Silvia M. Tietz

Silvia Tietz is a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Theodor Kocher Institute at the University of Bern, Switzerland. She received her undergraduate training in biology from the University of Tübingen, Germany, and a PhD in neuroimmunology from the University of Giessen, Germany.

Already during her training Dr. Tietz has focused on multiple sclerosis (MS) research using the animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). As a post-doctoral fellow (2011-2013) in Martin Berghoff’s laboratory in Giessen, Germany she studied the role of the mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase (MK)-2 in the pathogenesis of EAE using in vivo and in vitro models. Honored with a full stipend from the German Research Foundation she then moved to the laboratory of Britta Engelhardt at the Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, Switzerland. There she investigated molecular mechanisms involved in immune cell trafficking into the central nervous system with special focus on the role of endothelial junctional molecules like PECAM-1 or the junctional adhesion molecule (JAM)-B in the pathogenesis of EAE.

Dr. Tietz’s research skills encompass in vivo and in vitro models to discover blood-brain barrier integrity and functions as well as blood-brain barrier leukocyte interactions. In addition, Dr. Tietz has strongly contributed to refine EAE scoring and mouse handling for performing more humane animal experiments with regard to the 3R guidelines.