Neurons receive thousands of signals via tree-like extensions called dendrites. Until now, these dendrites were thought to be relatively smooth cables that conduct electrical signals to the cell body. An international research team led by the University Hospital of Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn, and the DZNE has now determined that this picture is incomplete. Using various advanced microscopy techniques, it has identified tiny, previously overlooked constrictions along the dendrites. These newly discovered structures, which the researchers call dendritic shaft constrictions, are only a few hundred nanometers wide – about 500 to 1,000 times thinner than a human hair – and occur in various types of neurons in both mouse and human brains. The study results have now been published in the journal Science Advances.

An international team of researchers led by the University Hospital and University of Bonn, as well as the universities of Edinburgh, Basel and Pennsylvania, has identified a previously unrecognized form of inherited retinal degeneration caused by a specific variant in the EFEMP1 gene. The disease primarily affects the peripheral retina and the rod photoreceptors responsible for vision in dim light and darkness. Importantly, rod function may already be severely impaired while the retina still appears largely normal on clinical examination. The results of the study have now been published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

25 Millionen Euro für die KI-gestützte Krebsforschung in Bonn: Das Universitätsklinikum Bonn (UKB), die Universität Bonn und das Lamarr-Institut für Maschinelles Lernen und Künstliche Intelligenz bauen mit der Förderung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen eine gemeinsame Forschungsinfrastruktur auf. Ziel ist es, potenzielle Krebswirkstoffe mithilfe von KI zu entwerfen, zu optimieren und anschließend im Labor zu prüfen. Ministerpräsident Hendrik Wüst und Wissenschaftsministerin Ina Brandes überreichten heute in der Staatskanzlei Nordrhein-Westfalen die Förderzusage.

Bonn has again prevailed in competition for funding from the European Research Council (ERC), with researchers of the University of Excellence landing two prestigious ERC Starting Grants. Neuroscientist Professor Lukas Kunz, also associated with University Hospital Bonn (UKB), conducts research on how the human brain constructs the first-person perspective of our experiences. Dr. Riccardo Pennetta is leading a research project on large-scale quantum physics. The two researchers are to each receive approximately 1.5 million euros from the ERC for their projects over a five-years period.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Germany. In the search for new therapeutic approaches that target the uncontrolled growth of tumor cells, a class of enzymes known as cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) has come into focus. This is because this family of enzymes plays a fundamental role in gene expression and cell division. An overview of the current state of research on the transcriptional regulation of CDKs and the prospects for cancer treatment was compiled by Prof. Matthias Geyer of the University Hospital Bonn and the University of Bonn in collaboration with Prof. Robert P. Fisher of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, and has now been published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.

Researchers at the University Hospital of Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have identified a previously unknown signaling pathway in the immune system that helps newborn heart cells survive and regenerate after injury. The findings could open new avenues for future therapies aimed at repairing damaged adult hearts after heart attacks or chronic cardiovascular disease. The study has now been published in the journal Cell Communication and Signaling (Springer Nature).

Macrophages formed in the bone marrow can only assume the function of embryonal phagocytes, or “scavenger cells,” to a certain degree according to a study by the University of Bonn and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne. The researchers have demonstrated that malaria infection causes permanent damage to resident CD163 macrophages in the spleen, which are responsible for cleaning the blood, recycling iron and communicating with other cells involved in the body’s immune response. Their findings could harbor potential not only for more effective malaria vaccines but also for developing drugs and treatments to combat other infectious diseases. The paper is to be published in the journal “Immunity” but can already be accessed online.

Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain tumor that infiltrates deep into the surrounding brain tissue. Even after surgery, tumor cells remain in the brain and the tumor recurs. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have now developed Core2Edge, a model based entirely on human tissue that captures these hard-to-access infiltration zones at the tumor margin. The model enables investigation of the invasive front and direct assessment of new drug candidates in human tissue - without the need for animal testing. The study of the Brain Tumor Translational Research Group has now been published in Nature Protocols.