Genomics

Soskic Group

The Soskic Group focuses on the molecular, cellular, and genetic mechanisms underlying immune effector functions, with a particular emphasis on B cell biology and antibody divesrification. We aim to understand how gene regulatory networks control B cell differentiation and activation, how antibody class switching decisions are made, and how genetic variation shapes these processes to influence immune responses and susceptibility to autoimmunity.

Our Group takes a strongly interdisciplinary approach, integrating experimental and computational methods across immunology, genomics, and cell biology. We combine advanced immunological assays with high-throughput genomic technologies and computational analyses to dissect the molecular regulation of B cell activation and antibody diversification. In parallel, we investigate how genetic variation and dysregulated B cell activation contribute to immune disease risk.

For informal enquiries, please contact [email protected]

Group members

Publications

  • 04/2026 - Mol Syst Biol

    Competing gene regulatory networks drive naive and memory B cell differentiation

    Elucidating the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that control human B cell differentiation is crucial for understanding immune responses to infection, vaccination, and autoimmunity. Here, we map the GRNs guiding naive and memory B cell differentiation. Early in activation, both cell types engage highly similar GRNs. However, at later stages, naive B cells diverge into two […]

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  • 03/2026 - Clinical and Experimental Immunology

    An imbalance between CD80 and CD86 levels and CD4 regulatory T cell number and transendocytosis function exists in the liver in autoimmune hepatitis

    Impairment in Regulatory CD4 T cells (Treg) number and function have been implicated in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Treg are critical regulators of CD28 costimulation through CTLA4-mediated CD80 and CD86 control. We sought evidence for hepatic Treg frequency, phenotype, and function, and CD80/CD86 availability in AIH. Hepatic immune cells were isolated from eight patients with AIH […]

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  • 01/2026 - Int. J. Mol. Sci.

    IFNAR2 p.F8S Variant Associates with Severe COVID-19 and Adaptive Immune Cell Activation Modulation

    Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has a wide range of clinical manifestations modulated by genetic factors. The aim of this study was to identify genetic determinants of severe COVID-19 affecting protein sequence to gain insight into disease pathogenesis. Variants prioritized in two patients requiring lung transplant were tested in the Milan FOGS […]

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  • 08/2025 - FEBS Letters

    Regulation of mRNA metabolism in immune cells

    Rapid activation of immune cells is critical for host defence. While transcriptional regulation is essential for initiating the immune response, emerging evidence highlights the role of post-transcriptional mechanisms in controlling the speed and intensity of the immune reaction. Splicing, polyadenylation, translation and decay are all regulated to fine-tune the expression of genes crucial for immune […]

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  • 05/2023 - Nature Communications

    Cross-disorder genetic analysis of immune diseases reveals distinct gene associations that converge on common pathways

    Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have mapped thousands of susceptibility loci associated with immune-mediated diseases. To assess the extent of the genetic sharing across nine immune-mediated diseases we apply genomic structural equation modelling to GWAS data from European populations. We identify three disease groups: gastrointestinal tract diseases, rheumatic and systemic diseases, and allergic diseases. Although loci […]

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