Current projects
The ELAN projects are thematically aligned to the the major research areas of the Faculty of Medicine:
- Immunology and Infection
- Oncology
- Neurosciences
- Renal and Vascular Research
- Medical Engineering
- Further projects
ELAN-Pilot Projects
ELAN pilot projects provide funds for junior researchers (postdocs, until the age of 39 (i.e. before the 39th birthday) at the time of application).
Projects:
P033 (Biochemie, Mol. Medizin): The role of the transcription factor YB-1 in molecular regulation of chondrogenesis
P034 (Biochemie, Mol. Medizin): Myeloid-specific functions of the EMT-inducer ZEB1 in colorectal cancer.
P035: Characterizing the role of FBXO11 and ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation in intellectual disability
M-IZKF-P036: Physicians opinions on continuous sedation until death: a crosscultural comparison Subproject Germany
The study design is a multi-centrequestionnaire survey using an online survey and is carried out by aninternational project group (Principle supervisor: Morita Tatsuya, overall headof study: Judith Rietjens).
The study provides aninternational comparison of physicians’ opinions and experiences on continuoussedation until death in order to foster the development of a universallybinding definition and treatment approaches in the long term. A comprehensiveoverview of the experiences a…
P037: Subjective clinical judgement and formal scores in prediction of outcome after intracerebral hemorrhage
P038: Validation of the prognostic role of the mRNA expression of molecular markers in stage T1 bladder cancer
P039: Bone characterization in the phase of early autoimmunity in rheumatoid arthritis using HR-pQCT technique
P040 (Biochemie, Mol. Medizin): FoxO-dependent autophagic flux in mitochondrial homeostasis and adult neural stem/progenitor cell function
P042: Immune cell expression and topographic immune cell distribution of NMSC of the head and neck
P043: The effect of anti-tumor therapy on the autotaxinLPA axis in breast cancer
P048: Role of Collagen IV during retrovirus transmission
P050: Prospective, observational study to analyze different vascular and renal parameters in living kidney donors
P052: Treatment Response in Children with Ewing Sarcoma by 18F-FDG-PET/CT and ctDNA
P053: From serotonin receptor signaling to antigen presentation deciphering the molecular mechanism
P055: New imaging biomarkers for muscular diseases Multispectral optoacoustic imaging in spinal muscular atrophy
P056: Using self-renewing liver organoids to understand hepatobiliary organogenesis
and host-microbial interaction
P058 (Exp. Medizin II): Optimisation and characterisation of a Wnt signalling-inhibiting peptide with potential for cancer therapy
P059: Regional inflammatory susceptibility of the central nervous system in rheumatoid arthritis
P061: Modified proteins in the gut break the tolerance and initiate autoimmune arthritis
P063: Assessment of neuroinflammatory changes in chronic pain patients under spinal cord stimulation
P064: Endothelial cell adhesion marker as novel targets for molecular ultrasound of experimental chronic colitis
P065: The homeoprotein transcription factor Engrailed-1 mediates fibroblast activation and skin fibrosis
P069: Hippocrates, the Scientist? Sources for the modern Reception of the Hippocratic treatise On the Sacred Disease
P070: Dynamic signatures of behavioural command in the hypothalamus
P071: Induction of tissue-resident memory T cells against lung cancer
P072: Non-invasive Metabolic MR fingerprinting for characterization of brain tumors and cerebral vascular disease
P073: Pericyte-dependent impairment of blood-brain-barrier and therapeutic strategies in intracerebral hemorrhage
P075: Elucidate how cell-type specific CD109 expression influences cellular functions
P076: MRI based quantification of myelin for the early differential diagnosis of Multiple System Atrophy
P077: Modulation of human osteoclast differentiation and function in healthy- and RA-patients by soluble CD83
P078: Dissociation and self-perception in trauma-related disorders
P083: Rho GTPases within intestinal epithelium and type2 immunity for the differentiation of secretory IECs
P084: Functionality of T cell receptor repertoires after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination
P085: Generation of Duotoxins for the treatment of cancer
P082: Physiological Stress in Safer Cycling in Older Age Effect of an Exercise Intervention: SiFAr-Stress
P088: Role of IL-18 in the myocardial connexin 43 translocation after trauma
P032: Multimodal longitudinal in vivo imaging of inflammation and bone remodeling in experimental enthesitis
P107: Neurosteroids in the hippocampus and their effects on calcium homeostasis in both sexes.
P100: Subject-specific dynamic pulse design for fat suppression in Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer MRI at 7T
P094: Influence of topically applied stem cells on irradiated and post-ischemic flaps
P103: Determining the role of phosphorylation in nuclear envelope MTOC formation
P109: Computer based body exposure in adolescents with anorexia nervosa: a multi-level approach
P101: VATER/VACTERL association: exome analysis in human and functional studies in zebrafish
P093: Vascularizing engineered cardiac tissues based on collagen hydrogels mimicking native extracellular matrix
P091: Prospective study to investigate the association between IBD and increased prevalence of periodontitis.
P108: Glomerular cell-derived exosome characterization and nanoparticles as therapeutic option in renal disease
P098: Acetate inhibits T cell dependent humoral immune responses by reducing T cell migration and motility
P097: Exploring the anti-osteoporotic effects of the beta-blocker metoprolol
P095: Evaluation of the expression of PD-L1 in women with primary, recurrent vulvar cancer and lymph node metastasis
P090: Functional analysis of the transcription factor NFATc3 in the promotion of intestinal inflammation
P096: Orphan nuclear receptor DAX-1 mediates fibroblast activation and skin fibrosis
P092: Analyses on the role of GPR15L on the development and pathogenesis of colorectal carcinoma
P117: Mechanisms of T cell migration into central nervous system in neurodegeneration
T cells migrate to and impact the central nervous system (CNS) during disease. We show that diseased CNS allows stronger T cell migration by yet unknown mechanisms. Here, T cell-attracting mechanisms of neurodegenerative CNS tissue and T cell-driven neurodegenerative pathomechanisms will be investigated in a human stem cell-based 3D CNS model using RNA sequencing and biochemical methods. Data will provide mechanistic insights how T cell migration is facilitated by CNS during neurodegeneration.
P118: GPR179 and LRRTM4: two new players in night vision accociated with GABA receptors
We will analyse two new players of the rod pathway in the mammalian retina that are associated with night blindness - GPR179 and LRRTM4. GPR179 and LRRTM4 bind directly to GABAc receptors (GABAcR). Rod bipolar cells express high levels of GABAcR and deletion of LRRTM4 perturbed clustering of GABAcR at their axon terminals. We will analyse these protein complexes in the retina, map binding sites and elucidate functions of the interactions by cell biology, calcium imaging and electrophysiology.
P089: Effect of Yoga-Intervention on Spine Flexibility and Mobility in Patients with axial Spondylarthritis
Spondylarthritis can lead to stiffness of the spine and consequently to impaired function. Therefore, it is important to promote daily exercises in Spondylarthritis (SpA) patients. The objective of this study is to assess the feasibility of Yoga to affect spine mobility and disease activity in SpA patients. By measuring the mobility and improving spine flexibility, patients feel better with their disease and learn how important daily exercising is.
P102: In vitro antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity for prediction of
breast cancer therapy response
The standard of care treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer patients includes an anti-HER2-targeted antibody treatment. The antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) is a key player associated with treatment response. Thus, the aim of the presented project is to conduct an ADCC biomarker assay in order to evaluate the association of ADCC capacity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with therapy response after neoadjuvant treatment with the trastuzumab-biosimilar ontruzant.
P106: Diet-induced function of Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) during establishment of the humoral immune response
The aim of the intended research project is to investigate the role of the transcription factor AhR in B-cells in the establishment of an antigen-specific humoral immune response. Therefore, B cell-specific AhR-deficient mice and control animals will be 1. immunized in a T-cell-dependent manner while fed a diet containing AhR ligands and 2. their B cells will be activated in vitro and analyzed in detail. In addition, AhR target genes in B cells will be determined (RNASeq)
P111: Regulation and function of ferroptosis in epithelial restitution and recovery from intestinal inflammation
A strict cell death regulation is indispensable for the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis, since increased cell death is able to trigger intestinal inflammation. Our newly planned experiments can help to discover the impact of the gluthathione peroxidase GPX4 on the regulation of ferroptotic cell death, as well as the induction and maintenance of intestinal inflammation. GPX4 might display a potential target for new therapeutic strategies.
P114: Establishment of a data set for the systematic assessment of drug-related hospitalisations in paediatrics
Drug therapy in children and adolescents is often associated with uncertainties. Causes and characteristics of adverse drug reactions and medication errors are poorly understood. The main objective of the project is to establish and descriptively describe a data set with medication data and systematically collected drug-related hospital admissions of children in Germany.
P116: The role of Butyrophilin 2a2 (Btn2a2) in T cell maturation
Btn2a2 inhibits T cell activation in vitro and Btn2a2-/- mice show exacerbated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, suggesting a T cell inhibitory role. Strikingly, Btn2a2-/- mice exhibit elevated autoantibody titers, suggesting a defect in tolerance mechanisms. We hypothesize that Btn2a2 affects thymocytes during thymocyte selection, resulting in an altered autoaggressive T cell repertoire.
P113: Ovarian follicles infiltration and development in artificial scaffold: Investigated with dynamic imaging
Increasing survival of young cancer patients require fertility-preservation like ovarian-cryopreservation pretherapeutically with retransplantation post-therapy. However, this is not appropriate for all patients due to the risk of relapse. A promising alternative is the artificial ovary: follicles are separated from malignant cells. In the research proposed follicle survival, maturation and growth in 3D-scaffold will be observed by live cell imaging with confocal spinning disc microscopy.
P121: Targeting aggNETs for resolution of inflammation on the ocular surface.
Eye rheum is a physiological ocular surface discharge contains aggregated neutrophil extracellular traps (aggNETs), indicating that neutrophils are involved in ocular surface homeostasis. In the murine model of allergic eye disease, aggNETs occlude meibomian glands causing meibomian gland dysfunction after ocular surface inflammation. Here we plan to investigate therapeutic potential of eye drops containing DNase-1 or NOX2-inhibitor to alleviate aggNETs driven ocular surface inflammation.