Antibiotics are major weapons in the fight against bacterial infections. However, antibiotics are increasingly losing efficacy due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is a most serious threat, that besides limiting our option to treat bacterial infections, also restricts modern medical therapies and treatments, such as chemotherapy, transplantation and surgery.
The program is aimed at resident physicians who are in the middle of their specialist training. The scientific focus is on the connections between diseases of the nervous system and systemic factors.
The application is open to physicians already working at the UKB as well as to those who are currently working at another institution but are interested in switching to the UKB.
The deadline for submitting applications has been extended to 23.01.2023.
Further information on the program and the current call can be found here.
With a total of 13 researchers, the University of Bonn is represented this year in the international ranking "Highly Cited Researchers". According to the creators of the ranking, the individuals on this list of "Highly Cited Researchers" are among the world's most influential one percent of their field.
An international study led by the medical Faculty of the University of Bonn has identified a gene that plays an important role in the development of the human embryo. If it is altered, malformations of various organ systems can result. The gene emerged very early in evolution. It also exists in zebrafish, for example, and performs a similar function there. The results have now been published in the Journal of Medical Genetics.
The human genome harbors large segments that offer no obvious benefit and can potentially even cause disease. Nevertheless, these areas are copied and maintained every time a cell divides, which means a considerable effort and energy cost for the body. What is the evolutionary advantage of preserving these areas? This is the question that virologist and immunologist Prof. Rayk Behrendt from the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2 at the University of Bonn is addressing. For his research, he now receives the prestigious Consolidator Grant of the European Research Council (ERC). The selected project of the Bonn professor will be funded with about 2 million euros.
Patients with nasopharyngeal cancer are often treated with drugs that activate their immune system against the tumor. Until now, it was feared that vaccination against Covid-19 could reduce the success of cancer treatment or cause severe side effects. A recent study by the Universities of Bonn and Shanxi in the People's Republic of China now gives the all-clear in this regard. According to the study, the cancer drugs actually worked better after vaccination with the Chinese vaccine SinoVac than in unvaccinated patients. The results are published as a "Letter to the editor" in the journal Annals of Oncology, but are already available online.
The German Research Foundation (DFG) is establishing a new Research Training Group (RTG) at the University of Bonn to further strengthen young scientists. The goal of the RTG " Tools and Drugs of the Future" is to modernize medicinal chemistry and train a new generation of medicinal chemists and researchers at the interface with interconnected disciplines. In addition, the projects are intended to contribute to the development of new drug substances. The funding amounts to almost 6.3 million euros over five years. Eleven new Research Training Groups will be funded throughout Germany from spring 2023.
Rare gene mutations can significantly increase the risk of severe COVID-19 disease. An international research team with significant contribution of the University of Bonn compared the genetic material of 5,085 people with severe COVID-19 and more than 570,000 controls. The results showed that alterations in the gene TLR7, which is important for the immune defense in humans, lead to infections with a severe course. The findings have now been published in the journal PLOS GENETICS.