Research

Funding: MWK über Universität Göttingen, 29.423 EUR

Project Details:
Schwere COVID-19-Krankheitsfälle sind durch das Auftreten einer schweren Lungenentzündung charakterisiert, die häufig einen Krankenhausaufenthalt erfordern. Bis zu einem Drittel der hospitalisierten Patienten entwickeln kritische Komplikationen, wie einen diffusen Alveolarschaden, welcher zum akuten Atemnotsyndroms (ARDS) führt. Ein detailliertes Verständnis der komplexen Pathogenese und der daraus resultierenden Krankheitskomplikationen ist dringend erforderlich, um wirksame Behandlungsstrategien für die SARS-CoV-2-Infektion zu entwickeln. Mehrere erfolgreiche Präventionsstrategien wie Impfstoffe wurden entwickelt und für ihre Anwendung beim Menschen zugelassen. Wir sind jedoch noch weit von einer Eindämmung der Krankheit entfernt und könnten mit dem vermehrten Auftreten von Virusvarianten vor zusätzlichen Herausforderungen stehen. Zwar ist bereits viel über die Pathogenese und Behandlung der akuten COVID-19 Erkrankung bekannt, jedoch wissen wir immer noch sehr wenig über die potentiellen Langzeitfolgen. Es wird immer deutlicher, dass eine protrahierte Genesung ein häufiges Merkmal COVID-19 ist, ein Phänomen, das allgemein als "Long-COVID" oder Post-COVID-Syndrom bezeichnet wird. 30-60% der Personen leiden nach der Genesung von einer akuten Virusinfektion an anhaltenden Symptomen wie Müdigkeit, Kurzatmigkeit und verringerter Belastbarkeit. Dieses Projekt soll dazu beitragen, die Mechanismen von "Long-COVID" besser zu verstehen und daraus neue Behandlungsstrategien abzuleiten.

Funding: MWK über Universität Göttingen, 24.805 EUR

Project Details:
Die Zusammensetzung und Reaktivität des lungenspezifischen Immunsystems wird durch verschiedene Mechanismen gesteuert. Wichtig ist hierbei insbesondere die körpereigene, genetische Disposition des Individuums. Genetische Varianten sind wichtige Determinanten der kindlichen Asthma- und Virusinfektionsanfälligkeit . Aber auch äußere Faktoren wie Infektionen, Rauchen oder Umweltgifte können das Immunsystem des Lungengewebes prägen. Neuste Studien zeigen, dass auch dem Lungenmikrobiom eine bedeutende Rolle bei der Regulierung und Aktivität des Lungenimmunsystems zukommt. Das Lungenmikrobiom wurde spät entdeckt, da man lange Zeit davon ausging, dass die Lunge eine pathogenfreie, sterile Umgebung darstellt. In diesem Projekt soll der Einfluss der Lungemikrobioms auf die Schwere einer SARS-CoV-2 Infektion untersucht werden.

Funding: DFG, 255.550 EUR

Project Details:
Bovine Viral Diarrhea/ Mucosal Disease (BVD/ MD) is an economically important notifiable disease of cattle. The causative agent, BVD virus (BVDV), is a plus strand RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae, genus Pestivirus. BVDV is known to enter oronasally and through the respiratory tract, from where it spreads to various organs and tissues. The initial stage of infection is poorly understood. In the context of preliminary work it was shown that non-differentiated polarized respiratory epithelial cells are highly susceptible to apical and basolateral infection with BVDV, but virus release occurs only via the apical side of the cells. Thus, it remains unknown how pestiviruses cross the barrier of the airway epithelium. However, it is well established that BVDV and other pestiviruses have a strong tropism for immune cells. Therefore, an important goal of this project is to explore the pathway by which BVDV crosses the barrier of the respiratory epithelium and spreads from there to immune cells.
In the first part of the project, the infection of airway epithelial cells (tracheal/bronchial epithelial cells) will be investigated. Two cell culture systems established at the Institute of Virology are available for the analysis of end-differentiated cells: Air-liquid-interface (ALI) cultures and precision lung slices (PCLS). Subsequently, cells that have not yet completed differentiation or cells that are in the regeneration phase after epithelial injury will be examined. Finally, we will analyze whether BVDV can overcome the epithelial barrier in a paracellular manner by exploiting leaky junctions between cells. To find out whether the different infection characteristics in the different culture systems and under the various infection conditions depending on the degree of differentiation can be correlated or explained with the presence of the cellular receptor, the expression of the receptor for BVDV, CD46, will be analyzed. For the detection of CD46 a monoclonal antibody is available, which was produced at the Institute of Virology. Another focus will be studies on the infection of macrophages. Co-cultures of macrophages and airway epithelial cells will be established to find out whether macrophage infection can be used to overcome the epithelial barrier.
Other interesting perspectives for future projects include the role of cellular innate immunity for respiratory epithelial infection with BVDV, and viral-viral or viral-bacterial co-infections.

Funding: EU, 215.581 EUR

Project Details:
The project is carried out at DIL e.V., Quakenbrück.
The DIL leads the work package that focuses on optimising and up-scaling ultrasound (US). Firstly, an extensive literature review on microbial decontamination by US in food and model systems was conducted. It was found that manothermosonication (MTS), a technology that combines mild thermal treatment, elevated pressure, and sonication, is the most promising approach and a potential alternative to traditional thermal pasteurisation of liquid whole egg. Consequently, the DIL developed an MTS prototype that can be used for experimental work with Salmonella Enteritidis. The results showed that MTS can provide the same level of food safety as conventional pasteurisation but with a lower thermal load, suggesting potential food quality benefits confirmed by work on physico-chemical, functional, and protein properties. In addition, sustainability studies using the life cycle analysis (LCA) methodology revealed a lower energy demand in MTS pasteurisation. As a final part of the project, a computational fluid dynamics simulation will be performed to design industrial MTS treatments for continuous application.

Cooperation Partners:

External cooperation partners:

Wageningen University, L-Università ta' Malta,

University of Reading,

Elea Vertriebs- und Vermarktungsgesellschaft mbH,

Leibniz Institut für Plasmaforschung und Technologie e.V.,

Sociedade de Estudos de Analise Sensorial a Produtos Alimentares,

Stichting Wageningen Research,

Hyperbaric,

Arla Foods,

Unilever Research and Development Vlaardingen BV,

Koninklijke Euroma BV,

Société des Produits Nestlé S.A.

Funding: BMEL, ERA-NET, 117.043 EUR

Project Details:
The project is carried out on DIL e.V., Quakenbrück.
With CLIMAQUA an innovative process for the conversion and recycling of aquaculture side streams to feed based on A. platensis is created, which in turn can be used in aquaculture. The aim is to significantly reduce the high greenhouse gas emissions from aquaculture, especially for feed production, by integrating A. platensis into biomass / feed production. Geographical and site-specific features (temperature, length of daylight, etc.) are taken into account in order to obtain an almost completely digestible algae-based feed for salmon and catfish farming and thereby establish a circulatory system that is economically and ecologically sound. In addition, CLIMAQUA examines climate change-related aspects of aquaculture in two regions of the world: The use of innovative technologies in aquaculture is adapted to the climatic conditions and promotes the implementation of sustainable and local food systems.

Project Details:
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Funding: Nordic Research Council (NRC), 49.000 EUR

Project Details:
The retreat of sea ice and the melting and retreat of tidewater glaciers are particularly visible signs of the changes taking place in the Arctic due to global warming. The deterioration of these two physical features of Arctic marine systems is occurring faster in the northern Barents Sea than elsewhere in the circumpolar Arctic, making the Norwegian High Arctic an indicator of climate change in the Arctic region as a whole. The changes will undoubtedly have profound effects on marine ecosystems in the High Arctic and consequences for endemic Arctic marine mammal species.
The ARK research programme will use a variety of data time series (occurrence, ecology, diet, contaminant levels, health parameters, infectious diseases, trophic interactions, etc.) to quantitatively assess different hypotheses on climate change impacts on Arctic marine mammals: 1) Habitat decline will lead to declines in ice-dependent species, changes in distribution patterns and, in the long term, species extinction. 2) Endemic species will increasingly compete with temperate species, which are expanding their habitats. 3) Exposure to new pathogens and increased levels of pollutants will have a negative impact on endemic species. 4) Atlantification of food webs will negatively impact Arctic species and affect the entire Arctic ecosystem.
Within the ARK project, the Kongsfjord, on the west coast of Spitsbergen, will be used in a case-study approach to investigate changes in the ecosystem, apply physical-biochemical food web models and complex risk analyses to make predictions and provide management information.

Results:

Schick, L. A., K. M. Kovacs, C. Lydersen, et al. 2026. " Sharing Is Caring?—Pathogens and Pathogen-Specific Antibodies in Arctic Endemic Seal Species and the Newly Sympatric Harbor Seals in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard." Marine Mammal Science 42, no. 2: e70143

https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.70143

Cooperation Partners:

Kooperationsprojekt mit dem Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø

Funding: Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft, 224.100 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of the project is to transfer an innovative concept for cold-storage of liquid preserved boar semen into practise. This enables the reduction of antibiotics in the preservation medium and additionally, the optimization of the transport logistics of the semen portions from semen collection centers to the sow farms. The environmental impact resulting from antibiotic use is reduced and possibilities for efficient use of boar semen are tested in practice. Thus, the CoolSperm project particularly promotes sustainability and efficiency in future-oriented pig breeding.

Results:

doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2025.01.025

doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305280

doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2024.107486

doi: 10.3390/antibiotics12050857

10.1016/j.anireprosci.2024.107486

Cooperation Partners:

Institut für Fortpflanzung landwirtschaftlicher Nutztiere

Förderverein Bioökonomieforschung (FBF e.V.)

Genossenschaft zur Förderung der Schweinehaltung eG (GFS)

Minitüb GmbH

Funding: MWK über Uni Göttingen, 8.400.000 EUR

Project Details:
SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Type 2) is the causative agent of COVID-19. The course of the COVID-19 pandemic so far has emphatically shown that a coordinated bundling of interdisciplinary and complementary expertise is necessary in order to decode the diverse aspects of the biology, pathology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and to use the knowledge gained clinically for the treatment of patients as well as for modeling the course of infection in the population. In order to be able to provide and implement such a holistic approach, the federal state of Lower Saxony offers ideal conditions with its internationally renowned science locations. We are therefore applying for financial support for collaborative research to set up a COVID-19 research network in the state of Lower Saxony (COFONI).

Funding: Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF) of the University Hospital Erlangen

Project Details:
To investigate the impact of chronic colitis on the behavioral phenotype of mice expressing human α-synuclein under the Thy1-promoter(Thy1-αSyn mice), a well-established mouse model for synucleinopathies.

Cooperation Partners:

Dr.med. Patrick Süß, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Winkler (Dept of Molecular Neurology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen)