—Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system caused by the immune system. B cells, which are a type of white blood cell, play a role in the development of MS and are thus a target for therapies. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn and the FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg identified the membrane protein MLC1 as a potential target antigen in MS. The results of the work have now been published in the renowned journal “Neurology Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation”.
Valentin Schäfer appointed to Specialized Ethics Committee
—Prof. Valentin S. Schäfer, Head of the Section of Rheumatology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and researcher at the University of Bonn, has been appointed to the newly created Specialized Ethics Committee for Special Procedures by State Secretary Dr. Thomas Steffen at the Federal Ministry of Health. The committee, which is based at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), will begin its work on July 1, 2025 and is responsible for the ethical evaluation of complex clinical trials.
—The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bonn has conferred an honorary doctorate on the illustrious researcher Professor Sharon Lewin. The Director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics, Professor Lewin is also a Laureate Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne in Australia and collaborates with the University Hospital Bonn. She is being recognized for her exceptional research on the international stage and her groundbreaking work in the field of HIV research in particular.
Reducing Neuroinflammation Could Help Fight Alzheimer’s
—Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. A promising approach for its treatment is the prevention of inflammatory processes in the brain. An international team of scientists around Dr. Róisín McManus, Prof. Eicke Latz and Prof. Michael Heneka now provide new evidence supporting this approach and potentially contributing to the development of more effective therapies. The results have now been published in the journal “Immunity”.
—We are delighted to welcome Prof. Dr. Jörg Wenzel from the Center for Skin Diseases at the University Hospital Bonn to the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2. Jörg Wenzel is a dermatologist and physician-scientist with extensive expertise in inflammatory skin diseases and cutaneous immunology.
—Five projects of ImmunoSensation2 members have received funding from the BMBF's GO-Bio initial program to put their innovative research results into practice. The projects are based at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn and will be funded with a maximum of 100,000 euros each in the exploratory phase. The “GO-Bio initial” funding initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) promotes the development of life science research approaches on the way to application.
—We are thrilled to welcome Prof. Dr. Marieta Toma Deputy Director of the Institute of Pathology at the University Hospital Bonn as a new member of the ImmunoSensation2 Cluster of Excellence. Marieta Toma is a leading expert in translational research with particular interest in establishing patient-derived models for cancer research.
—Genetic factors play a major role in the development of bipolar disorder. In an effort to better understand the underlying biology, researchers are constantly studying the genetic makeup of people with bipolar disorder. The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium's Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) is the largest of its kind. The study analyzes data from ver 150,000 people of European, East Asian, African-American and Latin American descent. The latest results have now been published in the renowned scientific journal “Nature”.
—Due to recent developments, we decided to discontinue our activities on the social media plattform X. With this decision, we follow more than 60 german universities and other research institutions. As a Cluster of Excellence, we see the communication of research and scientific results as well as their discussion as one of our tasks, which is why we did not make this decision lightly. However, X's line is not compatible with the basic values that we represent and also want to live in our communication. These include transparency, constructive discourse and, above all, scientific integrity.
