Research

Funding: VolkswagenStiftung, 700.000 EUR

Project Details:
Avian influenza in humans is associated with pneumonia, inflammation and high case fatality rates. We identified CYP19A1 as a key gene involved in sex-specific lung inflammation in SARS-CoV-2 infected hamsters and humans. CYP19A encodes for the aromatase enzyme that converts testosterone-to-estradiol leading to the activation of various estrogen-regulated pathways associated with lung inflammation. Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infected hamsters with letrozole, a clinically approved CYP19A1 aromatase inhibitor, recovered impaired lung function and overall lung health in males. We further found that also avian H7N9 influenza virus infection mediates massive upregulation of CYP19A1 in the lung of infected animals. Thus, we hypothesize that estrogen-regulated activation of inflammatory pathways in the lung play a crucial role in severe viral disease outcome. Therefore, in this proposal, we will systemically evaluate the impact of compounds that inhibit the synthesis of estrogens (using aromatase inhibitors) or interfere with estrogen-regulated down-stream pathways (using estrogen antagonists, SERMs, SERDs) against avian influenza in the hamster model. Obtained data will provide new insights into estrogen-mediated inflammatory pathways upon infection with respiratory viruses. Moreover, identification of common pathways might result in overarching drug targets to treat inflammatory lung diseases in general.

Cooperation Partners:

Evotec

Funding: Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (BLE), 400.880 EUR

Project Details:
The future region "TiPP"" has the aim of optimising transparency and traceability in a regionally established value chain pig via digital strategies from farm to fork. The focus of the practical trials is the use of Self Sovereign Identity (SSI) with its concepts and technologies (DLT, blockchain), which is completely unexplored in farm animals. For testing and the later derivation of transparency indices for consumers, animal, farm and process data are collected along the entire pig value chain in sub-projects that address current transparency-relevant areas such as data management, application of sensors, animal health, animal welfare, climate efficiency, sustainability and consumer behaviour. "

Cooperation Partners:

Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen

Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg

OFFIS e.V.

Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Funding: Landesbetrieb für Küstenschutz, Nationalpark und Meeresschutz S-H (LKN), 42.025 EUR

Project Details:
Harbor porpoises are representatives of the top mammalian predators in the North Sea and Wadden Sea. With the amendment of the National Park Act in 1999, part of the national park was explicitly dedicated to the protection of harbor porpoises, as a high density of mother-calf groups was found there. As part of the reorganization of the Federal-Länder Marine Programme (BLMP), a programme for the joint monitoring of marine mammals was agreed in January 2011, which meets the requirements of monitoring in accordance with the relevant European directives and international conventions. The Schleswig-Holstein National Park Administration (NPV) within the Schleswig-Holstein State Agency for Coastal Protection, National Park and Marine Conservation (LKN) has the task of organizing, implementing and financing the acoustic monitoring of harbour porpoises in this programme. The acoustic surveys for the NPV are carried out by the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) as part of the joint marine mammal monitoring program under the BLMP. For this purpose, measuring stations are operated at five defined locations in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea (Lister Tief, Westerland, Rochelsteert, Meldorfer Bucht and Outer Elbe). The monitoring stations are equipped with click detectors (C-PODs), which record the echolocation activity of harbor porpoises. The C-PODs are serviced and read out at regular intervals. The data obtained in this way is evaluated against the background of the optimization of the acoustic monitoring as well as necessary extensions for a permanent operation of the measuring stations. The data from this long-term study will provide information on the possible rhythm and tidal dependency of the harbor porpoise detections throughout the day and over the course of a year.

Funding: Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw), 3.000.000 EUR

Project Details:
In a wide range of injuries and medical procedures, erythrocytes or platelets from voluntary donors must be transfused into patients. When donated blood arrives at a processing center, erythrocytes are separated from platelets. Erythrocytes can be stored in protective solutions at 4 °C for up to four weeks as packed red blood cell units, whereas platelets are sensitive to cold and must be stored at room temperature. Because of this relatively high storage temperature, platelet concentrates must be discarded after 5-7 days. Under normal circumstances, blood banks in high-income countries are able to supply local hospitals very well with sufficient quantities of blood products (erythrocytes and platelets). However, in remote regions or war zones, the necessary infrastructure for a properly functioning blood bank is generally lacking, and blood transfusions are often performed using untested blood obtained from local donors. Military blood services worldwide have repeatedly identified the storage of blood products as a top priority. For long-term storage, cryopreservation can be used. However, the use of cryopreserved blood units requires a time-consuming washing process to carefully remove toxic cryoprotectants prior to transfusion. In addition, cryopreservation requires expensive, space- and energy-intensive equipment with specialized freezing systems to carefully maintain low temperatures during storage and transport in order to preserve the biological activity of the cells. Storing erythrocytes or platelets in a dried state offers the possibility of preserving the cells for long periods under conditions that are far easier to maintain (i.e., room temperature), thereby enabling transport to locations with immediate need. Here, we propose developing methods for the dry preservation of erythrocyte and platelet transfusion units that can be used directly after a simple rehydration step, for example in a war zone or military hospital.

Cooperation Partners:

Rainer Blasczyk, Constanca Figueiredo - Hannover Medical School

Funding: EU, 736.000 EUR

Project Details:
The project is carried out on DIL e.V., Quakenbrück.
The dietary shift has been identified as a major key to reducing the footprint of the food system. The objective of GIANT LEAPS is to deliver strategic innovations, methodologies, and open-access data sets to speed up this dietary shift in line with the Farm-to-Fork strategy and contribute to the Green Deal target of reaching climate neutrality by 2050. DIL is leading the development of the open cloud data platform for the project to facilitate interoperability of data generated within the project and the existing knowledge in the protein food production domain. Development of inventory data collection protocol and facilitating data gathering for sustainability assessments is another sub-task of DIL aligned with the cloud data platform.

Cooperation Partners:

Stichting Wageningen Research,

University Of Surrey,

Unilever U.K. Central Resources Limited

The University Of Manchester

Agt Food And Ingredients

Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule Zuerich

Danone Global Research & Innovation Center Bv

Rukov Jakob Lewin

Roquette Freres Sa

Deutscher Allergie- Und Asthmabund E.V.

Fc Cv

Capacity Development In Nutrition Research-Capnutra

Napiferyn Biotech Sp Zoo

Mosa Meat Bv

Verhagen Franciscus

Europa Media Szolgaltato Non Profitkozhasznu Kft,

Associacao Oceano Verde Laboratorio Colaborativo Para O

Desenvolvimento De Tecnologias E Produtos Verdes Do Oceano,

Solar Foods Oy

Viva Maris Gmbh

Foodcompanions Bv

Stichting Effost

Iris Technology Solutions, Sociedad Limitada

Fundacion Azti - Azti Fundazioa

Medical University Sofia,

Institut National Des Sciences Et Industries Du Vivant Et De

L'environnement - Agroparistech,

Institut National De Recherche Pour L'agriculture,

L'alimentation Et L'environnement,

Teagasc - Agriculture And Food Development Authority

Wageningen University

Luonnonvarakeskus

Universita Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico Ii

Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus Vtt Oy

University College Cork - National University Of Ireland, Cork

Matis Ohf

Institut De Recerca I Tecnologia Agroalimentaries

Funding: Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr , 730.000 EUR

Project Details:
Local hospitals are generally very well supplied with sufficient quantities of erythrocytes and platelets via blood banks. However, in remote areas or war zones, the necessary infrastructure is often lacking and blood transfusions are often carried out using untested blood donations. In order to improve the storage of blood products for such situations, we are investigating the preservation of blood products through cryopreservation and lyophilization as part of the Bundeswehr's Hemoforce project.

Funding: Madagascar National Parks; Kölner Zoo, 132.620 EUR

Project Details:
The overall objective of this project is to understand the effects of forest fires on vegetation and wildlife dynamics in dry deciduous forests of western Madagascar and to model their long-term post-fire regeneration potential by applying a landscape approach. This study will build on the fire history of the last 35 years within Ankarafantsika National Park (ANP) derived from annually available remote sensing data. We aim to investigate the impact of different time spans since the last fire, fire severity and different fire intervals on forest integrity on the one hand, and on lemur population dynamics as one representative and enigmatic, forest-dependent, vertebrate group on the other hand. Lemurs are highly suitable study species in this respect, since they fulfill key ecosystem functions (e.g. pollination, seed dispersal, food-web interactions), and the presence of the complete lemur assemblage indicates intact forest habitats. This will allow a prognosis of the long-term regeneration potential of recently burnt areas. As such, this project will provide guidance for a sustainable conservation management in the region and beyond, and will help to identify preferable areas for forest restoration and therefore nature-based-solutions towards pressing environmental problems in Western Madagascar.

Results:

Rabemananjara, N.R.; Rasolozaka, M.M.; Ravolanirina, M.O.; Marivola, R.; Randriamiarantsoa, S.H.; Rakotondravony, R.; Razafindraibe, H.; Schüßler, D.; Radespiel, U. (2025): Post-fire recolonization of dry deciduous forests by lemurs in northwestern Madagascar. Biodiv. Cons. 34, 4545-4574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-025-03167-x

 

Rasolozaka, M.; Schüßler, D.; Randriafenontsoa, J.; Andriatsitohaina, F.; Rakotomamonjy, P.; Rabarison, H.; Radespiel, U. (2025): Reconstructing the alarming fire history of Ankarafantsika National Park in northwestern Madagascar over a 35 year-period. Remote Sensing Applications: Conservation and Society, 33, 101521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsase.2025.101521

Cooperation Partners:

Dr. Harison Rabarison, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Dr. Hanta Razafindraibe, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Dr. Romule Rakotondravony, Universitity of Mahajanga, Madagascar

Dominik Schüßler, MSc, Universität Hildesheim

Funding: EU, 267.625 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of this project is the large-scale, automated welfare monitoring of animal-based indicators at the slaughterhouse, that are related to welfare on-farm, during (un)loading, transport, and slaughter. Novel sensors will be developed and tested to measure these indicators, so data can be collected continuously and automatically.
More Informationen: https://www.awish-project.eu/

Cooperation Partners:

24 Partner aus 13 Europäischen Ländern. Koordination: ILVO, Belgien

Project Details:
The aim of this work is to determine the properties of the Giese salt in order to arrive at a contemporary classification of the Giese salt in the group of Prussian blue compounds/iron(III) hexacyanidoferrate(II/III), sometimes AFe3+[Fe2+(CN) 6] xH2O, (A = K, Na, NH4). Ammonium ferric hexacyanoferrate is a veterinary-medical milestone and antidote against radiocesium, well-known as Giese-salt after the Chernobyl disaster fed to domestic and wild animals, which shows even a rich interplay of properties in nanostructural chemistry and ferromagnetism. Among the broad analytical techniques, the ambivalence of macroscopic micrometer-sized agglomerates and nanoparticle sizes, a suggested enlarged Fe(II)-CN-Fe(III) bond length by Fe K-edge XAFS results and multi-level spin relaxation in Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy are highlighted. This sets this underestimated compound in a new light, e.g., for modern biomedicine and biofunctionality, extending its essential importance in addition to hypothetical future nuclear incidents. Furthermore, the synthesis of Prussian blue nanoparticles is investigated.

Results:

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2601.03313

Cooperation Partners:

Dr. D. A. Motz, Leibniz Universität Hannover

S. Praetz, TU Berlin

Prof. Dr. B. Kanngießer, TU Berlin

K. Strecker, TU Bergakademie Freiberg

Prof. Dr. C. Vogt, TU Bergakademie Freiberg

F. Seewald, TU Dresden

Prof. H.-H. Klauss, TU Dresden

Funding: BfN, 1.933.080 EUR

Project Details:
As top predators, marine mammals are an important component of marine ecosystems. They are under increasing pressure from anthropogenic activities such as fisheries, offshore wind energy development, shipping traffic, etc. The survey and assessment of their populations and precise knowledge of their distribution patterns, habitat requirements and population trends are prerequisites for their effective protection and sensible protected area management.
Within the framework of this project, the collection of new data along the analysis of existing data sets will contribute significantly to the knowledge required for the consideration of fundamental ecological relationships and are of high scientific value. Habitat-based models are used to investigate which abiotic, biotic and anthropogenic factors fundamentally influence the occurrence and distribution of marine mammals. Population dynamics models will provide information on the influence of various stressors on the development of harbour porpoise populations. These models will provide simulations of future population trends assuming different pressures from anthropogenic stressors and can, thus, inform the development of adequate management measures. HABITATWal will also integrate the German contribution to the international SCANS-IV survey in summer 2002, when regionally coordinated visual surveys in the shelf and offshore waters of the European Atlantic will be conducted to generate robust abundance estimates for regularly occurring cetacean species. Detailed information on the acoustic and visual occurrence and density of minke whales and other cetacean species will be collected through a dedicated shipboard survey on the Dogger Bank and an annual monitoring will be developed. In addition, the expansion of the recording methods in large-scale monitoring is to be accompanied scientifically. This also includes a feasibility study on the possible addition of a passive-acoustic monitoring (PAM) network in the German North Sea.