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Antibodies (abs) against the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) are found in a variety of neurological disorders. Treatment options in these disorders are still limited and the role of the GAD-abs in disease development is incompletely understood. Our aim is to identify the immune cells that produce the GAD-abs and to understand the immunological mechanisms that trigger the autoimmune response in GAD-ab-associated neurological disorders. Further, we will study the pathogenicity of the GAD-abs.

The unique feature of this project is the perspective of the cancer predisposition, which is found in several inborn errors of immunity, not as a consequence of the underlying disease but as an integral part of it. The trend setting character of the project results from the paradigm change away from the cancer predisposition as a clinical consequence of an inborn error of immunity towards a unifying cell intrinsic molecular genetic and molecular biological causal relationship.

Antibiotics focusing on novel cellular targets will help to fight multidrug-resistant, Gram-negative pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and thus help to overcome the current AMR crisis. Enzymes of the bacterial energy metabolism have not been targeted so far. Based on our knowledge of the atomic, three-dimensional structure of the Na+ pump NQR, we will identify pharmacologically active compounds that inactivate this enzyme complex in pathogens and thus lead to their death.

The gene PRDM16 was identified as a new disease gene for the development of cardiac insufficiency (cardiomyopathy). In order to better understand the underlying pathomechanism, we have further investigated the mutations found in humans using the zebrafish as a model organism and were able to show that the zebrafish also has a reduced cardiac function. In the present project we would like to conduct further studies with the zebrafish to understand if a different metabolism of the heart muscle cells leads to the development of cardiac insufficiency.

During the last 12 months, about every third German citizen has had a psychiatric disorder. New research methods in brain imaging, molecular genetics and experimental models now allow us insights into complex mechanisms of origin. To translate these new insights into innovative therapeutic strategies, trained specialists for psychiatry and psychotherapy with profound knowledge in basic sciences are needed.

A multimodal longitudinal study on motor recovery in stroke patients with severe neurological deficits: Numerous imaging studies have focused on the impact of specific motor networks on functional recovery after stroke, especially in patients with relatively mild deficits. To what extent the previous findings can be transferred to severely affected patients remains unclear. In this project severely affected stroke patients undergo longitudinal and multimodal clinical and imaging assessment during recovery over 1 year.

Abdominal adhesions develop as a common response after traumata to the peritoneum or organ surfaces and cause a wide array of syndromes, including small-bowel obstruction, female infertility, chronic pain and organ dysfunctions. While considered as serious medical impediments, current research and clinical rationale follow a pathomechanistic scenario in which injured organ surfaces are denuded of their covering mesothelium, and exposed basement membranes develop fibrin attachments between adjacent organs, after which there is an accumulation of fibroblasts.