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This year's Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prizes will be awarded at Paulskirche in Frankfurt today
Physician and immunologist Dennis L. Kasper (81) of Harvard Medical School will receive the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize 2024, endowed with €120,000, in a ceremony held in Frankfurt's Paulskirche today. The award recognizes his discovery of the first words of the biochemical language through which bacteria that populate our colon educate our immune system, thereby ensuring its healthy development. The Early Career Award goes to chemist Johannes Karges (31) from Ruhr University Bochum for his invention of a process with which highly effective chemotherapeutic agents can only accumulate in the tumor and can only be activated there by irradiation with light or ultrasound.
FRANKFURT. Around ten trillion bacteria live in the large intestine of every human being, which, for the most part, act as guarantors of our health. This is because over the course of evolution, relationships have developed between bacteria and their hosts from which both benefit. In return for finding an ideal habitat in the gut, the bacteria defend us against their pathogenic relatives, provide us with vitamins and nutrients or help us with digestion. This symbiosis can only succeed through continuous communication between our intestinal bacteria and our immune system. Dennis L. Kasper has decoded the first words and rules of the language in which this communication takes place. He discovered that certain bacterial molecules act as educators of the immune system and teach it not to attack useful bacteria or cells of its own body, i.e. to maintain a healthy balance between tolerance and aggression. "Dennis Kasper is the first person to succeed in uncovering communication channels in the superorganism formed by humans and their microbiome," explains, Prof. Dr. Thomas Boehm, Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation. "In doing so, he has opened the door to a field of research in which new approaches for the treatment of autoimmune diseases are already emerging."
Cisplatin and two of its derivatives are the world's most common cancer drugs. While they show impressive success against certain types of cancer, at the same time, they quickly bring about resistance. In addition, given that they also inhibit the division of healthy body cells, they cause serious side effects. The winner of this year's Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Early Career Award, Johannes Karges, has developed a process that allows platinum-containing drugs to act exclusively in the tumor. To do so, he packages them in nanoparticles that only accumulate in the cancer tissue, where they are then activated by external irradiation with light or ultrasound. In this way, he can precisely control the use of certain cytostatic drugs in terms of both space and time – like remote-controlled magic bullets that, in the spirit of Paul Ehrlich, selectively cure the disease without harming the rest of the body. The prizewinner has already provided preclinical proof of his concept, whose translation into clinical practice could significantly increase both the efficacy and tolerability of many chemotherapies.
Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize 2024
https://tinygu.de/5UkpI
Dennis L. Kasper has been William Ellery Channing Professor of Medicine since 1989 and Professor of Immunology at Harvard Medical School since 1997. He is co-editor of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine (currently in its 22nd edition), the world's most widely used medical textbook, of which he was editor-in-chief for the 16th and 19th editions.
https://kasperlab.hms.harvard.edu/
Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Early Career Award 2024
https://tinygu.de/jiiHJ
Johannes Karges studied chemistry in Marburg and London and conducted research as a doctoral student in Paris and Guangzhou. As a postdoctoral researcher, he worked at the University of California, San Diego, in La Jolla. Since November 2022, he has headed a research group at Ruhr University Bochum as a Liebig Fellow of the Chemical Industry Fund.
https://www.kargesgroup.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/
Further information
Press Office of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation
Joachim Pietzsch
Phone: +49 (0)69 36007188
E-mail: j.pietzsch@wissenswort.com
www.paul-ehrlich-stiftung.de
Editors: Joachim Pietzsch/Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel: -49 (0) 69 798-12498, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Federal Education and Research Minister Stark-Watzinger emphasizes network’s importance for German researchers
The Federal Republic of Germany has become the 17th member of the pan-European structural biology consortium Instruct-ERIC, it was announced today by the research infrastructures network, whose director – Prof. Harald Schwalbe – researches and teaches at Goethe University Frankfurt. Instruct-ERIC facilitates the joint establishment and operation of research infrastructures of European interest for the analysis of molecular structures, including for basic biological research and the development of active medical ingredients. The network operates on a not for profit basis, is funded by the member countries and governed by member country representatives.
FRANKFURT. Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Germany's Federal Minister of Education and Research, emphasizes: "The rapid and successful development of active substances against the SARS-CoV-2 virus illustrated the importance of good and trusting international cooperation among scientists, especially in the field of integrated structural biology. Exchanging information at an international level is crucial, especially when it comes to using specialist infrastructures. There are many advantages to us joining Instruct-ERIC, which not only gives our researchers access to European high-tech facilities, but also is a prerequisite for us to continue to deliver outstanding contributions to structural biology in the future."
Prof. Harald Schwalbe, who has served as director of Instruct-ERIC since 2022, emphasizes: "Scientific institutions and companies in Germany have contributed significantly in recent years to the development and establishment of structural biology methods and technologies. As such, we recently inaugurated a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer of the latest generation at Goethe University Frankfurt, which we can use, among others, to examine flexible regions in biomolecules with high precision."
However, Schwalbe adds that in the field of structural biology, it is not individual high-tech devices that play the most important role, but diverse and sophisticated research facilities that complement each other methodically and enable integrative research approaches. "To that end, we will establish in Germany a network of Instruct centers with associated laboratories that meet European standards, which in turn will allow access to all facilities, across locations. In addition to enabling technological advancements, Instruct-ERIC also finances and organizes research stays and trainings for researchers, thereby contributing to the education of the next generation of researchers."
Instruct-ERIC is a pan-European distributed research infrastructure making high-end technologies and methods in structural biology available to users. ERIC stands for European Research Infrastructure Consortium, and refers to a specific legal form that facilitates the establishment and operation of research infrastructures with European interest, on a not for profit basis. ERICs are funded by subscription from member countries and governed by member country representatives. Instruct-ERIC is comprised of 17 member countries and organizations: Belgium, Czech Republic, EMBL, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and United Kingdom. Through its specialized research centers in Europe, Instruct-ERIC finances and organizes research stays, trainings, internships and R&D awards. By promoting integrative methods, Instruct-ERIC enables excellent scientific and technological development that benefits all life scientists. More at https://instruct-eric.org/
Background information:
Harald Schwalbe Appointed as New Instruct-ERIC Director (2022)
https://aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de/english/harald-schwalbe-appointed-as-new-instruct-eric-director/?highlight=schwalbe
Ultra-high field spectrometer: Newly developed device for cutting-edge research inaugurated at Goethe University Frankfurt (2023)
https://aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de/english/ultra-high-field-spectrometer-newly-developed-device-for-cutting-edge-research-inaugurated-at-goethe-university-frankfurt/?highlight=spectrometer%20
Internationales Konsortium zur Erforschung von SARS-CoV-2 abgeschlossen (2022)
https://aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de/forschung/von-fliessbandforschung-und-einzelkaempfern
Images for download: https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/150603158
Caption: View of the 1.2 gigahertz NMR spectrometer at Goethe University, one of the world's largest research devices of its kind. Photo: Uwe Dettmar for Goethe University Frankfurt
Further information
Prof. Dr. Harald Schwalbe
Institute of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel. +49 (0)69 798 29737
schwalbe@nmr.uni-frankfurt.de
Twitter/X: @Schwalbe_BMRZ @goetheuni @BMBF_Bund
Editor: Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt, Tel: +49 (0) 69 798-12498, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de
After three years of intensive collaboration, leading European experts in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have published therapy recommendations for those suffering from this rare and aggressive cancer. One of the world's largest ALL study groups is based at Frankfurt University Hospital. Its systematic studies have already helped significantly increase the cure rate of those affected.
The treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults is extremely complex, lengthy and very stressful for patients. Compared to other types of cancer in adults, ALL is relatively rare, as a result of which its treatment in Europe has been organized by multicenter study groups for decades. To achieve the greatest possible scientific impact, several medical institutions simultaneously conduct research on optimizing and systematically developing therapy algorithms. The most important instrument for improving diagnostics and therapy is prospective academic studies, i.e. studies based on a predefined question that examine the effectiveness of a treatment method, and which are planned independently of the pharmaceutical industry.
In Germany, this task has been carried out for decades by the German Multicenter Study Group for Adult ALL (GMALL) – one of the world's largest study groups for this type of cancer, based at Frankfurt University Hospital. Under the leadership of Dr. Nicola Gökbuget, Senior Physician at the University Hospital's Medical Clinic 2, leading European experts for adult ALL have now drawn up consensus recommendations, for the first time bundling European expertise in one guideline. The European LeukemiaNet (ELN) published its findings as a two-part special report in late January and early February 2024 in the renowned US journal Blood.
Strengthening the European perspective
"Knowledge about the disease biology and treatment options for ALL in adults is increasing exponentially," explains Dr. Gökbuget, first author of the reference recommendation and GMALL study group coordinator for more than a decade. "Given the unique constellations in the European healthcare systems, it was important for us to summarize the current state of knowledge, especially from a European perspective." The detailed ELN recommendations are intended not only to provide interested doctors with answers to the most important questions relating to patient management, but also to help standardize the reporting of clinical trials.
Too extensive for just one publication
Due to their large scope and complexity, the treatment recommendations were published in two parts, the first of which deals with ALL diagnostics, prognostic factors and response assessments, and also defines standards for classification and evaluation in clinical trials. The second part covers the entire management, and ranges from induction and consolidation therapy to the use of new substances, stem cell transplantation, relapse therapy, the treatment of special ALL subgroups, late effects of therapy, and supportive treatment. In addition to a detailed evaluation of the available data, the recommendations also contain expert assessments of issues currently discussed.
Based on years of systematic work, working groups from eight European countries have contributed to significantly improving the prognosis of adult patients suffering from ALL – a path the European consortium intends to continue to follow to benefit all those affected.
Publications:
Nicola Gökbuget, Nicolas Boissel, Sabina Chiaretti, Herve Dombret, Michael Doubek, Adele K. Fielding, Robin Foà, Sebastian Giebel, Dieter Hoelzer, Mathilde Hunault, David I. Marks, Giovanni Martinelli, Oliver G. Ottmann, Anita W. Rijneveld, Philippe Rousselot, Josep-Maria Ribera, Renato Bassan: Diagnosis, Prognostic Factors and Assessment of ALL in Adults: 2023 ELN Recommendations from a European Expert Panel. Blood, January 31, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2023020794 (part 1)
Nicola Gökbuget, Nicolas Boissel, Sabina Chiaretti, Herve Dombret, Michael Doubek, Adele K. Fielding, Robin Foà, Sebastian Giebel, Dieter Hoelzer, Mathilde Hunault, David I. Marks, Giovanni Martinelli, Oliver Ottmann, Anita W. Rijneveld, Philippe Rousselot, Josep-Maria Ribera, Renato Bassan: Management of ALL in Adults: 2023 ELN Recommendations from a European Expert Panel. Blood, February 2, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2023023568 (part 2)
Further information
Dr. Nicola Gökbuget
Medical Clinic 2, focus on hematology / oncology
University Hospital Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 6301 6365
goekbuget@em.uni-frankfurt.de
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/NGoekbuget
Twitter/X: @UK_Frankfurt @goetheuni
Editor: Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel: +49 (0) 69 798-12498, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de.
The habitat suitability for the medical relevant insects has been modelled over four federal states
Researchers from Goethe University Frankfurt and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre have modeled the spatial distributional patterns of black flies in Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony for the first time. In the study published in the renowned journal "Science of the Total Environment", the research team shows that black flies in Germany can be categorized into three groups with different distribution patterns and ecological requirements. The researchers point out that medically relevant species in particular could become more prevalent as a result of ongoing climate and land-use change.
FRANKFURT. Only six millimeters in length, black flies (Simuliidae) may look harmless like house flies, but their bites can be very unpleasant. Similar to mosquitoes, the females of these insects that are able to fly need a blood meal to produce eggs. Known as “pool feeders", they use their sharp “teeth" to scratch the skin of the host and then ingest the resulting drop of blood. “The anticoagulant and anesthetic substances introduced into the wound by mosquitoes can trigger serious allergic reactions or lead to secondary bacterial infections," states Prof. Dr. Sven Klimpel from the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Goethe University Frankfurt, the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG), and the Fraunhofer IME Giessen. Klimpel continues: "Black flies are also vector-competent, meaning they are able to transmit pathogens that cause infectious diseases through their bites." One of the most well-known diseases transmitted by black flies is onchocerciasis, also known as “river blindness", caused by the nematode Onchocerca volvulus, which is native to Africa. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.15 million people worldwide have already lost their sight as a result of the disease.
Black flies can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Over 2,000 black fly species are known worldwide, in Germany 57 of them. According to Sarah Cunze, from Goethe University Frankfurt and the first author of the study, almost all black fly species (98%) require a blood meal before laying their eggs. “In our study, we were able to categorize the 12 most common species into three biogeographical groups," explains Cunze, adding that “these groups are a) montane species living upper reaches of watercourses, b) species with broad niches and thus widely distributed across different landscapes, and c) lowland species." These results are based on a valid data set comprising 1,526 records of black fly larvae in the four federal states of Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony and provide valuable insights of the distributional patters of these species.
In their study, the researchers deduce different trends in population development for the three groups under the ongoing climate and land-use change: While the montane group is considered to be at risk due to increasing temperatures and growing chemical pollution of water bodies, the other species are characterized by a broad niche or higher tolerance to anthropogenic changes. Consequently, the black fly species of veterinary and human medical relevance, which predominantly belong to the third group, could be promoted by the ongoing anthropogenic change and be subject to positive population trends. “Medically relevant species are characterized by particularly aggressive biting behavior against mammals and humans and often occur in very high numbers. These observed mass occurrences are the result of synchronized hatching of the aquatic larvae," explains Cunze. Neighboring countries like Poland have responded to this mass occurrence by keeping livestock only indoors or letting them out to graze only at night during these outbreaks. "The expected future rise in temperature could reduce development times and thus lead to more generations per year – resulting in a more frequent occurrence of black flies overall," adds Cunze.
In further studies, the team would like to support its findings with empirical research and use laboratory tests to clarify the extent to which the simuliid species are vector-competent, – i.e. capable of transmitting certain pathogens – under the conditions currently prevailing in Europe. "The trends for medically relevant black fly species derived from the findings of our study are an example of how global changes can promote vector-borne infectious diseases. Our modelling approaches and results will help us to structure monitoring and prevention programs for vector-competent species more efficiently and to provide predictions about future developments," concludes Klimpel.
Publication: Sarah Cunze, Jonas Jourdan, Sven Klimpel (2024): Ecologically and medically important black flies of the genus Simulium: Identification of biogeographical groups according to similar larval niches, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 917, 2024, 170454, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170454
Images for download: https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/149310328
Captions:
(Image 1)
Simulium ornatum is a black fly species of veterinary and human medical relevance. Photo: Dorian Dörge
(Image 2)
Black flies are semi-aquatic species and depend on flowing waters in their egg, larval and – as seen here – pupal stages. Photo: Dorian Dörge
Further information
Prof. Dr. Sven Klimpel
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel. +49 (0)69 798 42237
sven.klimpel@senckenberg.de
Editor: Pia Barth, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt, Tel. +49 (0)69 798-12481, Fax +49 (0)69 798-763-12531, p.barth@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Neurobiologists at Goethe University Frankfurt have shown that the brainstem is more involved in the processing of natural acoustic signals than expected
Bats live in a world of sounds. They use vocalizations both to communicate with their conspecifics and for navigation. For the latter, they emit sounds in the ultrasonic range, which echo and enable them to create an “image" of their surroundings. Neuroscientists at Goethe University Frankfurt have now discovered how Seba's short-tailed bat, a species native to South America, manages to filter out important signals from ambient sound and especially to distinguish between echolocation and communication calls.
FRANKFURT. Seba's short-tailed bat (Carollia perspicillata) lives in the subtropical and tropical forests of Central and South America, where it mostly feeds on pepper fruit. The animals spend their days in groups of 10 to 100 individuals in hollow trunks and rocky caverns, and at night they go foraging together. They communicate using sounds that create distinct ambient noise in the colony – like the babble of voices at a lively party. At the same time, the bats also use vocalizations to navigate their surroundings: a phenomenon known as echolocation, for which they emit ultrasonic sounds that reflect off solid surfaces. The animals then assemble these echoes into an “image" of their surroundings.
But how does Seba's short-tailed bat manage to filter out important sounds from constant ambient noise? A common explanation is that the brain constantly predicts the next signal and reacts more strongly to an unexpected signal than to an expected one. This is referred to as deviance detection, and neuroscientists led by Johannes Wetekam and Professor Manfred Kössl from the Neurobiology and Biosensors Working Group at the Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Goethe University Frankfurt are exploring its mechanisms. Together with colleagues, they were already able to show in 2021 that signal processing does not begin in high-level regions of the brain but already in the brainstem, which is responsible for controlling vital functions such as breathing and heart rate. However, these studies only used artificial stimuli that are not meaningful to the animals.
In a study recently published, the team led by Wetekam and Kössl repeated the experiments with natural communication and echolocation calls. “With our study, we wanted to find out what happens in deviation detection when, instead of meaningless stimuli, ones are presented to Seba's short-tailed bat that actually occur in its auditory world," says Wetekam, summing up.
To do this, two electrodes the thickness of a human hair were inserted under the bats' scalps to record their brain waves. Although this was painless for the animals, the measurements were carried out under general anesthetic, as any movement could distort the results.
The bat's brain reacts to sounds even when the animal is anesthetized and fast asleep. Either echolocation or communication calls were then played to the animals, each interspersed with the other sound, with a 10% probability of it occurring.
It was then possible to read from the brain waves measured that the brainstem processes echolocation and communication calls differently. While infrequent echolocation sounds indeed induced stronger signals than frequent ones – i.e. showed deviation detection – in the case of communication sounds, the probability of them occurring did not influence the strength of the response. “Bats probably need to react faster during echolocation than when communicating with conspecifics," presumes Manfred Kössl. “The brainstem is the first station in the brain to receive the acoustic signals, which is why calculating the probability of echolocation calls might be necessary first of all there, and especially their echoes, so that the animal can dodge obstacles in good time." The stronger response to less frequent calls is presumably due to better neural synchronization.
The study also showed that the brainstem can utilize other features of bat calls for deviance detection, such as rapid changes in frequency or volume, in addition to differences in pitch. “This is astonishing, as the brainstem is a rather primitive part of the brain that scientists did not previously think capable of any substantial involvement in signal processing," says Wetekam. “They saw its role more in receiving signals from the auditory nerve and transmitting them to high-level regions of the brain."
These findings might also be important in relation to medical applications in humans. For example, the low-level regions of the brain ought to be included when studying diseases such as ADHD or schizophrenia, which are associated with impaired processing of extraneous stimuli. The fact that the bat brainstem processes various complex acoustic signals differently can also help scientists to understand how the brain deciphers and processes complex human speech.
Publication: Johannes Wetekam, Julio Hechavarria, Luciana López-Jury, Eugenia Gonzáles-Palomares, Manfred Kössl: Deviance detection to natural stimuli in population responses of the brainstem of bats. Journal of Neuroscience (2024) https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1588-23.2023
Background: How the brain filters out sounds (2022)
https://aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de/english/how-the-brain-filters-out-sounds
Picture download: https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/150019112
Caption: Seba's short-tailed bat (Carollia perspicillata) filters out important signals from ambient sound and distinguishes between echolocation and communication calls. Photo: Julio Hechavarría, Goethe University Frankfurt
Further Information
Johannes Wetekam
Neurobiology and Biosensors Working Group
Tel.: +49 69 798-42066 '
wetekam@bio.uni-frankfurt.de
Professor Manfred Kössl
Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience
Head of the Neurobiology and Biosensors Working Group
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798 42052
Koessl@bio.uni-frankfurt.de
https://www.bio.uni-frankfurt.de/36526663/Abt__K%C3%B6ssl___Biowissenschaften
Twitter/X: @JohannesWetekam @goetheuni
Editor: Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel: +49 (0) 69 798-12498, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de.