Dr Thomas Vogl- Center for Cancer Research at the Medical University of Vienna

Friday, 5 June 2026, 1pm to 2pm

Our current conception of antibody repertoires is mostly based on DNA sequencing of the corresponding BCR sequences, whereas the actual antigens recognized are vastly unknown. My lab strives to unravel the functional capacity of these enormous immune repertoires targeting microbiota and to shed light on their role in different diseases contexts such as autoimmune diseases and cancer. We are leveraging a high throughput phage display system to screen for hundreds of thousands of antigens in parallel (Vogl et al., 2021, Nature Medicine).
Here, I will give an overview on the technology, recent applications to diseases, as well as unpublished work around the development of the immune system, and immunogenetics.

short biography:
Thomas Vogl is an Austrian molecular biologist and immunologist whose work focuses on understanding how the human immune system interacts with the gut microbiome and how this relationship influences diseases. As a group leader at the Center for Cancer Research at the Medical University of Vienna, he combines experimental biology with computational approaches such as machine learning and bioinformatics to study complex immune responses.
Dr. Vogl’s scientific approach relies on high-throughput immunological techniques, including advanced antibody-profiling technologies and automated laboratory systems, enabling large-scale analysis of immune responses from thousands of patient samples. His research has identified novel biomarkers and deepened understanding of how antibodies interact with microbial structures, which may contribute to cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other diseases.
Educated in molecular biomedical sciences in Austria, Dr. Vogl conducted postdoctoral research in Australia and Israel, where he expanded his expertise in data science and immunomics. He has received major distinctions, including an ERC Starting Grant and is coordinating the EU consortium ID-DarkMatter-NCD. Overall, his research advances personalized medicine by clarifying immune-microbiome interactions and improving strategies for disease diagnosis and therapy.

Venue: Henry Wellcome Building Rooms A & B - Room A+B Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics Headington Oxford Oxfordshire OX3 7BN United Kingdom

Department: The Centre for Human Genetics (Unit)

Organiser: Sarah Butler

Host: Alex Mentzer

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