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.
Bonn researchers were able to impress with innovations in diagnosis, therapy and research tools for various diseases. The five research projects funded are:
GestaltMatcher: Diagnosis of genetic diseases through image analysis with AI
The “GestaltMatcher” project also deals with diagnostic options, in this case for rare genetic diseases. Under the leadership of Dr. Tzung-Chien Hsieh and Prof. Dr. Peter Krawitz from the Institute of Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics, an artificial intelligence is being used to identify facial abnormalities that differ from a normal facial shape. The AI can detect anomalies that indicate rare genetic diseases based solely on a photo of the person, making it easier for doctors to make a diagnosis in future.
ColdEx: Nasal spray to strengthen the immune system
Projects that deal with the development of innovative therapeutic options have also been selected. The “ColdEx” project comprises the work of Dr. Christine Wuebben and Prof. Dr. Gunther Hartmann from the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology and deals with the development of an innovative nasal spray to activate the antiviral immune system and prevent viral respiratory infections. The basis for this is the use of an immunostimulating RNA, which is recognized by the body as a warning signal for a viral infection and activates the body's own antiviral defence mechanisms. The RNA developed for this purpose is intended to provide preventive protection against viral respiratory infections such as COVID-19 in the future.
Cure4HAIR: A new treatment for autoimmune hair loss
Alopecia areata (AA), also known as circular hair loss, is an autoimmune disorder that leads to sudden hair loss. Currently available therapies are limited in their efficacy, safety and/or affordability. Using genetic and clinical data from a large cohort of AA patients, researchers at the Institute of Human Genetics have discovered a new drug target. Based on this discovery, the Cure4HAIR team, Dr. Buket Basmanav, Dr. Nicole Cesarato, Dr. Per Hoffmann, Dr. Carina Mathey, Prof. Dr. Regina Betz and Prof. Dr. Markus Nöthen, is developing a new effective and safe treatment for AA. The group is also working on a personalized medicine tool that supports therapy decisions and can thus shorten the course of treatment for patients.
EpiTher: Treatment of epilepsy
The funded projects also include approaches for the treatment of epilepsy. The “EpiTher” project is concerned with the development of new active substances that should prevent the development of resistance to the ingredients in future. One challenge in the development of antiepileptic drugs to date has been the high proportion of patients who develop pharmacoresistance to antiepileptic drugs. The project led by Prof. Dr. Heinz Beck and Dr. Kunihiko Araki (both from the Institute of Epileptology and Cognitive Sciences) is concerned with a group of drugs that work by blocking voltage-dependent sodium channels. To this end, a cell culture-based test system was developed based on the discovery of a cell biological mechanism for pharmacoresistance in order to develop new active substances in future that circumvent the resistance mechanism.
ReRetina: Obtaining eye cells from stem cells
Another innovative project is “ReRetina” by Julia Pawlick, Johannes Striebel and Prof. Dr. Volker Busskamp from the Eye Clinic at UKB. The team can produce human eye cells in the laboratory and use them to improve research into retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Diseases such as AMD can only be researched to a limited extent and therefore cannot be cured. AMD is a consequence of the dwindling performance of special visual cells in the human eye, the so-called cone photoreceptor cells (cone PRs). Thanks to the new process, based on years of research in Prof. Busskamp's laboratory, these cone PRs can be produced in large quantities and in a short time. In future, this technology can be used not only for AMD research, but also for drug screens, specific therapeutic approaches and many other functions.
Funding
The GO-Bio initial funding initiative is aimed at researchers with innovative ideas that have not yet been realized. In the course of the procedure, which takes place in two stages, these ideas are to be conceptualized and transferred into concrete application. In the one-year exploratory phase, ideas are to be worked out, implementation strategies developed and important partners identified.
In a second selection process, projects are again selected for the feasibility phase, in which the concrete feasibility of the idea is to be proven over a period of up to two years. Further information on GO-Bio initial can be found on the funding initiative's website.
Contact
Verena Billmann
Transfer Center enaCom at the University of Bonn
Phone: +49 (0)228 73 62027
E-mail: billmann@verwaltung.uni-bonn.de
