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Heart failure is the leading cause of mortality and hospitalizations worldwide and the numbers are ever increasing. Cardiac hypertrophy and chronic inflammation are two of the major molecular causes of a failing heart. Thus, either or both of these molecular mechanisms can potentially be therapeutically targeted. Based on our in vitro and preliminary in vivo studies, in this project, we propose a novel cardioprotective mechanism involving the E3 ubiquitin ligase HectD3, which links anti-hypertrophic and anti-inflammatory effects via dual regulation of SUMO2 and Stat1.

Each cell in the human body constantly secretes microscopically small particles, the so-called extracellular vesicles. They act as messengers transferring components from the secreting to surrounding cells and can thus influence the latter. Cancer cells, in particular, release such vesicles to create a favourable organ microenvironment that favors tumor growth. In this project the mechanisms leading to vesicle release will be investigated in order to define novel therapeutic approaches that can block this process.

The combination of MRI imaging and prostate biopsy often misses aggressive prostate carcinomas (PCa). Therefore, PCa diagnostics must be improved. Various tumor biological signaling pathways communicate directly with the action of male hormones, which are essential for PCa development. Factors from these signaling pathways are being investigated in blood and urine samples from 400 patients prior to MRI/ultrasound biopsy as potential PCa diagnostic markers.

Tumors of the head and neck are the most common types of tumors. Modern therapy concepts for advanced tumors rely on a combination of surgical tumor removal, radiation and chemotherapy. In order to choose the most sensible treatment regimen, the exact determination of the tumor extent is of particular importance. New hybrid imaging modalities, such as integrated positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI), enable the simultaneous visualization of tumor extent and tumor metabolism, which significantly increases the accuracy of imaging.

“Inflationary T cell memory” is a specific form of immunological memory that arises during the chronic phase of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. In preclinical animal models, CMV, genetically engineered to express defined vaccine antigens, has shown immense promise for induction of protective inflationary T cell memory, directed against HIV or Tuberculosis. In this project we track the development of memory inflation starting out from individual cytotoxic T cells. Based on this unique single-cell-based perspective, we will identify the precursors of long-lived memory T cells.