March 2023 $$ Tissue resident iNKT17 cells facilitate cancer cell extravasation in liver metastasis via interleukin-22
Project description:
Interleukin-22 (IL-22) wird von Immunzellen produziert und fördert die Gewebereparatur und Regeneration; bei bösartiger Malignität kann IL-22 jedoch das Tumorwachstum fördern. Giannou et al. stellen fest, dass im Gewebe gewebeständige iNKT17-Zellen IL-22 produzieren und die Extravasation von Krebszellen fördern - durch Regulierung der Aminopeptidase N. Die Neutralisierung von IL-22 hemmt die Metastasenbildung, was therapeutische Wege für die Krebsbehandlung aufzeigt.
Interview with Akiko Iwasaki – Winner of the Else Kröner Fresenius Prize for Medical Research 2023
Dear Professor Iwasaki, congratulations on receiving the Else Kröner Fresenius Prize for Medical Research 2023. Part of your work focuses on post-acute infection syndromes (PAIS). Among others, they include long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). What kinds of research findings were you able to achieve in these areas?
Unraveling effects of the SVA-F retrotransposon on chromatin, transcription, and gene regulation
Transposable elements (TEs) comprise DNA of almost all organisms, and even though they were long considered to be “junk” DNA, their roles in human disease are being increasingly recognized. The present proposal aims to investigate roles of a TEs subclass – SVA retrotransposons – which are present in >2700 copies in the human genome. The planned experiments aim better understanding of molecular processes triggered by SVAs, both on locus-specific and genome-wide level.
Deciphering Post COVID-19 Syndrome: Deep Phenotype of a Complex Condition
Post-COVID-19 syndrome refers to a multisystem disorder that occurs after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Symptoms are multifaceted and often neurological in nature. Post-COVID-19 affects about 10-15% of all COVID-19 infected, which in some cases can be severely debilitating. Diagnostic and therapeutic options are currently still limited. We want to investigate the long-term course, risk factors and biomarkers of Post COVID-19 syndrome to better understand the disease development and to provide starting points for future therapies.
Neurogenesis in epilepsy of infectious etiology
Epilepsies are among the most common neurological diseases worldwide. A high-risk event for seizures is an infection of the brain, although very little is known about the mechanisms of seizure development. The team is investigating whether infection-induced seizures could change the birth and maturation of nerve cells (neurogenesis) and thus contribute to the development of chronic epilepsy or cognitive impairment. In this project, initial insights into the time course of neurogenesis, as well as the fate of these cells after an infection are going to be collected.
Multiplex characterization of bone marrow organization for enhanced hematopoietic recovery in chemotherapy and aging
Every year, millions of cancer patients receive chemical compounds (chemotherapy) to eliminate rapidly dividing tumor cells. However, chemotherapy also affects healthy cells making treated patients vulnerable to lethal infections. These serious side effects are pronounced in the elderly, and new therapeutic options are urgently needed to alleviate them. In the proposed project, we will determine the precise parameters responsible for the reduced tolerance to chemotherapy. We will also investigate the role of selected treatments in improving the recovery of aged hematopoiesis.
Dissection of the lung macrophage-mesenchyme crosstalk in a novel two-hit mouse model mimicking bronchopulmonary dysplasia and clinical translation
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a frequent and severe complication of very premature infants that is associated with life-long consequences. Therapies to effectively prevent and treat BPD are scarce, due to a lack of clinically relevant preclinical models simulating the multifactorial pathogenesis of BPD. This project establishes a novel two-hit preclinical model of prenatal infection and postnatal oxygen exposure mimicking the most frequent clinical scenarios experienced by preterm infants.
Invitation to the press: Akiko Iwasaki is awarded the Else Kröner Fresenius Prize for Medical Research 2023 for her research on long COVID
Bad Homburg v.d. Höhe, May 8, 2023 – Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D. and a professor at Yale University, will receive this year’s Else Kröner Fresenius Prize for Medical Research on June 5th, 2023 at the Palmengarten in Frankfurt, Germany. The prize is endowed with 2.5 million euros, and through it the foundation Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) acknowledges Professor Iwasaki’s research work on immune responses to viral infections.