News — Medical Faculty

Three Bonn researchers selected to participate in Lindauer Nobel Laureate Meetings¹

The three young scientists Dr. Maike Effern, Dr. Susanna Ng from the Institute of Experimental Oncology and Dr. Andreas Zietzer from the Heart Centre of the University Hospital Bonn were selected to participate in the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. The annual conference in Lindau will take place this time from the 25th to the 30th June.

Two ERC Proof of Concept Grants for the University of Bonn²

Two researchers from the University of Bonn have been awarded a Proof of Concept Grant by the European Research Council (ERC) as part of a program designed to help researchers translate their ideas from previous ERC projects into commercial applications. Biologist Prof. Dr. Bernardo S. Franklin from the University Hospital Bonn and physicist Prof. Dr. Simon Stellmer will thus each receive €150,000 over a period of around one year.

Tuning brain cells with light³

An international research team, including ImmunoSensation2 member Prof. Kathrin Leppek of the University Hospital Bonn and scientists from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), the Netherlands, and the US has been awarded a US$ 1.3 million grant by the “Human Frontier Science Program” to investigate brain immune cells and manipulate them via light irradiation. This will involve using gene transcripts (mRNAs) as molecular mediators. From these laboratory studies, the scientists aim to gain new insights into how these cells change their shape in response to hazards and the role they play in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

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First-ever Lecture to Mark World Day for Laboratory Animals⁴

To mark World Day for Laboratory Animals, the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Bonn ran a fact-finding event on animal testing for its students.

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Chatting with Researchers on the International Day of Immunology⁵

What possibilities does mRNA technology offer? How can we use computers to answer biomedical questions? And how does what I eat affect my immune system? The ImmunoSensation2 Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn will be celebrating the International Day of Immunology in Bonn’s city center on April 29. On Marktplatz, researchers will be providing a personal insight into their work and will be on hand from 10 am to 6 pm to chat with locals and answer their questions. At Bonn City Library, meanwhile, selected topics from the field of biomedicine will be showcased in more detail between 11 am and 2 pm. Admission is free at both venues.

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Enlarged University Council Begins New Term of Office⁶

The members of the recently newly elected University Council of the University of Bonn have been handed their appointment certificates for their 2023–2028 term of office by Gonca Türkeli-Dehnert, State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Science of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. At the inaugural meeting following the presentation, the University Council re-elected Prof. Dr. Dieter Engels, former President of the Federal Court of Auditors, as its Chairperson. Prof. Engels has chaired the body since as long ago as 2013.

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Gene scissors find target for testicular cancer therapy⁷

Cisplatin is used successfully in the chemotherapy of testicular cancer. However, patients who develop resistance to the cytostatic drug urgently need alternative therapy options. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) have now been able to elucidate a mechanism underlying cisplatin resistance in testicular cancer. Using CRISPR gene scissors, they identified the NAE1 gene as its driver. Inhibiting this resistance mediator by adding the NAE1 inhibitor MLN4924 not only restores the effect of cisplatin, but also has an additional killing effect on tumor cells. The study results have now been published in the British Journal of Cancer.

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A new look at the power houses of cells⁸

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is establishing a new priority program coordinated by the University of Bonn. Prof. Dr. Thomas Becker from the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and his colleagues are focusing their attention on how the power houses of the cell (mitochondria) are integrated into the cellular proteostasis network. Proteostasis stands for the basic cell biological processes such as the folding, transport and degradation of proteins. A deeper insight into the interplay of mitochondria and proteostasis network may contribute to better understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and aging processes. The DFG is funding the supraregional network with around 7.8 million euros for an initial period of three years.

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