Dr Wilhelm Gerner
Wilhelm obtained his PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) in Immunology from the University of Tübingen, Germany, where he identified T cell epitopes of foot-and-mouth disease virus in swine and cattle. He then joined the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria, where he progressed from Staff Scientist to Assistant Professor in 2015 and Associate Professor in 2020. Since January 2021, he is a Group Leader at The Pirbright Institute.
His work has centred on T cell responses in pigs to viral and bacterial pathogens, with more recent studies extending to porcine B cells as well as T cells in poultry. At Pirbright, his research focuses on the interplay of T and B cells in pigs and cattle, particularly the role of T helper cells and B cells in shaping antibody responses during infection and vaccination. Most recently he also connects these responses to the local tissue microenvironment, covering innate and non-immune cells.
His research is underpinned by state-of-the-art technology to unravel cellular immune responses in lymphoid and mucosal tissues, including high-dimensional flow cytometry, single cell RNAseq and immunofluorescence histology in combination with spatial transcriptomics.
By taking a comparative approach across livestock species, his group aims to define cellular mechanisms and to identify factors that determine whether infection outcomes are protective or pathological.
