ERC Consolidator Grant for Prof. Dr. Jan Böttcher

Prof. Dr. Jan Böttcher, Professor of Experimental Immunology at the Institute of Immunology, group leader at the M3 Research Center, and member of the iFIT Cluster of Excellence, has received an ERC Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for his project EICO-CODE. ERC Consolidator Grants rank among Europe’s most prestigious research awards. They support outstanding mid-career researchers in strengthening their independent research programs and pursuing visionary, high-risk projects with the potential to expand fundamental knowledge and open new scientific horizons.

T cells are key components of the immune system’s defense against infections and cancer. EICO-CODE will investigate how T cell immunity is shaped by eicosanoids—bioactive lipids produced in tissues that can influence T cell function. To address this, the project integrates innovative technologies including eicosanoid mapping, single-cell RNA sequencing, gene editing, T cell barcoding, and organ-specific cancer and infection models. By decoding how eicosanoids regulate T cell immunity, the project aims to uncover new strategies to strengthen immune responses against both infections and cancer.