Henni Laessle

Henni currently works within the Carella lab.

Henni completed her PhD in Biology at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, where she investigated the function of Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain signalling in monocot and dicot plants.

Her present research explores the evolution of immune signalling across the tree of life, with a particular focus on nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) found in plants, bacteria, fungi and animals. She investigates how these immune receptors function across kingdoms and how their diversity could be harnessed to develop new disease-resistance strategies in plants.