Professor for Skin Regeneration
The research team at AG Franz is interested on the complexity of inflammatory and wound healing processes in the skin. We investigate the coordinated interaction of immune cells and skin cells during tissue repair and how changes in this cell-cell communication contribute to wound healing disorders in chronic wounds and skin fibrosis. In addition, we explore the influence of metabolic factors on skin tissue function and investigate how local changes in iron and metabolites influence cell growth and communication in skin homeostasis and tissue repair. Another research focus are biomaterial-based therapy strategies to support wound healing processes and skin regeneration. In interdisciplinary collaborations with materials scientists, we develop various biomaterials that can induce effective skin wound healing by modulating local immune responses and triggering repair programs in tissue cells.
Research focus Overview
Group leader
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Sandra Franz
Scientists
Dr. Marta Torregrossa (Post-Doc)
Dr. Ravinder Kandi (Post-Doc)
Jonathan Kessler (cand Dr. med)
Technicans
Elena Elter
Inka Forstreuter
Press release
Relevant publications
- Ertel A, Anderegg U, Franz S, Saalbach A. Dermal white adipose tissue derived IL-33 regulates interleukin 4/13 expression in myeloid cells during inflammation. J Invest Dermatol. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2024.05.026
- Ferrer RA, Torregrossa M, Franz S. Germ-free, carefree: injured skin uses IL-24 to kick-start repair independent of pathogen-recognition. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2023, doi: 10.1038/s41392-023-01609-y.
- Franz S, Ertel A, Engel KM, Simon JC, Saalbach A. Overexpression of S100A9 in obesity impairs macrophage differentiation via TLR4-NFkB-signaling worsening inflammation and wound healing. Theranostics. 2022, doi: 10.7150/thno.67174
- Schmaus A, Rothley M, Schreiber C, Möller S, Roßwag S, Franz S, Garvalov BK, Thiele W, Spataro S, Herskind C, Prunotto M, Anderegg U, Schnabelrauch M, Sleeman J. Sulfated hyaluronic acid inhibits the hyaluronidase CEMIP and regulates the HA metabolism, proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts. Matrix Biol. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.matbio.2022.04.001
- Hauck S, Zager P, Halfter N, Wandel E, Torregrossa M, Kakpenova A, Rother S, Ordieres M, Räthel S, Berg A, Möller S, Schnabelrauch M, Simon JC , Hintze V, Franz S. Collagen/hyaluronan based hydrogels releasing sulfated hyaluronan improve dermal wound healing in diabetic mice via reducing inflammatory macrophage activity. Bioact Mat. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.04.026
- Torregrossa M, Kakpenova A, Simon JC, Franz S. Modulation of macrophage functions by ECM-inspired wound dressings – a promising therapeutic approach for chronic wounds. Biol Chem. 2021, aop, doi: 10.1515/hsz-2021-0145
- Spiller S, Wippold T, Bellmann-Sickert K, Franz S, Saalbach A, Anderegg U, Beck-Sickinger AG. Protease-Triggered Release of Stabilized CXCL12 from Coated Scaffolds in an Ex Vivo Wound Model. Pharmaceutics. 2021, doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13101597
- Li H, Masieri FF, Schneider M, Kottek T, Hahnel S, Yamauchi K, Obradovic D, Seon J-K, Yun SJ, Ferrer RA, Franz S, Simon JC, Lethaus B, Savkovic V. Autologous, Non-Invasively Available Mesenchymal Stem Cells from the Outer Root Sheath of Hair Follicle Are Obtainable by Migration from Plucked Hair Follicles and Expandable in Scalable Amounts. Cells. 2020, doi: 10.3390/cells9092069
- Gay D, Ghinatti G, Guerrero-Juarez CF, Ferrer RA, Ferri F, Murakami S, Gault N, Barroca V, Rombeau I, Mauffrey P, Irbah L, Treffeisen E, Franz S, Boissonnas A, Combadiere C, Plikus MV, Romeo P. Phagocytosis of Wnt inhibitor SFRP4 by late wound macrophages drives chronic Wnt activity for fibrotic skin healing. Sci Adv. 2019, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aay3704
- Herbert D, Franz S, Popkova Y, Anderegg U, Schiller J, Schwede K, Lorz A, Simon JC, Saalbach A. High-Fat Diet Exacerbates Early Psoriatic Skin Inflammation Independent of Obesity: Saturated Fatty Acids as Key Players. J Invest Dermatol. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2018.03.1522
- Lohmann N, Schirmer L, Atallah P, Wandel E, Ferrer RA, Werner C, Simon JC, Franz S*, Freudenberg U*,. Glycosaminoglycan-based hydrogels capture chemokines and rescue defective wound healing in mice. Sci Transl Med. 2017, doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aai9044 (*equal contribution)
- Ferrer RA, Saalbach A, Grünwedel M, Lohmann N, Forstreuter I, Saupe S, Wandel E, Simon JC, Franz S. Dermal fibroblasts promote alternative macrophage activation improving impaired wound healing. J Invest Dermatol. 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2016.11.035
- Jouy F, Lohmann N, Wandel E, Ruiz-Gómez G, Pisabarro MT, Beck-Sickinger AG, Schnabelrauch M, Moeller S, Simon JC, Kalkhof S, von Bergen M, Franz S. Sulfated hyaluronan attenuates inflammatory signaling pathways in macrophages involving induction of antioxidants. Proteomics. 2017, doi: 10.1002/pmic.201700082
- Friedemann M, Kalbitzer L, Franz S, Moeller S, Schnabelrauch S, Simon JC, Pompe T, Franke K. Instructing Human Macrophage Polarization by Stiffness and Glycosaminoglycan Functionalization in 3D Collagen Networks. Adv Healthc Mater. 2017, doi: 10.1002/adhm.201600967
- Franz S, Allenstein F, Kajahn J, Forstreuter I, Hintze V, Möller S, Simon JC. Artificial extracellular matrices composed of collagen I and high-sulfated hyaluronan promote phenotypic and functional modulation of human pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages. Acta Biomater 2013, doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2012.11.016
- Franz S, Rammelt S, Scharnweber D, Simon JC. Immune responses to implants – a review of the implications for the design of immunomodulatory biomaterials. Biomaterials. 2011, doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2011.05.078
