, healthcare and industry, which facilitates an interdisciplinary exchange of views from a wide variety of perspectives.
• 18.5.26 - Our new review article on "Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles: New Hype or Hope to Explain Reproductive Host-Microbiota Interactions" has just been published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles! In collaboration with the Karolinska Institute in Sweden the paper was co-authored by our PhD student Hannah Wein and Paula Iglesias-Moreno. We are delighted!
• 4.5.26 - Once again the Science Day of Medicine took place in Greifswald. We used this opportunity to present the work in our laboratory to interested medical students. Furthermore, current and future doctorate students were able to exchange their experiences.
• 30.4.26 - Our former Bachelor student Clara Schmitt successfully defended her thesis, thereby completing her degree in Human Biology. We congratulate her and wish her all the best.
• 29.4.26 - Our PhD student Chiara Drechsler had the opportunity to take part in a three-day training course on how to use our new cell sorter at the Miltenyi University in Bergisch-Gladbach.
• 1.4.26 - Once again this year, two PhD students from our team had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Annual Meeting of the Society for Reproductive Investigation (SRI). In San Juan, Puerto Rico, they presented our work with a talk and two posters. And, of course, they made the most of the many opportunities for academic exchange and networking.
• 12.1.26 - We welcome our new master's student Anna Zimdahl to our team. Anna is studying human biology and will be working with us on the regulation of Toll-like receptors by trophoblast-secreted factors.
• 7.1.26 - At the start of the new year, we congratulate Dr. Henrike Schroeder on her outstanding defence of her thesis and the award of her medical doctorate. From 2020 to 2021, she worked in our laboratory on the topic of ‘The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) in the placenta – regulation and function in late pregnancy, taking into account sex-specific differences’. Congratulations!
• 16.12.25 - Today, we congratulate Dr. Laura Núñez-Castro on successfully defending her medical doctoral thesis. She has been conducting research in our laboratory on the ‘HPV-ILC interaction in the context of the cervical carcinoma’ since 2016 and has been working as an intern at our gynaecological clinic since 2021. We are delighted that she has now received her doctoral degree.
• 27.11.25 - This morning, our bachelor's student Dajana Landeck successfully defended her thesis on ‘Differential regulation of HIF-1α and NF-κB in M2c macrophages after bacterial stimulation and their influence on angiogenic factors,’ which she completed in our laboratory under the supervision of Lea Zemmrich. We are very happy for her and wish her every success in her Master's programme in ‘Regenerative Biology and Medicine’ in Dresden.
• 3.11.25 - Our lab leader PD Dr. Muzzio had the opportunity to attend the 4th Franco Argentine Immunology Congress (FAIC) and 73rd Congress of the Argentine Society for Immunology (SAI) in Rosario, Argentina. He was invited to give a talk on ‘How Immune Cells Adapt to Pregnancy and the Microbial Landscape’. The conference provided an excellent opportunity to present our work, socialize in our scientific network and get to know Rosario.
• 6.10.25 - Anna Dyrna is starting her medical doctoral thesis in our laboratory. Over the coming year, she will be researching the influence of hormones on the glycosylation of immunoglobulins and their relevance in recurrent pregnancy loss.
• 29.9.25 - We introduce Anna Bittins and Celine Reimann. They decided to take the elective subject ‘Molecular Approaches in Obstetrics’ as part of their medical studies. During their one-week block internship, they are able to conduct their own experiments in our laboratory.
• 8.9.25 - As part of their bachelor's programme in Human Biology, Mina-Madeleine Müller and Mareike Kasten are currently completing a two-week internship in our laboratory to gain practical insights into our work.
• 8.9.25 - Currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Laboratory Medicine at the Medical University of Białystok in Poland, Maja Oksentowicz will join our laboratory for one month as part of the ERASMUS+ exchange programme.
• 25.8.25 - Fiona Foels and Nele Prüfer are our first group of interns for this year's laboratory rotation in the Bachelo's programme in Human Biology.
• 18.8.25 - Lydia Gigel is currently completing a three-week internship in our laboratory. She is a student in the Bachelor's programme in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Dresden.
• 17.7.25 - Our latest team member is Josephin Greßler. She is a medical doctoral student in our lab and will be working on the role of trophoblast-derived extracellular vesicles in immune regulation.
• 29.4.25 - Last week, our lab leader Assoc. Prof. Muzzio was a guest in Tartu, Estonia, to take part in a disputation as an opponent. Dr. Artjom Stepanjuk defended his dissertation on the 'Function of adhesion molecules and signalling pathways in human endometrial and embryonic models', which he wrote under the supervision of Prof. Andres Salumets, Assoc. Prof. Sulev Ingerpuu and Assoc. Prof. Maire Peters at the University of Tartu.
• 15.4.25 - We would like to introduce Dajana Landeck as our latest team member. She is studying in the Bachelor's programme Human Biology and will be writing her Bachelor's thesis with us. Under the practical supervision of Lea Zemmrich, Dajana will be investigating the macrophage-mediated angiogenesis in interaction with the microbiome during pregnancy.
• 9.4.25 - We congratulate Dr. Charlotte Reinicke on her doctorate! From 2020 to 2021, she researched the ‘Regulation of the phenotype and function of innate lymphoid cells type 3 by decidualised stromal cells’ in our laboratory and successfully defended her dissertation yesterday. We are very happy and congratulate her!
• 24.3.25 - Last week, our PhD student Chiara Drechsler attended the workshop ‘Multiomics appraches in Reproductive Medicine - from wer lab to data analysis’ in Tartu, Estonia. At this two-day course organised by the Celvia Academy, she had the opportunity to learn about multiomics techniques together with other students. It was also a great opportunity for Chiara to meet our co-operation partners from the Karolinska Institute in person.
• 16.1.25 - We congratulate our Bachelor student Laura Bergmann on the successful defence of her thesis. After working in our lab for several months under the supervision of Hannah Wein, she has now completed her project "Bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) as immune regulators in pregnancy - Establishment of mNeonGreen-expressing E. coli BEVs"