Athanasios will be embedded in the Autophagy-directed Immunity (ADI) group at the Department of Experimental Immunology. At ADI group we investigate how viruses (HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2) infect human intestine. To this end, we have developed advanced intestine tissue infection models and organoid co-culture systems to unravel the impact of autophagy mechanisms on virus susceptibility and mucosal immune responses.  Under the supervision of Dr. Carla Ribeiro, Athanasios will spearhead Work Package 3 (DEFEND)  to establish a gut epithelial-immune cell co-culture organoid model by providing a intestinal epithelial monolayer supported by a Biosilk nanomembrane (basement membrane) in STACKS plates, and inclusion of immune cells witin the Biosilk network (lamina propria). The incorporation of gut-specific immune cells (T cells, dendritic cells and macrophages)  will allow us to elucidate the critical interactions between the intestinal epithelial barrier and mucosal immune compartment upon HIV-1 infection. In collaboration with Carlemi Calitz from Work Package 2 (SHAPE), Athanasios will combine the gut epithelial-immune cell co-culture model with the mesenchyme model to ultimately create a gut mucosa model that recapitulates the in vivo intestinal physiology.

He will then define the phenotypic and molecular immune response parameters per gut co-culture model. Athanasios will study HIV-1 infection and antiviral treatments across the different gut organoid co-culture models in the context of Work Package 5 (INFECT) and Work Package 6 (TREAT), respectively.  The  gut mucosal model developed in Work Package 3 will lay the foundation to create a user-friendly and fit-for-purpose complex gut-brain axis organ-on-chip system as per Work Package 7 (STACK) for modelling human viral diseases.