Yi Pan

The role of the microbiome in normal skin and atopic dermatitis (AD) has been highlighted recently. The interaction of FcεRI and toll-like receptors (TLRs) is crucial for the sensitization process occurring in the skin during AD. In this project, we study the difference between Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, as respective representatives of pathogens and commensals and their impact on epidermal Langerhans cells (LCs), as these cells express FcεRI and TLRs. We use different in vivo disease models of AD to investigate these bacteria-host interactions to gain insights into the functions of LCs in the pathobiology of AD.

I earned my MD and Dermatology specialization in Beijing, China. Thereafter, I started a joint PhD between the University Hospital of Bonn, Germany and the Medical University Graz. During the first part of my PhD studies in Prof. Thomas Bieber´s Lab in Bonn, I mainly worked on generating LCs from hematopoietic stem cells and studied the function of FcεRI in LCs and their response to S. aureus and S. epidermidis. In September 2020, I came to Prof. Wolfs laboratory to complement my studies with in vivo mouse models.

yi.pan@medunigraz.at