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Lisa Adams and her team are investigating how rapidly individual organs age. They use MRI and CT scans to determine the biological age of the liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, and muscles. With the help of reference values from population-based studies, they identify deviations that may indicate an increased risk of disease or reduced resilience. Based on the clinical data, the researchers will explore whether these organ-specific aging markers can predict complications, treatment outcomes, and the duration of hospital stays more accurately than chronological age.

Ependymomas are malignant tumours of the brain and spinal cord. As they are very resistant to standard chemotherapy, their treatment can be very challenging. The project “MOMENT-MYCN” focuses on an aggressive, incurable subtype that primarily affects adolescents and young adults. This type of tumour, which was only discovered in 2019, is characterised by too many copies of a cancer gene called “MYCN”.

An ischemic stroke not only causes local brain tissue damage but also triggers a pronounced systemic immune response. A central element of this reaction is the release of cell-free double-stranded DNA (cfDNA), originating predominantly from activated neutrophils. This cfDNA acts as a potent danger signal and is taken up by immune cells, where it activates the AIM2 inflammasome—a cellular sensor that induces the release of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1β.

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.