Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) are highly coveted because they are hard to come by and provide funding in the millions of euros. At the University of Bonn, three scientists will receive such funding for the next five years.

The Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry and the University Hospital in Bonn have for the first time been able to link a stress factor in the brain directly to the cell's own recycling program and obesity. This could enable a completely new approach to treating stress-induced metabolic diseases.

Researchers from the Department of Ophthalmology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) have found a close correlation between the dimensions of retinal structures and those of the brain. They report on this in the scientific journal "Scientific Reports". Their study results suggest that examinations of the retina of the eye could help to detect a loss of brain substance - also called "brain atrophy". The findings are based on data from the so-called Rhineland Study.

SARS-CoV-2 viruses can hide from recognition by the immune system. However, the antiviral immune receptor RIG-I can be stimulated, which improves protection against lethal SARS-CoV-2 infections. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Gunther Hartmann from the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology at the University Hospital Bonn, in cooperation with other members of the cluster of excellence ImmunoSensation2 at the University of Bonn, have shown this in mice. Also, the incidence of severe disease progression was observed to be significantly reduced. The study was published online in advance in the journal "Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids" and is now available in the final version.

Stress seems to have a negative effect on the learning of movements - at least in mice. This is the conclusion of a recent study at the University of Bonn. According to the study, the neurons of rodents lose some of their contacts with other neurons after stress. The animals also developed motor deficits. The results may be useful for earlier diagnosis and improved therapy of stress-related diseases such as depression. They also document that stress leaves traces in the brain - possibly permanent ones. The study appeared in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

Artificial intelligence (AI) already plays a very important role in medical research, diagnostics and therapy. The pursuit of individualized, targeted and thus as gentle as possible therapy requires a fast and precise evaluation of large amounts of data. The Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) is intensively involved in the use of artificial intelligence methods. Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Ulrike Attenberger, Director of the Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, the 10th Young Investigators Academy of the German Research Foundation (DFG) will be held in Bonn in April on the topic of artificial intelligence in radiology.

The University of Bonn condemns the invasion of Russian troops and expresses its solidarity with the people in Ukraine. In solidarity with German academic institutions, it is suspending all cooperation with Russian partner institutions until further notice.

Rayk Behrendt took over the W2 professorship for Nucleic Acid Immunity with tenure track as of March 1, 2022. The professorship is associated with the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology of the Medical Faculty Bonn.