—University of Bonn study proves disastrous contribution of an ancient immune mechanism
An immune reaction in the brain seems to play a major role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. In a way, it "adds fuel to the fire" and apparently causes an inflammation that, in a sense, keeps kindling itself. The study has now been published in the journal Cell Reports. Alzheimer's disease is characterized by clumps of the protein Aß (amyloid beta), which form large plaques in the brain.
Elvira Mass receives Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Price 2020
—This year, four scientists will receive the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize, the most important award for young scientists in Germany. This was decided by a selection committee in Bonn set up by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The award ceremony, each endowed with 20,000 euros, will take place on May 5 in Berlin.
Congratulations to our cluster member Prof. Elvira Mass from the LIMES Institute for receiving this prestigious award.
—Our PhD Students representative Amir Hossein Kayvanjoo organized a visit to the UN on February 14th. The visit was focused on the career and internship opportunities in the UN organization! It was great to see many PhD students were interested and more than 20 participants took part. During the tour we were presented with the career options that one can have and also different tracks to enter into the UN. In addition we were also given a brief introduction into the structure of the UN. The visit ended with a walk in the last floor of the UN Campus tower.
—Molecular switch in bone marrow stem cells helps research into inflammatory processes in the brain.
Macrophages are part of the innate immune system and essential for brain development and function. Using a novel method, scientists from Jena University Hospital, the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York (USA) succeeded in visualizing macrophages that were formed in the bone marrow.
—The EU-Research Projekt ImmunoSep starts and members of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation Mihai Netea and Joachim L. Schultze are part of the research consortium led by the Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Within the next 4 years more then 10 Million Euro are provided by the EU-wide Horizon2020 program and the University of Bonn will receive around 750.000 Euro.
—Prof. Dr. Christian Kurts, Professor of Experimental Immunology at the University of Bonn, has been appointed honorary professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. With this appointment, Australia's leading university acknowledges the achievements in establishing a scientific network between Melbourne and Bonn.
Gunther Hartmann appointed member of the Henry Kunkel Society
—The Henry Kunkel Society (HKS) is a prestigious organization dedicated to fostering patient-based and patient-oriented scientific research, particularly in the field of immunology, as exemplified by the scientific life of Dr. Henry Kunkel at the Rockefeller University. Originally founded in 1990 and comprising of only 50 members at that time, most of whom were former trainees of Henry Kunkel, the Society has grown to include over 400 elected members, all dedicated to experimental medicine in the field of human immunology.
—Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the University of Bonn have now shown this in a proof-of-concept study. Their approach is based on the analysis of the gene activity of cells found in the blood. Used in practice, this approach could support conventional diagnostics and possibly accelerate the beginning of therapy.
