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Expert trained in transplantation immunology at Cambridge University, UK, and has since pursued an academic career in human cancer immunology and immunotherapy, and in immunogerontology in Tuebingen, Germany. His research interests are currently centered on alterations to immunity, especially T cell-mediated immunity, in ageing and cancer in man and the influence these have on the outcome of vaccination, including cancer vaccine-based therapies. Recent technological advances in polychromatic flow cytometry and mass cytometry (CyTOF) have expanded the overall focus of monitoring programs to include B cells and innate lymphoid and myeloid cells from patients and aged chprts as well. Tese technqiues are currently employed in his laboratory. In the ageing field, he is currently focusing on mechanisms of human immunosenescence and the role of infection with the common herpesvirus Cytomegalovirus on immunity and mortality in the elderly. The impact of polypathogenicity (including multiple infections, cancer, Alzheimer´s, Parkinson´s and autoimmunity) as well as stress (psychological, nutritional) on immune signatures reflecting individual immune status is of particular interest in the clinical context. In the cancer immunotherapy field he has a long track record in tumour antigen and biomarker discovery, and in monitoring patients undergoing experimental immunotherapy. He defined new tumour antigens recognized by T cells in leukemia and in solid tumours. In chronic myeloid leukemia, he was the first to show that bcr/abl sequences could be immunogenic to CD4+ T cells.. At this time, he led an EU-funded project aimed at establishing best-practise protocols for determining the T cell immunogenicity of synthetic peptide tumour antigens in vitro. Later, he used “reverse immunology” to identify MHC class I and II-restricted antigens in tumours, as well as elution and sequencing of peptides bound to MHC molecules on freshly isolated tumour cells. He works actively with clinical departments in his University and elsewhere to monitor patients receiving immunotherapy for cancer including melanoma, prostate, renal and breast and has extensive collaborations internationally. He has thus maintained an active interest both in the immunotherapy targets present on tumour cells as well as the T cells recognizing them, and the monitoring of patients ex vivo regarding their responses to vaccines containing such tumour antigens. His particular special interest as mentioned above is in the alterations of immune responsiveness with age and how this affects immunotherapy.

He is or has been a member of several industry Advisory Boards on Immunosenescence and Vaccination, and of the WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research Advisory Board on the Impact of Ageing on Vaccination. He is Co-Editor-in Chief of the academic journal Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy, is Deputy Editor of Immunity & Ageing and the Journal of Translational Medicine, and is on the Editorial Boards of J. Gerontol, Mech Ageing Dev, Exp Gerontol and Biogerontol. He has authored >150 peer-reviewed original articles from a total of >300 publications, has edited 3 books and co-edited several others. He has coordinated three European Union collaborative programs on immunosenescence and two on cancer vaccine research. He was an EU 5th Framework Program Expert Advisory Panel Member for Ageing and Public Health, 1997, and 7th FP Expert Consultant for the ‘Road map for the future of ageing research in Europe’, 2007 as well as the 7th FP “WhyWeAge” 2010 consulting exercise to make recommendations on the priorities for European research on ageing over the next decade.

He consulted at the European Commission Framework 5 Expert Advisory Panel for Ageing and Public Health, 1997.
He was a retained Consultant, Unilever Central Research, Sharnbrooke, Bedford (UK), 1999 - 2005 on matters relating to immunosenescence.

He was a 7th FP Expert Consultant for the Workshop ‘Road map for the future of ageing in Europe’, 2007, for the European Commission.
He was a member of the Sanofi-Pasteur-MSD Member of the Advisory Board on Immunosenescence and Vaccination, 2008, 2009, the WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research, Advisory Board member for impact of ageing on vaccination, 2008 and is a member of the Sanofi-Aventis German Influenza Vaccination Advisory Panel, 2009, 2010.
He is a member of the current ILSI Task Force Expert Group on Biomarkers of Inflammation.