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Despite initial treatment success, most myeloma patients eventually develop drug resistance. In addition to genetic mutations, non-genetic changes in cell states play a crucial role in this process. The project utilizes cutting-edge single-cell technologies to investigate how myeloma cells respond to therapy and identify the mechanisms driving resistance. By analyzing the chromatin landscape and gene regulatory networks, the scientists aim to discover novel therapeutic targets that could help improve treatment strategies and overcome resistance.

An early diagnosis of diseases affecting the central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous systems is essential for prompt and targeted interventions. Furthermore, nervous system diseases frequently manifest with analogous symptoms, rendering an accurate early diagnosis challenging. It is therefore crucial to have objective markers for differential diagnosis. The measurement of a family of proteins called neurofilaments may therefore represent a means of differentiating between peripherally and centrally derived neurological diseases.

Functional Cognitive Disorder is a common yet understudied and often misdiagnosed cause of distressing memory and concentration problems. In contrast to neurodegenerative dementias such as Alzheimer's, symptoms of functional cognitive disorder are caused by complex psychological processes. This project seeks to enhance the understanding of underlying neuropsychological processes by investigating how patients cope with increasing cognitive demand and to investigate the effects of a personalized diagnosis explanation in an integrated clinical-research setting.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most dangerous types of tumors and is often associated with early mortality. A genetic alteration known as the KRASG12D mutation makes treatment particularly challenging. A new drug called MRTX1133 has the potential to enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy for this specific mutation. The research team plans to study pancreatic cancers with KRASG12D in more detail. Pancreatic cancer cells will be cultivated in the lab to test various treatment combinations with MRTX1133. Initial results indicate that tailored drug combinations are more effective.

Prostate cancer (PCa) affects millions of men worldwide and is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Current treatments induce major side effects including impotence, urinary incontinence, and musculoskeletal problems that negatively impact patients’ health-related quality of life, and in many cases fail, leading to the emergence of highly lethal forms of the disease. In this research program, the scientists outline their strategy to interrogate the potential use of a novel metabolic target to prevent and treat PCa.

Graves‘ disease (GD) is an autoimmune condition affecting the thyroid gland. Thyroid eye disease (TED) is the associated inflammation of the eye, which leads to a reduction in quality of life. One of the confirmed genes of the disease is the TSHR gene. Small changes in the nucleotide sequence of TSHR gene have been found to play a role, known as SNP´s. More specific the variants ST4 and ST5 could act as main autoantigens.

The prognosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is poor, and the prevalence of HFpEF is expected to continue rising, while diagnosis and assessing the disease status of HFpEF remains challenging. Therefore, there is an urgent clinical need to develop and validate new readouts to study the immune response in HFpEF as a potential prognostic marker for cardiac outcomes.