Biological sex influences the development of the immune system and the incidence of several diseases, such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. The transient period of sex hormone secretion during infancy (minipuberty) after birth controls many biological events in infants. Sex hormones are known to influence the immune response after puberty, but the effect of hormone secretion during infancy is unknown. Before puberty, sex differences in the incidence of diseases are already observed, for example, childhood leukemia is more common in boys. We hypothesize that sex hormone secretion during infancy influences the maturation of the immune system in a gender-specific manner. We will investigate its effect on immune cells in healthy children and in childhood leukemia. Identifying the factors influencing the development of sex-specific immune defense is important in order to better understand the mechanisms of disease development and to develop new targeted treatments for diseases.

2026

2029