Researchers Transform Old Blood Cells into Young Brain Cells
—Researchers from the University Hospital of Bonn and the University of Bonn have succeeded in dramatically rejuvenating human cells in a test tube. To do so, they directly reprogrammed red blood cell precursors into stem cells from which neurons can be derived. During this process, the molecular clocks that indicate a cell’s age were reset. For example, blood cells from an 80-year-old were transformed into stem cells with a molecular age of less than 20 years. The results have been published in the journal Aging Cell.
Aspirin Rarely Used for Colorectal Cancer Prevention
—According to international studies, taking Acetylsalicylic acid daily can protect people with Lynch syndrome from developing colorectal cancer – even at low doses. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn, and the Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Bonn, in collaboration with the self-help organization SemiColon, have now found that these scientific findings have so far been insufficiently incorporated into clinical practice. The results of the LYNX study have now been published as a letter in the journal The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
Doors Open with the Mouse: Young Scientists Explore Light and Optogenetics in the Laboratory
—The curious orange mouse is part of German television history. For generations, the children's programme “Die Sendung mit der Maus” (“The Show with the Mouse”) has explained everyday phenomena and scientific questions to young viewers. Since 2011, the Mouse has also been opening doors to places that are normally not accessible to the public. During the annual “Türen auf mit der Maus” (“Doors Open with the Mouse”) event, institutions, companies and research laboratories across Germany invite children to visit their facilities, learn about their work and explore scientific phenomena first-hand.
Smartphones as Retinal Cameras: New Opportunities for Global Eye Care
—Smartphones could play an important role in the early detection of eye diseases, including in settings where specialized ophthalmic infrastructure is limited. An international team of experts led by the UKB and the University of Bonn has comprehensively reviewed the current global landscape of smartphone-based fundus imaging. The researchers highlight the technical and clinical possibilities that already exist today, identify the limitations of these methods, and outline the conditions that must be met so that smartphone-based retinal imaging can be more widely integrated into screening.
—Microplastics appear capable of significantly impairing the function of phagocytes in the liver, at least in mice. In turn, this disrupts the metabolism of this vital organ and increases the build-up of fat inside it. These are the key findings from a joint German-Austrian study led by the University of Bonn, details of which have now been published in the journal “Nature Metabolism.”
The Retina as a Window into the Early Detection of Brain Diseases
—The retina is the only part of the central nervous system that can be examined non-invasively and at high resolution in living humans. Dr Christina Mayer and her team at Bonn University Hospital (UKB) and the University of Bonn aim to use this unique feature to detect inflammatory and vascular diseases of the brain earlier and more accurately, and to better understand how they develop. The Corona Foundation is providing €1 million to establish her junior research group. The programme gives outstanding early-career researchers the opportunity to qualify for a university professorship.
—Joanna Kalucka, Associate Professor at Aarhus University’s Department of Biomedicine, will join the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1454 “Metaflammation and Cellular Programming” at the University of Bonn and Bonn University Hospital (UKB) as a Mercator Fellow Global from 2027. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding her fellowship through the “1000 Heads Plus” programme of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).
—A group of innate immune cells known as group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are essential for maintaining a healthy metabolic balance in adipose tissue. Obesity significantly impairs the number and function of ILC2s. How ILC2s are disrupted by obesity has so far remained unclear. Researchers from the UKB and the University of Bonn have now shown in obese mice that acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1, a key enzyme in fatty acid biosynthesis, is a crucial regulator of the maintenance and function of ILC2 immune cells in adipose tissue. The results have now been published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
How Far Do Signalling Molecules Act Beyond the Boundaries of a Synapse?
—The German Research Foundation (DFG) is establishing a new Research Unit entitled “Inside and Outside the Synapse: Challenging Dogmas of Synaptic Signalling and Neuromodulation.” The research consortium is headed by Prof. Christian Henneberger from Bonn University Hospital (UKB) and the University of Bonn, with Prof. Susanne Schoch McGovern, also from the UKB and the University of Bonn. Together with researchers from the UKB, the University of Bonn, the DZNE and the University of Göttingen, they will investigate how signalling molecules transmit information in the brain.
