Christoph Ellebrecht, MD

Dr. Ellebrecht received his MD from the University of Lübeck, Germany. He subsequently completed a research fellowship University of Pennsylvania, where he invented the chimeric autoantibody receptor (CAAR) T cell concept and advanced several additional cellular immunotherapy technologies that have been licensed to industry partners. He completed his dermatologic residency at the University of Pennsylvania’s Physician Scientist track and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology and the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at the University of Pennsylvania.

The combined focus of the Ellebrecht lab is to understand immune cells in the context of autoimmunity and manipulate them for use as precision cellular immunotherapies. We are particularly fascinated with immune cells and their ability to remember: if we are exposed to a pathogen a second time, our immune system responds quicker and more vigorously than the first time around. Our research aims to elucidate the mechanisms behind how and when specialized human T lymphocytes, that are used to treat patients or reside in specific organs, commit to long- or short-lived cell fates.