I am a postdoctoral researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital in the laboratory of Vijay Sankaran, where I study how human genetic variation shapes immune cell development and function. My scientific background is in immunology and human genetics, with a particular focus on inborn errors of immunity. During my PhD, I investigated how germline variants affect phagocyte biology with a particular focus on the roles of TNF and CCR2. In my current work, I am expanding this focus to B cell development, integrating both rare and common genetic variation to understand why specific individuals develop B cell lymphopenia or B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Overall, my research combines functional genomics, stem-cell–derived model systems, and single-cell approaches to uncover fundamental principles of human immunity and hematopoiesis.
Please tell us your name, degree, where you currently work, and position.
My name is Anna-Lena Neehus, and I am currently a Postdoctoral Researchers in the lab of Vijay Sankaran at Boston Children’s Hospital in Boston and I am particularly excited about human genetic variation and its impact on human immunity and hematopoiesis.
Where did you do your training?
I received my PhD in Immunology from Paris Cité University under the supervision of Jean-Laurent Casanova at the Imagine Institute in Paris, France. I studied how inborn errors of immunity affect phagocytes and their effector functions. Specifically, I described the first cases of human CCR2 and TNF deficiencies, which underlie interstitial lung disease and susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis, respectively.
Briefly, what is your research about?
I got very interested in the impact of human genetic variation on immune cell development and function. During my PhD I mainly focused on the effect of genetics on phagocytes and their effector function to kill invading microbes. My current work focuses on the role of common and rare genetic variation on B cell development and how specific variants can underlie diseases such as B cell lymphopenia or B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Tell us your thoughts about ICIS: how has being involved in the Cytokine Society helped your career?
This is my first year being part of the ICIS and I am incredibly honored to have received the 2025 Amanda Proudfoot Award for my work on the chemokine receptor CCR2. Being given the possibility to present my work at the ICIS meeting was a fantastic experience, and it was great to interact with many researchers working on chemokine receptors. I also enjoyed connecting with many young PIs that gave me great advice to prepare myself for the next career step.
Are there any particular friendships or collaborations that came specifically out of Cytokines meetings?
Yes, the cytokine meeting allowed me to connect with other researchers working on chemokine receptors, some of which are also conveniently located in Boston. I hope that this will form the basis of some future collaborations, if I pick up my chemokine research again!
What Cytokines meeting(s) have been your favorites? Tell us about any special memories or anecdotes.
The Cytokines 2025 meeting in Seattle was my first ICIS conference. I had the opportunity to present my work alongside all the great speakers that made the conference a truly amazing experience. It was great to connect especially with other scientists working on chemokine receptors as this continues to be a topic of interest to me. In addition, I met some former colleagues and collaborators, which is always a great opportunity to learn about their ongoing research.
What do you like to do when not in the lab?
My biggest hobby for the past years has been running as it’s a great way for me to relax and keep my mind off work. Boston is a great city for running with a huge running community and a lot of sportive events, plus running along the Charles River is always beautiful.
What is the best life/career advice you’ve ever received?
I think the best advice I received is that it’s not about proofing your hypothesis but trying to disprove it until only one possible explanation remains. I think this really shapes the way I do research as it makes one think always about appropriate controls to exclude other things that could have influenced the outcome of an experiment.
What book or TV show are you reading/watching right now that you recommend?
I can recommend “Plagues and Peoples” by William McNeill, which gives a great view of the impact of infectious diseases on human history. If you like science-fiction, I can also highly recommend “The Swarm” by German author Frank Schätzig.
What is your favorite cytokine?
As I did my PhD in the research team studying Mendelian Susceptibility to Mycobacterial Disease, I have to say IFN-g as it is the central cytokine mediating immunity to mycobacteria in human.
Connect with Anna-Lena on Twitter/X: @ALNeehus