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Oana Patricia Zaharia is investigating why the risk of cardiovascular diseases varies between women and men – and whether these differences depend on the type of diabetes. While diabetes is today considered a heterogeneous disease, scientists still don’t fully understand the role sex hormones play in cardiovascular health. To explore this further, the researchers are analyzing two large patient cohorts: People who have had a heart attack and people newly diagnosed with diabetes.

The ASO4Kids project aims to develop new treatments for children with rare genetic brain disorders that lead to severe epilepsy and developmental delays. Dr. Matias Wagner is building an efficient development platform for antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) – short strands of synthetic DNA or RNA to switch off specific disease-relevant genetic signals. By targeting common genetic markers, a small number of customized treatments are to be designed that can benefit as many affected patients as possible.

Chronic kidney disease is on the rise worldwide. It is often triggered by repeated bouts of acute kidney injury (AKI). Ferroptosis – a form of cell death caused by iron-dependent damage to fatty acids in the cell membrane – plays a key role here. Women appear to have better natural protection against AKI, possibly due to estrogen-driven changes in membrane lipid metabolism and specifically through a reduction in certain special ether lipids. The exact mechanisms behind this protection remain unclear however.

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the joints. Many patients require lifelong medication, as current therapies can control inflammation, but fail to fully eliminate the harmful B cells – preventing a true “reset” of the immune system. Prof. Dr. Dr. David Simon and his team are systematically investigating how different modern therapies targeting B cells and plasma cells compare in their effectiveness and which approaches could influence the immune system enough to enable long-term, drug-free remission.

CNS lymphomas are aggressive brain tumors that are often difficult to diagnose and treat. To this day, little is understood of the biological mechanisms by which lymphoma cells infiltrate and spread within the brain. PD Dr. Florian Scherer and his team are developing highly sensitive liquid biopsy tests that are able to detect even the minutest trace of tumor DNA in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. This approach may enable faster and more reliable diagnoses in challenging clinical situations.

Around one third (30%) of the population is affected by fatty liver disease (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, MASLD), making it the most common chronic liver condition. It involves the accumulation of excess fat in liver cells. This condition is a known risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a malignant liver tumor and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Inflammation and fibrosis (scarring) significantly influence the disease’s progression.

Liver cirrhosis is the end stage of chronic liver diseases. A major complication is the occurrence of ascites, which, along with other complications, defines decompensated cirrhosis and is linked to high mortality. The main cause of acute decompensation, subsequently leading to liver failure and death, is infection, including spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), an infection of the ascitic fluid. An impaired immune response plays a key role in this process.

Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is a complex, degenerative disease, leading to obstructive coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction. Lipid-rich plaques have a high clinical relevance, since this plaque entity frequently contains a high proportion of inflammatory cells and only separates from the vessel lumen by a thin fibrous cap. The present project evaluates predictors and determinants of lipid-rich coronary plaque burden.