The number of diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) has increased dramatically in recent decades. These diseases are often caused by disturbances in the network of neuronal cells. The investigation of these cellular networks and their changes is called circuit biology and is a focus of the neurosciences in Bonn, e.g. in the framework of the Collaborative Research Center 1089. In particular, neurodegenerative diseases caused by network dysfunction, such as Alzheimer's disease, are increasingly becoming the focus of current research. However, brain tumor cells also interact with the surrounding healthy neuronal tissue. Since this interaction seems to have a significant influence on tumor formation (neoplasia) and development, its investigation is also gaining scientific interest.
Stefanie Poll is a proven specialist in the study of neurobiological network processes. Since completing her studies in molecular biology at the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences in 2011, she has dedicated herself to the study of neuronal networks. During her PhD at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn, she focused in particular on cellular changes in the nervous system caused by Alzheimer's disease and their effect on learning and memory. Since completing her dissertation in 2017, she has continued her work on this at the DZNE. She uses state-of-the-art imaging methods such as 2-photon STED and multi-photon microscopy. As part of her work, she also maintains a close cooperation with the Institute of Interdisciplinary Neuroscience in Bordeaux, France, and has already been on site herself several times for research stays with the cooperation partner.
In the context of her professorship, Stefanie Poll would like to expand her focus to other diseases of the central nervous system and also contribute her expertise in the study of brain tumor formations. We are pleased to welcome her to our faculty and wish her every success in her work.