Dorothee Schmid

Diploma, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Autophagy — Eating Oneself to Resist Infections
presented by Christian Münz

Gutta cavat lapidem non vi, sed saepe cadendo.
Like water slowly erodes stone, Dorothee Schmid has chiseled away on a long-standing paradigm in immunology, namely that only material from outside of the cell can be presented to so-called helper T cells, a crucial component of our immune system. In contrast to that long-held belief, Doro’s research has demonstrated that a self-eating process within cells, called autophagy, can deliver material for immune surveillance by these helper T cells.
Her findings have far-reaching consequences for our understanding of how pathogens can be detected by the mammalian immune system and how tolerance against self-tissues is maintained at the same time.
Doro was my first Rockefeller University graduate student. And while she receives her degree today for her scientific accomplishments, she has also contributed in another way, by helping shape the collegial spirit in my lab. She exposed her lab-mates not only to scientific discussions, but also to World Cup fever and her a cappella passion. In both of these hobbies Doro is very much rooted in her home country Germany, to which she will return later this year to continue her scientific career. I have no doubt that Doro will successfully tackle any scientific problem that she decides to pursue.