—ImmunoSensation scientists present latest findings on the coronavirus in "Genome Medicine"
According to current studies, the COVID-19 disease which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus comprises at least five different variants. These differ in how the immune system responds to the infection. Researchers from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the University of Bonn, together with other experts from Germany, Greece and the Netherlands, present these findings in Genome Medicine
—Nanobodies are much smaller than the classic antibodies used to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections, for example. They therefore penetrate the tissue better and can be produced more easily in larger quantities. The researchers at the University Hospital Bonn have also combined the nanobodies into potentially particularly effective molecules.
—The group from Peter Krawitz, member of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation create an animal model for studying GPI anchor deficiencies. Impaired intelligence, movement disorders and developmental delays are typical for a group of rare diseases that belong to GPI anchor deficiencies. Researchers from the University of Bonn and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics used genetic engineering methods to create a mouse that mimics these patients very well. Studies in this animal model suggest that in GPI anchor…
—Prof. Volker Busskamp from the University of Bonn and member of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation has received a "Proof of Concept Grant" worth 150,000 euros from the European Research Council (ERC).
—The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding 33 research projects on infection with SARS-CoV-2 with a total of 3.6 million euros for a maximum of one year. A team from the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation receives this new type of focus funding on COVID-19.
—The German Research Foundation is setting up a new Collaborative Research Center (SFB) at the University of Bonn. The SFB 1454 "Metaflammation and Cellular Programming" deals with the connection between a Western lifestyle and chronic inflammatory diseases - for example, how excessive calorie intake coupled with insufficient exercise can promote the development of cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases or a metabolic syndrome.
—Research across subject boundaries: Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation have been awarded a prize by the University's Transdisciplinary Research Area "Life and Health" for two special projects in the life sciences. The steering committee of the research area rewards the two project teams with 50,000 euros each for their creative and innovative approaches. Up to three researchers work together on one project. They come from the disciplines of biology, medicine and mathematics.
"The winning projects reflect the strong potentials for innovation within…
—With a total of 14 researchers, the University of Bonn is represented this year in the international ranking of "Highly Cited Researchers";. Among them are 6 scientists from the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation.
According to the creators of the ranking, the persons on this list of "Highly Cited Researchers" belong to the most influential one percent of their field worldwide. The benchmark is the frequency with which their scientific publications were cited by other researchers in the past decade.
—After the preliminary publication on the preprint server medRxiv in May 2020, the study by scientists of the University of Bonn about the first coronavirus outbreak in Germany in the community of Gangelt has been published in the renowned scientific journal Nature Communications.
The study was already pre-published in May 2020 to meet the demand of scientific journals to make findings about COVID-19 available to science and the public as early as possible.
