Header Navigation

Human immune cell therapies are highly requested to counteract immune defects and to kill tumor cells. Here, we developed an inducible leukemia-associated transcription factor, which upon expression in human CD34+ blood stem/precursor cells, results in large-scale, controllable in vitro expansion of human monocytic precursors. The subsequent inactivation of the transcription factor leads to mature and fully functional phagocytes. In this project, further vector improvements will be deployed and in vitro produced mature phagocytes will be analyzed in vivo.

One of the most common symptoms of "Long-COVID" is fatigue, i.e. persistent exhaustion on a mental or physical level. The team explores the yet unclear psychological and neurobiological processes that might contribute to the subjective experience of fatigue. To do this, they use a computer task in which people learn (mental level) whether their bodily efforts (physical level) are rewarded and how these processes interact. Using mathematical models and functional MRI, they describe behavior and brain activity during the task.

Dilated cardiomyopathy is the second most common cause for heart failure with an inherited form due to mutations of genes such as RBM20. The project team proposes a new avenue for correcting disease-causing mutations in RBM20, by using base editors enabling the efficient repair of mutations in non-dividing cells. The team wants to optimize crucial parameters in mice to attain the highest editing efficiency and specificity in heart muscle cells. The goal is to avoid deleterious off-target mutations in other cell types.

Sarcopenia is characterized by a generalized, age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, leading to substantial impairments in activities of daily living. The cause of sarcopenia is still unclear and seems to be a multifactorial genesis. Growth hormone (GH) and its mediator, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I), exert an anabolic effect on muscle during the entire lifespan. The decrease in late life could contribute to sarcopenia.

This translational project investigates cahteter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with terminal heart failure while and before being listed for heart transplantation. AF is associated with higher morbidity and mortality. Catheter ablation of AF is an effective and safe therapy for patients without heart failure. For patients with advanced heart failure and AF no evaluated therapy exists until today. These patients might not gain access to ablation as a therapy that might avoid or postpone heart transplantation.