Hemophilia: Training the immune system to be tolerant

Hemophilia A is the most common severe form of hemophilia. It affects almost exclusively males. The disease can usually be treated well, but not for all sufferers. A study at the University of Bonn has now elucidated an important mechanism that is crucial for making the therapy effective. The results could help better tailor treatment to patients. They have already been published online in a preliminary version; the final version will soon be published in the "Journal of Clinical Investigation."

Newly discovered process brings immune cells up to speed

Cancer cells use an unusual mechanism to migrate into new tissue and form metastases there. The same process probably also keeps some immune cells on their toes. This is the result of a recent study led by the University of Bonn. According to the study, certain structures, the centrioles, increase in number. This makes it easier for them to maintain their direction and thus migrate more quickly to the lymph nodes, where they activate other immune cells. The results have now been published in the Journal of Cell Biology.

The University of Bonn invites you to its International Days

The University of Bonn will be celebrating its International Days from October 19 to 31, which will be dedicated to its international partnerships and the varied activities and services it offers relating to internationality. From high-caliber speakers and roundtables featuring guests from around the world through to the state awards presentation ceremony and a range of artistic performances, there is bound to be something for anyone who might be interested. One of the real highlights will be the Japan Day on October 26.

Outstanding success: best result since the global university ranking was established

In the latest World University Rankings published by the British magazine Times Higher Education (THE), the University of of Bonn has moved up 23 places compared with the previous year and is now ranked 89th among the almost 1,800 educational institutions evaluated worldwide. For the World University Rankings, various indicators are collected in the five areas of research, teaching, citations, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

Circuits for Survival

Understanding the brain with artificial intelligence - that is the major research goal of Dominik Bach, since April of this year Hertz Professor in the Transdisciplinary Research Area "Life and Health" at the University of Bonn. At an international symposium surrounding his inaugural lecture, he and some of his colleagues now spoke about their research at the interface between neuroscience, mathematics and computer science.

Fish to help in search for MS drugs

The zebrafish serves as a model organism for researchers around the world: it can be used to study important physiological processes that also take place in a similar form in the human body. It is therefore routinely used in the search for possible active substances against diseases. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now described an innovative way to do this. In this process, the larvae fish are made a bit more "human-like". This humanization could make the search for active pharmaceutical substances much more efficient. The results of the pilot study have been published in the journal Cell Chemical Biology.

New diagnostic option for rare eye disease

An estimated five to ten percent of blindness worldwide is caused by the rare inflammatory eye disease uveitis. Posterior uveitis in particular is often associated with severe disease progression and the need for immunosuppressive therapy. In posterior uveitis, inflammation occurs in the retina and in the underlying choroid that supplies it with nutrients. Researchers at the Ophthalmology Department at the University of Bonn have tested color-coded fundus autofluorescence as a supportive novel diagnostic method. Fluorescence of the retina can be used to infer the uveitis subtype. This is an essential prerequisite for accurate diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The results have now been published in Nature Scientific Reports.

Appetite change in depression

Major depressive disorders are characterized by a significant health burden, including changes in appetite and body weight. Identifying biomarkers such as changes in brain function to treat depression is difficult due to the varying symptomatology of affected individuals. However, a research team - led by Prof. Dr. Nils Kroemer of the University Hospital Tübingen as well as the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn investigated whether conclusions can be drawn about the direction of appetite changes - increase or decrease - based on the functional architecture of the reward system in the brain. The results are now published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Wird geladen