News — Medical Faculty

Better cataract surgery thanks to AI video analysis¹

Although manual small incision cataract surgery (SICS) is widely practiced in countries of the global South, there is no publicly available surgical video dataset for this operation, leaving a critical gap in cataract surgery research. Therefore, an international research team at Sankara Eye Foundation India led by the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn has developed the first automated phase detection using AI in SICS. The results of the study have now been published in the renowned journal "Scientific Reports". In parallel, the international research team is now launching a global AI competition at the MICCAI 2025 conference in Daejeon (South Korea), in which AI algorithms for surgical phase detection will compete against each other. The submission deadline is 15th of August 2025.

Chinese delegation visits the Faculty of Medicine in Bonn²

For a two day visit, the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bonn welcomed 14 medical students accompanied by the deputy director of the teaching office of the Shanghai East International Medical Centre and a research associate from Tongji University in Shanghai. During a varied program, the guests from China were given an insight into studies and research at the Faculty of Medicine Bonn. The aim of the visit was to discuss specialist topics and future exchange opportunities.

Frank Bradke Elected to North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts³

The North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts has welcomed 12 high-caliber researchers and artists into its ranks in 2025, including Professor Frank Bradke from the University of Bonn and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE).

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NRW university consortium consolidates top genome research facility⁴

The universities of Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf and Aachen agreed to establish a joint academic institution (Gemeinsame Wissenschaftliche Einrichtung, GWE) on 1 January 2025. The contractual partners will thereby be transforming the West German Genome Center (WGGC) from its current form as a collaborative research network into a new kind of institution. Newly founding the center as a GWE ensures that the partners can maintain already existing structures and further develop established technologies.

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Bone2Gene receives early-stage innovation award⁵

The start-up project “Bone2Gene” received an award in the category “early-stage innovation” at the life-science technologies event BioVaria, that took place in April in Munich. Dr. Behnam Javanmardi pitched their business idea and technology which focuses on using artificial intelligence (AI) to make genetic bone conditions easier to spot. He develops this AI technology together with Prof. Dr. Peter Krawitz – both from the Institute of Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics at the University Hospital Bonn – and their team. The project is currently funded by a GO-Bio initial grant of 1 million euros to get its product ready for market launch.

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New way to prevent duodenal cancer⁶

People with the hereditary disease familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) have a greatly increased risk of developing a malignant tumor of the duodenum. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2 at the University of Bonn have now discovered a mechanism in the local immune system that can drive the development of cancer. They see this as a promising new approach to preventing duodenal carcinoma in people with FAP. The results have now been published in the journal "Nature Communications".

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How disturbed signaling pathways could promote epileptic seizures⁷

Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) type 2 is a congenital malformation of the cerebral cortex that is often associated with difficult-to-treat epilepsy. In the affected areas, nerve cells and their layer structures are arranged in an atypical manner, which often makes drug therapy more difficult. A research team from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn, in collaboration with the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), has now found evidence of profound changes in the dopamine system in FCD type 2. The results have now been published in the medical journal “Brain”.

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Podcast: “Deep Down, I’m an Idealist”⁸

Professor Ilona Grunwald Kadow was appointed Vice Rector for Research and Career Development on August 1, 2024. In an interview, the neuroscientist talks about her experience of moving to within University management and what priorities she is keen to set during her term of office.

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