Lab Members
Maximilian Krisch, MSc
PhD student. Investigates the stress response and its effects on metabolism and health, using preclinical stress protocols combined with µPET/CT imaging, immunoassays, omics, and FACS, as part of the Translational Chronic Mental Stress group.
Öykü Özer, MSc
PhD student. Studies the interplay between chronic stress, immune dynamics, and cachexia in lung cancer progression, combining clinical data with genetically engineered mouse models and total-body PET imaging to identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Clara Mertel, MSc
PhD student. Researches chronic mental stress as a risk factor for metabolic and inflammatory disease, developing a bidirectional mouse-human translational pipeline within the Translational Chronic Mental Stress (Vraka Group) line of research.
Hanka Vrban, MSc
Biologist, Technical Assistant. Works on FAPI (Fibroblast Activation Protein Inhibitor) radiotracers, radiolabelling, and in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo radiotracer evaluation.
- Immune regulation and T cell signaling in health and disease
- Translational immunology bridging basic mechanisms with therapeutic applications
- Crosstalk between immune signaling, cancer survival strategies, and chronic mental stress
- High-resolution imaging and systems-level approaches to study cell-cell interactions
- GPCR signaling and molecular pathways in CD8⁺ T cell activation, exhaustion, and memory
Master Students
- Blendi Shala
- Poulami Goswami