PhD Defence: Matea Poggenberg
Congratulations to our new Doctor! We celebrate the graduation of Matea Poggenberg, who successfully defended her PhD Thesis on the 24th March 2026.
Under the guidance of Dr Annibaldi, her research focused on the Role of cFLIP in Cell Death Suppression to Maintain Tissue Homeostasis.
Main project results:
In her dedicated research, Matea made a significant contribution to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing TNF signaling and cell death regulation. Using sophisticated genetic mouse models, she demonstrated that cFLIP acts as a critical safeguard against excessive caspase-8 activity and uncovered how the loss of cFLIP can trigger distinct forms of programmed cell death in a tissue-specific manner. A major discovery of her work was that, upon disruption of the apoptotic machinery, skin epithelial cells switch to necroptosis, whereas intestinal epithelial cells undergo gasdermin D-mediated pyroptosis. Mechanistically, she showed that under conditions of excessive caspase-8 activation, suppression of necroptosis depends on caspase-3-mediated cleavage of RIPK3, revealing a previously unrecognized role for caspase-3 in regulating cell death pathway choice. Together, these findings uncovered an unexpected plasticity between apoptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis and established cFLIP and caspase-8 as key regulators of cell death decisions required for tissue homeostasis and protection from inflammatory damage.
Advice to future PhDs:
To future PhD students, Matea's most important advice is to remain rigorous, disciplined, and persistent in your work: “Scientific progress rarely comes from focusing solely on the outcome, but rather from steady, day-by-day effort and careful attention to detail. Many meaningful insights emerge gradually, through repetition, patience, and the continuous refinement of ideas over time. Trust the process and stay committed to consistent work. If you remain patient and dedicated, both understanding and results will follow naturally.”
Gratitude to collaborators:
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our collaborators from the Cell Death community at our campus in Cologne, as well as to the RG Kurian group in Frankfurt, for their valuable support, insightful discussions, and fruitful scientific exchange throughout this work. Their expertise and collaboration were instrumental in advancing our project.
Matea, thank you for your invaluable contributions to our group and for the many wonderful memories you leave behind. Your dedication, resilience, and hard work have been truly inspiring, and this success is thoroughly deserved. Congratulations, and we wish you all the best for the future!