Two years of the Marvin Supercomputer: Researchers in Bonn present their projects
—Two years after it went into operation, the University of Bonn celebrated the Marvin Supercomputer with a community event at the Research and Technology Center for Detector Physics (FTD). Researchers from various disciplines presented projects that had been carried out using high-performance computing and used the event as an opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange. A team lead by ImmunoSensation³ members Prof. Dr. Michael Hölzel (Institute of Experimental Oncology) and PD Dr. Gregor Hagelueken (Institute of Structural Biology) use Marvin to design new proteins.
—The “SxDiagnostics” project from the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) prevailed against over 100 competing teams in the start2grow competition and placed in the (shared) 4th to 10th spots. Start2grow is organized nationwide by the Dortmund Economic Development Agency and celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.
Millions in funding for the new MikrobiomProCheck research project
—The human gut microbiome is as unique as a fingerprint. It plays a central role in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Yet its potential for diagnostics and personalized therapy for patients remains untapped. The MikrobiomProCheck research project aims to change this. To this end, the Leibniz Institute for Analytical Sciences (ISAS), the Universities of Bonn, Bielefeld, and Duisburg-Essen, Biofidus AG, and Lead Discovery Center GmbH are receiving approximately 3.4 million euros from the state government of NRW and the European Union.
—A recent study by the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences and the University of Bonn shows that pH plays a crucial role in sperm motility in sea urchins and salmon. A rise in pH activates the enzyme soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC), which produces the messenger molecule cAMP and thereby regulates sperm movement. This mechanism may be widespread in many marine invertebrates and fish. The findings have now been published in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
—A new AI-based method reconstructs spatial information about where immune cells were originally located in an organ, even after these cells have been removed from the tissue and analyzed individually. To accomplish this, Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn use the transcriptome, i.e., the entirety of all messenger RNA transcripts produced by genes within a cell at a given time. The work has now been published in the journal Advanced Science and introduces the new MERLIN algorithm.
B cells maintain antigen presentation in the splenic marginal zone
—A team of international researchers, including ImmunoSensation³ members Prof. Niels Lemmermann and Prof. Andreas Schlitzer, shows that B cells support antiviral CD8⁺ T-cell responses beyond antibody production. In a murine CMV model, B-cell deficiency weakened virus-specific CD8⁺ T-cell responses. Mechanistically, B-cell-derived lymphotoxin β maintained CD169⁺ macrophages and Langerin⁺ cDC1 cells in the splenic marginal zone, enabling efficient T-cell priming. The study was published in Cellular & Molecular Immunology.
University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn strengthen early-career clinical scientists
—The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) are jointly launching the EKFS doctoral program IMMUNE PILOT, which introduces medical students to clinical-scientific research at an early stage. The structured program is positioned at the interface of immunology, neuroscience, and genetics and is aimed at students with a strong interest in research who aspire to pursue a career as clinician scientists. The program is funded by the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation (EKFS).
Precise active ingredients against pancreatic cancer
—Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest forms of cancer. At the German Cancer Congress 2026, German Cancer Aid is now presenting three large-scale projects that it is funding as part of its “German Alliance for Pancreatic Cancer” funding priority. In the funded project PrepAIred, Bonn researchers , in cooperation with the University of North Carolina (USA), want to use AI-based protein design to specifically combat pancreatic cancer. German Cancer Aid is funding the project with a total of 1.99 million euros over a period of four years.
New findings on infection with the Epstein-Barr virus
—The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can cause certain types of cancer or autoimmune diseases, but how the body controls this common viral infection is largely unknown. Bonn researchers have now identified genetic and non-genetic factors that help the body fight EBV. To do this, they evaluated genome sequencing data, which is actually intended for characterizing the human genome, in a new way. Using the new technique, they were able to estimate the amount of EBV in the blood and find correlations in large health data sets. Their findings have now been published in the renowned journal Nature.
