How nerve and vascular cells coordinate their growth
—Nerve cells need a lot of energy and oxygen. They receive both through the blood. This is why nerve tissue is usually crisscrossed by a large number of blood vessels. But what prevents neurons and vascular cells from getting in each other's way as they grow? Researchers at the Universities of Heidelberg and Bonn, together with international partners, have identified a mechanism that takes care of this. The results have now appeared in the journal Neuron.
Bacterial kidney infections in the focus of a new research group
—Infections of the kidney occur very frequently in the population and can have life-threatening consequences under certain circumstances. In order to better understand these bacterial infections at the molecular level, the German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding an interdisciplinary research group over the next four years.
—The Bonn Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation² once more is strongly represented in this year’s ranking of highly cited researchers. Prof. Eicke Latz, head of the Institute of Innate Immunity at the University Hospital Bonn, Prof. Andreas Schlitzer, head of the Quantitative Systems Biology group at LIMES Institute of Bonn University as well as Prof. Joachim Schultze, Director Systems Medicine at the DZNE, are among the year’s most influential researchers once more.
—In the current episode of "Exzellent Erklärt - Spitzenforschung für alle" (Explained excellently - cutting-edge research for everyone) ImmunoSensation² speaker Prof. Gunther Hartmann of the University Hospital Bonn and our member Prof. Elvira Mass of the LIMES Institute at Bonn University take a detailed look onto our immunsystem. The episode is available on all major podcast platforms.
—For several years now, the CRISPR/Cas9 gene scissors have been causing a sensation in science and medicine. This new tool of molecular biology has its origins in an ancient bacterial immune system. It protects bacteria from attack by phages. A team of researchers around ImmunoSensation² Member Prof. Matthias Geyer from the Institute of Structural Biology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), in cooperation with the partner university St Andrews in Scotland and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Hamburg, have now discovered a new…
—Once again, the ImmunoSensation² members, associated scientists and guests, gathered at BMZ I & II on the UKB campus, as well as online to exchange on current research in immunology. Together, we celebrated the largest Cluster Science Days ever: with a total of more than 400 registered participants online and on-site, a new high of submitted scientific posters, and great talks and discussions on a wide variety of topics in immunology, we are looking back on a very appropriate 10th edition of the annual…
—The inflammasome protein NLRP3 is a polymodal sensor of cellular stress. Since it induces cell death through pyroptosis, its activation is strictly regulated. Binding of ATP is considered a prerequisite for NLRP3 activation and inflammasome formation. ImmunoSensation² members Prof. Matthias Geyer and Prof. Eicke Latz, together with their teams at the University Hospital Bonn, have now further characterized the role of ATP in the regulation of NLRP3. The results were recently published in Communications Biology.
Vaccination potentially improves effectiveness of cancer treatment
—Therapeutic use of checkpoint inhibitors, targeting anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), is common in the treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer. Until now, it was feared that vaccination against SarsCoV-2 could reduce the success of anti-PD-1 treatment or cause severe side effects. A recent study by scientists of ImmunoSensation² at the University of Bonn, together with colleagues at the University of Shanxi in the People's Republic of China now…
Rayk Behrendt receives prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant
—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…
