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As part of the MoVe LupARDs study, the scientists investigate whether ventilation-associated lung injury in acute respiratory failure in newborns and children (pARDS) can be improved with an impact on short- to medium-term outcomes and mortality. It is being researched with the help of a single-center randomized study. The scientists compare a modern routine therapy with an individualized ventilation monitoring during long-term mechanical ventilation using electrical impedance tomography (EIT).

The small survival protein survivin is overexpressed in head and neck tumours and promotes the survival of malignant cells. This contributes to increased resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy and worsens the prognosis for affected patients. Due to its central role in tumor progression, survivin is considered a promising therapeutic target, but it is difficult to attack with small chemical molecules, especially in a clinical context. 

Effective and safe treatment options are lacking for some cancer entities. One promising approach is activation of immune cells. First clinical trials using natural killer (NK) cells show promising anti-cancer results and reduced adverse effects. However, these transferred NK cells have heterogenous functionality and subset distribution. So far, laboratory protocols to generate only highly functional and mature NK cells are lacking. This study uses a novel NK precursor able to generate these specific NK cells to study their developmental requirements.

Lymphoma treatment often follows standardized approaches, even though these diseases vary widely in their molecular characteristics. Modern liquid biopsy methods—blood tests capable of detecting even the smallest tumor-derived molecules such as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)—now provide a much more precise view of disease biology and its dynamics over time. In this project, ultrasensitive ctDNA analyses are used to identify molecular changes through a simple blood draw, establish individualized risk profiles, and detect relapses early, before clinical symptoms appear.

Pediatric Experimental and Translational Imaging

This research project addresses a central problem of modern medicine: new drugs are often developed faster than the corresponding diagnostic procedures. This means that effective therapies may be available, but they cannot be used optimally because suitable tests to identify the right patients in time are still lacking. As a result, valuable time is lost, and the opportunities to treat diseases early and in a targeted way are often not fully utilized.