Christiaan V. Henkel
Papers
2
Total Citations
6
H-Index
2
About
Christiaan V. Henkel is a leading researcher in comparative immunology and host-pathogen interactions, with a primary focus on mycobacterial infections. His work leverages the zebrafish model to unravel the innate immune responses triggered by pathogenic mycobacteria, including the human pathogen *Mycobacterium tuberculosis* and its close relative, the fish pathogen *Mycobacterium marinum*. Henkel’s major contribution lies in demonstrating that both pathogens elicit a conserved core set of late innate immune response genes in zebrafish larvae, providing a powerful surrogate system for studying tuberculosis. This finding, detailed in his most-cited 2024 paper (4 citations), underscores the evolutionary conservation of immune pathways and validates zebrafish as a model for human tuberculosis research. His work bridges fundamental immunology and translational medicine, offering insights into host defense mechanisms that could inform new therapeutic strategies. Henkel’s research is notable for its innovative use of a natural host-pathogen system, setting the stage for high-throughput genetic and pharmacological screens in a whole-organism context.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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