The IMMUNsysteme – YOung versus AGed – „ImmunYoAge“

This doctoral program aims to inspire medical students to pursue an academic career during their studies by introducing them to science in a structured way and allowing them to experience the fascination of biomedical research at first hand. The aim is to identify the molecular determinants of the age-specificity of immune-mediated diseases, to better understand the causes of age-specific differences in disease progression and to develop new therapeutic strageies on this basis.

Promotionskolleg TALENT (GesTörte IonenhomöostAse – übergeordnete Analogien verschiedener ZeLltypEn uNd KrankheiTen = Disturbed ion homeostasis- general similarities in different types of cells and diseases)

Changes in Na+ and Ca2+ metabolism play a crucial role in numerous diseases.  Interestingly, ion dysregulation is often based on similar mechanisms, which should be studied on an interdisciplinary basis. The Fakultät für Medizin together with the Fakultät für Biologie und Vorklinische Medizin 

Entstehung von hämatologischen Neoplasien und kardiovaskulären Erkrankungen auf dem Boden der klonalen Hämatopoese: Gemeinsamkeiten und Besonderheiten

Klonale Hämatopoese bezeichnet das Auftreten von Leukämie-assoziierten Mutationen im Blut von Individuen ohne Hinweis für eine Blutkrebs-Erkrankung. Dieses erst seit wenigen Jahren bekannte Phänomen tritt in altersabhängiger Häufigkeit auf und läßt sich in ca. einem Drittel der Bevölkerung ab 65 Jahren nachweisen. Betroffene Individuen leiden vermehrt an kardiovaskulären und bösartigen Erkrankungen, ihr Gesamtüberleben ist meist verkürzt.

Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Optogenetic Therapies approved

(umg/mbexc/pug/dpz/MPI-NAT/MPI-DS/HAWK) Research into the further development of "hearing with light" and other optogenetic therapies will be significantly accelerated. The Else Kröner Fresenius Foundation (EKFS) has pledged funds of up to 37.4 million euros for the establishment and operation of the Center for Optogenetic Therapies in Göttingen. The Göttingen application convinced the EKFS jury in the national competition against 32 other applications.

The soluble HLA immunopeptidome as active modulator and biomarker for T cell immunity in malignant disease

The immune system, and in particular T cells, fight cancer by recognizing certain peptides presented by so-called human leukocyte antigens (HLA) on tumour cells. This is the basis for advances in cancer immunotherapy. Research has so far focused on HLA molecules and their peptides on the cell surface, whereases soluble HLA molecules (sHLA) in body fluids have received less attention. However, these sHLA molecules also carry peptides and could thus play a crucial role in the immune response to cancer.