Research

Funding: BMBF, 198.361 EUR

Project Details:
Noroviruses are the most prevalent viral cause of acute gastroenteritis. At least 40 noroviruses have been
described, with new variants regularly emerging. Norovirus evolution, emergence, and circulation are not
entirely understood, especially the role of a potential animal reservoir is insufficiently investigated. Several
lines of evidence suggest norovirus transmission between humans and animals. However, there is no in
vitro system to investigate interspecies transmission to date. Here we set out to establish an ex vivo system
based on intestinal biopsies of various animal species to investigate interspecies norovirus transmission
experimentally. We will use biopsies of dogs, pigs, and chickens as they are highly abundant and kept in
close contact with humans. The risk for transmission is therefore increased. Precision-cut intestinal slices
will be set up and used to investigate norovirus binding, entry/internalization, and replication in the
respective host tissues. Furthermore, the role of the known susceptibility factors, the histo blood group
antigens, will be investigated. Once established, this explant system will allow the investigation of norovirus
receptors, attachment factors and other host determinants in humans and non-human animal species. The
system will also be valuable for investigating other enteric viruses with zoonotic potential, including
coronaviruses, influenza viruses, and dog and pig-specific noroviruses.

Funding: Europa-Programm des Niedersächsischen Ministeriums für Wissenschaft und Kultur aus Mitteln von SPRUNG, 79.770 EUR

Project Details:
The focus is on studying the evolution of viruses in the two hosts arthropods (mosquitoes, ticks) and mammals and the implications for host receptor usage.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Félix Rey, Institut Pasteur, Paris, Frankreich

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt, gefördert durch die Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung., 100.000 EUR

Project Details:
(Deep)freezing is a process for preserving fat. Both the duration and the temperature of the freezing treatment influence the physicochemical and sensory quality of the fat and also the quality of the products made with this fat (Flavia et al. 2014). In our opinion, there have been no studies that have related the influence of the freezing duration and temperature of fat to the quality of the cooked sausage produced with it. For this reason, in the project pork and turkey fat will be stored after freezing for up to 24 weeks at -18 °C and approx. -80 °C. After 12 and 24 weeks, the fat will be processed to cooked cured sausages. The products will be directly characterised with regard to physicochemical (e.g. colour, pH value, aw value, antioxidative capacity), microbiological (e.g. total bacterial count) and sensory properties (following the DLG 5-point scheme). The products will then be cut, packaged in a protective gas atmosphere and stored according to the storage time, which is typical for the product in retail. The control products contain fat that was frozen overnight (for technological reasons).

Funding: Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, 110.319 EUR

Project Details:
In der Nutztierhaltung insgesamt, aber auch in der Masthähnchenhaltung im Speziellen, besteht die dringende Notwendigkeit zur Reduktion des Arzneimitteleinsatzes vor dem Hintergrund der damit verbundenen Umweltbelastung. Durch den Einsatz von Mikroalgen soll eine präventive Förderung der Tiergesundheit erreicht werden. Mikroorganismen sind einzellige, pflanzliche Organismen, die über diverse phytogene Inhaltsstoffe mit antiinflammatorischen, immunstimulierenden oder antioxidativen Wirkungen verfügen. In diesem Projekt sollen die Effekte ausgewählter Mikroalgen auf Leistung und Tiergesundheit sowohl in der konventionellen als auch in der ökologischen Masthähnchenhaltung untersucht werden.

Cooperation Partners:

Microganic GmbH, Melle

Funding: Philipp Schwartz-Initiative, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 38.600 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of project is to gain deeper insights into how altered FSH secretion due to GnRH agonist SRI treatment affects FSHR expression, but also how it affects SSC self-renewal, differentiation and proliferation using the dog as a model.
SSC are crucial for male fertility as they sustain spermatogenesis, the continuous process of sperm production, ensuring the maintenance of reproductive function and genetic diversity. Understanding their regulation is essential for addressing fertility issues and reproductive medicine. Besides, the aim is to investigate to what extent the SSC niche is altered, namely how RA and RA generating enzymes are affected by altered peripheral FSH secretion.
For the current project dogs were treated over 5 months with a GnRH slow release implant (SRI); after 5 months the SRI was removed and groups of dogs were surgically castrated at the time of implant removal (week 0) and 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 weeks later, respectively representing either downregulated/arrested spermatogenesis or restart of spermatogenesis at various time points. Besides, untreated healthy male and 2 month-old juvenile dogs served as controls. All samples have been previously characterised in detail within earlier projects.
As FSH is significantly reduced during downregulation and fully restored rapidly after SRI removal, these testicular samples collected during downregulation and subsequent recovery seem to be a promisining model to study effects of altered FSH signaling on SSCs and their niche in a non-rodent model.

Results:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39631561/

Funding: COVID-19-Forschungsnetzwerkes COFONI vom Niedersächsischen Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur über die Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, 50.000 EUR

Project Details:
This project aims at
(1) Establish a database for BSL-3 sample biobanking from preclinical in vivo models of
COVID-19 disease within COFONI-network
(2) Initial review and meta-analysis of internationally available data on preclinical in vivo
models of COVID-19 disease

Funding: FAPESP DGHT, 37.713 EUR

Project Details:
The study of the evolutionary processes that originate phenotypic diversity can offer insights into the process of adaptation in natural populations. Coloration patterns variation have intrigued scientists for centuries, and among vertebrates amphibians are one of the most interesting groups, exhibiting a vast variation in coloration, whose function has been mainly associated with UV protection, interspecies communication, and predator avoidance. Despite significant advances made on this topic, the genetic basis of coloration in amphibians is still surprisingly unknown. Herein we propose to deepen in genomic bases of coloration in the genus Brachycephalus, using the aposematic and polymorphic species B. actaeus as model. We are going to use transcriptomic data to identify genes, which are differentially expressed as well as histological sample for gathering information about chromatophore abundance and distribution among colour morphs in this species.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Célio Haddad, UNESP (Brazil)

Dr. Mariana Lyra, New York University, Abu Dhabi

Dr. Andrés Brunetti, Max Plank Institute for Chemical Ecology

Project Details:
Animal welfare of pigs kept on farms includes both the well-being and the health of the animals. In Germany, there have been legal changes in relation to pig farming in recent years in order to achieve greater animal welfare. The study examines whether users inform themselves about topics concerning animal welfare in pig farming in Germany in forums and blogs and whether people with a professional background use these platforms to publish their personal opinions and evaluate emerging topics. For this purpose, the discussion content of Internet users with an obvious professional reference to pig farming is identified and their reaction to posts relating to animal welfare in pig farming is analyzed by means of a qualitative content analysis (Translated with DeepL.com (free version)).

Funding: MWK, 75.880 EUR

Project Details:
Circular RNAs regulating the SARS-CoV-2 infection in the cardiovascular system.

Results:

https://www.umg.eu/forschung/corona/cofoni/

Funding: DZIF, BMBF, 115.000 EUR

Project Details:
The main protease 3CLpro is a prominent drug target to control corona virus (CoV) replication and associated disease. The target is structure-enabled, structurally conserved and believed to offer an opportunity for multi-/pan-CoV-inhibitor designs. Pfizer have received an Emergency Use Authorization for their first-generation 3CL inhibitor Paxlovid. This serves the important clinical target validation for Covid-19 but also demands a differentiation strategy for second generation drugs as outlined herein. We will be applying our University of Marburg (UMR) based mouse transduction CoV challenge model, optimized for SARS-CoV-2 variants-of-concern and the dosing of the herein pursued second generation 3CL inhibitors as designed and synthesized by the Lead Discovery Center (LDC). In addition, the frontrunner compound will be tested head-to-head against Paxlovid in the hamster SARS-CoV-2 disease model maintained at University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. In so doing we contribute to the preclinical proof-of-concept and hopefully the nomination a lead compound of the second generation 3CLpro inhibitors by LDC.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Stephan Becker, Marburg

LDC