Vision
Eliciting the power of the immune system to boost muscle regeneration
Our long-term research vision is to develop immunotherapy to boost muscle regeneration in response to traumatic acute injury, as well as in chronic conditions such as aging and muscular dystrophy. We are currently witnessing the success of immunotherapy in the field of cancer. These advances highlight the potential of modulating the immune system in personalized medicine to improve tissue function and patient outcome. Our long-term goal is to investigate and leverage this potential specifically in the muscle and impact outcome in traumatic acute injury, aging and muscle diseases.
News & Events
Latest News
PhD Student Stig Henrik Andersen presents a flash talk “Mapping niche dynamics at single-cell resolution to boost the regenerative potential of aged skeletal muscle” in front of editors from top journals at the I&I Symposium “From Discovery to Publication” in Legoland Conference Center, Billund.
Congratulations to PhD Student Diana Faibish (MD) on being awarded the 3R Prize 2026 by the Animal Welfare Body of Aarhus University Health for her outstanding contributions to advancing Animal Welfare in Research. She received this prestigious recognition at PhD day 2026 for implementing a minimally invasive, ultrasound-guided injection technique that improves animal welfare and reduces the number of animals needed in studies where laparotomy would otherwise be required.
Dr. Porpiglia is invited to deliver a TEDx Talk titled “Regenerative Immunology: a New Frontier in Combating Tissue Aging”. This invitation recognizes her pioneering work and thought leadership in exploring how the immune system can be harnessed to promote tissue regeneration and counteract aging.
Talk Summary
We are living longer than ever before, but living longer does not necessarily mean living well. As we age, our tissues repair more slowly, our bodily functions decline, and our quality of life can worsen. Research in my lab focuses on an ambitious goal: improving healthspan, the number of years we remain in good health, through regenerative medicine. Specifically, we study how to regenerate damaged tissues by harnessing a resource we already have within us: the immune system. People often think of the immune system as a warrior that protects us from viruses and bacteria. Yet an overlooked aspect is the immune system’s role as an “ally in regeneration”, supporting the body’s ability to grow and heal. In my lab at Aarhus University, we want to better understand how immune cells support stem cells, which are responsible for tissue regeneration. We use cutting-edge single-cell technologies, such as suspension mass cytometry and imaging mass cytometry, which allow us to observe, one cell at a time, the interactions between stem cells and immune cells within tissues. Our goal is to uncover “regenerative niches”, the specialized micro-environments where stem cells work together with immune cells to repair the body, and understand whether these niches deteriorate as we age. This research could help us develop new strategies to enhance the body’s ability to heal, even in old age. In other words: to stimulate our immune system so that we can live not just longer, but better.
Dr. Porpiglia Bio-protocol Webinar titled “Through the lens of CyTOF: resolving signatures of stem cell aging one cell at the time” is now available on YouTube.
News
Dr. Porpiglia shares her opinion on AI’s Impact on Drug Design, Regenerative Medicine, and Beyond with the STAT community.
Our manuscript “Elevated CD47 is a hallmark of dysfunctional aged muscle stem cells that can be targeted to augment regeneration” has been featured on the cover of Cell Stem Cell
Dr. Porpiglia is appointed as an Aarhus Institute for Advanced Studies (AIAS) Associate Fellow:
https://aias.au.dk/events/show/artikel/13-new-aias-associate-fellows-from-aarhus-university-appointed
Mathilde Hostrup and Randi Norgaard Andersen join the lab to work on the Empirical Bachelor Project.
