—The Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics (Cumming Global Centre) and the University of Bonn have today announced Bonn-Cumming Host-Directed Pandemic Therapeutics Research Program (“the partnership”) to fund groundbreaking research into early immunity to develop novel targets for therapeutics for pathogens of pandemic potential. The funding volume amounts to 6 million euros, with a perspective of up to 40 million euros. A large part comes from the philanthropic billionaire Geoff Cumming.
Effects of “Forever Chemicals” on the Immune System
—Dr. Lorenzo Bonaguro from the German Center of Neurodegenerative Dieseases (DZNE) has been awarded a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) totaling about 1.5 million euros to investigate the influence of the ubiquitous PFAS chemicals on the immune system. His research will utilize so-called organoids and cutting-edge analysis methods.
—CRISPR gene scissors, as new tools of molecular biology, have their origin in an ancient bacterial immune system. But once a virus attack has been successfully overcome, the cell has to recover. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn, in cooperation with researchers from the Institut Pasteur in France, have discovered a timer integrated into the gene scissors that enables the gene scissors to switch themselves off. The results of the study have been published in the renowned journal "Nucleic Acids Research".
Anti-ageing and increased mental capacity through cannabis
—A low-dose long-term administration of cannabis can not only reverse aging processes in the brain, but also has an anti-aging effect. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn together with a team from Hebrew University (Israel) have now been able to show this in mice. They found the key to this in the protein switch mTOR, whose signal strength has an influence on cognitive performance and metabolic processes in the entire organism. The results are now presented in the journal "ACS Pharmacology & Translation Science".
—Whether or not a person becomes seriously ill with COVID-19 depends, among other things, on genetic factors. With this in mind, researchers from Bonn, in cooperation with other research teams, investigated a particularly large group of affected individuals. They confirmed the central and already known role of the TLR7 gene in severe courses of the disease in men, but were also able to find evidence for a contribution of the gene in women. In addition, they were able to show that genetic changes in three other genes of the innate immune system contribute to severe COVID-19.
—The majority of rare diseases have a genetic cause. The underlying genetic alteration can be found more and more easily, for example by means of exome sequencing (ES), leading to a molecular genetic diagnosis. ES is an examination of all sections of our genetic material (DNA) that code for proteins. As part of a Germany-wide multicenter study, ES data was collected from 1,577 patients and systematically evaluated.
New study reveals role of glial IL-1R signaling in colorectal cancer
—Interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) signaling plays a crucial role in the immune system, mediating inflammatory responses and maintaining homeostasis. This signaling pathway is vital for the activation and regulation of immune cells, helping to combat infections and other threats. Its dysregulation has been implicated in various pathological conditions, including autoimmune diseases and cancer. One crucial player in intestinal IL-1R signaling is enteric glial cells. Enteric glia have been described as important regulators of intestinal inflammation, mediating immune responses i.e. via IL-1R.
Better understanding the activation of the immune defense
—Researchers from the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the Excellence Cluster ImmunoSensation² of the University of Bonn are conducting a clinical study to investigate the effects of an HIV medication on the human immune system. The study is looking for healthy men between the ages of 25 and 40.
Scientists Unravel Life-saving Effect of Dexamethasone in COVID-19
—Dexamethasone is one of the most important drugs in the treatment of severe COVID-19, but patients respond very differently to the therapy. Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now discovered how the cortisone compound influences the impaired inflammatory response and which patients benefit from it. Their method uses so-called single-cell analyses and raises hopes for a precise prediction tool for other therapies and diseases as well. The findings have been published in the scientific journal Cell.
