We welcome Dr Georgios Sogkas as a new member of RESIST. The rheumatologist from the MHH Department of Rheumatology and Immunology is now working in the teams of the RESIST projects A2 and B2. The first project revolves around congenital immunodeficiencies and in particular the question how can diagnosis be improved to achieve early identification of as many affected individuals as possible? The second project is looking into the extent to which intestinal bacteria can trigger rheumatological diseases.
Dr Sogkas studied medicine at the University of Thessaly, Greece, and then completed his Master’s degree in “Integrated Immunology” at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. He received his PhD at the MHH Clinic for Immunology and Rheumatology, where he has worked ever since. Within the framework of RESIST, Dr. Sogkas is focusing on identifying common disease mechanisms of immunodeficiency and autoimmunity in inborn errors of immunity. “The discovery of monogenic disorders, characterized by both autoimmunity and susceptibility to infections, has provided novel insights into the common pathophysiological origins of immunodeficiency and immune dysregulation,” he says. With his work, he wants to contribute to finding new therapeutic starting points to reverse the dysregulation of the immune system. “The goal is that patients with immunodeficiency are not additionally burdened with immunosuppression,” he says.