http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Press Releases en http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/fileadmin/0-templates/relaunch.helmholtz-muenchen.de/layout/head/logo_zentrum_rss_en.gif http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ 313 36 Press Releases TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Thu, 16 May 2013 08:52:00 +0200 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, Germany, May 16, 2013. The presence of posttraumatic stress disorder is significantly...
Neuherberg, Germany, May 16, 2013. The presence of posttraumatic stress disorder is significantly... People suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a significant risk of developing type 2 diabetes. PTSD is a prolonged stress response syndrome whose symptoms develop in the aftermath of extremely stressful life events of exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature. A correlation between stress from mental illnesses and diabetes mellitus has already been under discussion for some time, but now Dr. Karoline Lukaschek from the Institute of Epidemiology II (EPI II) at the Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU) and Prof. Johannes Kruse from the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Gießen and Marburg, and their colleagues have been able to provide the first proof of a significant association between the two illnesses. To this end, they analyzed data from the population-based KORA cohort study in which the data were collected by means of a standardized survey of all participants and also a glucose tolerance test. A total of 50 participants was identified who suffered from PTSD, as well as an additional 261 who displayed symptoms of partial PTSD. The study population also included 498 participants who suffered from manifest type 2 diabetes and 333 subjects who  displayed signs of a pre-diabetic metabolic state. The evaluation resulted in a significant association between type 2 diabetes and PTSD; prediabetes, on the other hand, was not associated with psychological stress. The scientists surmise that the chronic stress that PTSD patients permanently suffer leads to changes in the hormonal response patterns. This can have a morbid influence on the metabolism and the glucose utilization. Subsequent studies should now examine the temporal and causal relationships further. "Further clarification of the relationships between psychological factors and metabolic disorders will be an important task for diabetes research in the future", remarked Prof. Karl-Heinz Ladwig, research group leader at EPI II. "Patients with PTSD and other mental disorders should be given therapy that includes treatment of metabolic risk factors." The development of new approaches to the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of major widespread diseases such as diabetes mellitus are goals of the Helmholtz Zentrum München. Almost ten percent of the population in Germany is affected by diabetes mellitus. The study was supported by the Competence Network Diabetes Mellitus and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), in which the Helmholtz Zentrum München is a partner.

Further information

Original publication:

Lukaschek, K. et al. (2013), Relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder and Type 2 Diabetes in a population-based cross-sectional study with 2970 participants, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 74, 340-345 Link to publication Helmholtz Zentrum München, as German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of major widespread diseases such as diabetes mellitus and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The head office of the Center is located in Neuherberg in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum München has a staff of about 2,100 people and is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de  The German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) brings together experts in the field of diabetes research and interlinks basic research, epidemiology and clinical applications. Members are the German Diabetes Center in Düsseldorf, the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE) in Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health, the Paul Langerhans Institutes of the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus in Dresden and the University of Tübingen, as well as the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Association and the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres. The objective of the DZD is to find answers to open questions in diabetes research by means of a novel, integrative research approach and to make a significant contribution to improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus. www.dzd-ev.de The Competence Network Diabetes Mellitus is a research network that has been supported by Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) since 2008. With more than 60 experts, it is dedicated to the goal of acquiring greater clarity with regard to the prevention, treatment and development conditions of diabetes mellitus. Such clarity would make it possible one day to prevent or delay the disease or to guarantee improved care for the population. www.kompetenznetz-diabetes-mellitus.net The Institute of Epidemiology II (EPI II) focuses on the assessment of environmental and lifestyle risk factors which jointly affect major chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and mental health. Research builds on the unique resources of the KORA cohort, the KORA myocardial infarction registry, and the KORA aerosol measurement station. Aging-related phenotypes have been added to the KORA research portfolio within the frame of the Research Consortium KORA-Age. The institute’s contributions are specifically relevant for the population as modifiable personal risk factors are being researched that could be influenced by the individual or by improving legislation for the protection of public health. For more than 20 years, the research platform Cooperative Health Research in the Augsburg Region (KORA) has been collecting and analyzing data on the health of thousands of people living in the Augsburg region. The objective is to elucidate the effects of environmental factors, behavior and genes. KORA focuses on the development and course of chronic diseases, in particular myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus. Risk factors are analyzed with regard to individual health behavior (e.g. smoking, diet, exercise), environmental factors (e.g. air pollution, noise) and genetics. From the perspective of health care research, questions regarding the utilization of health care resources and the cost of health care are also studied. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/kora

Science Contact Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Ladwig, Helmholtz Zentrum München - Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Institut für Epidemiologie II, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg - Tel.: 089-3187-3623 - E-Mail: ladwig@helmholtz-muenchen.de  ]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 08:52:00 +0200 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, May 13, 2013. New research shows that growing up in areas where air pollution is... Dr. Joachim Heinrich, Elisabeth Thiering; Image: Helmholtz Zentrum München
Neuherberg, May 13, 2013. New research shows that growing up in areas where air pollution is... Previous studies have identified links between air pollution and other chronic conditions such as atherosclerosis and heart disease. However to date, epidemiological studies that have examined associations between long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and type 2 diabetes in adults are inconsistent, and studies on insulin resistance in children are scarce. Thus this new study sought to explore the possible association between air pollution and insulin resistance in children.

“Although toxicity differs between air pollutants, they are all considered potent oxidisers that act either directly on lipids and proteins or indirectly through the activation of intracellular oxidant pathways,” says Heinrich. “Oxidative stress caused by exposure to air pollutants may therefore play a role in the development of insulin resistance. In addition, some studies have reported that short-term and long-term increases in particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure lead to elevated inflammatory biomarkers, another potential mechanism for insulin resistance.”

In this new study, fasting blood samples were collected from 397 10-year-old children within a follow-up of two prospective German birth cohort studies. Individual-level exposures to traffic-related air pollutants at their birth address were estimated by analysing emission from road traffic in the neighbourhood, population density and land use in the area, and the association between air pollution and insulin resistance was calculated using a model adjusted for several possible confounders including socioeconomic status of the family, birthweight, pubertal status and BMI. Models were also further adjusted for second-hand smoke exposure at home.

The researchers found that in all crude and adjusted models, levels of insulin resistance were greater in children with higher exposure to air pollution. Insulin resistance increased by 17% for every 10.6 µg/m3 (2 standard deviations [SDs] from the mean) increase in ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and 19% for every 6 µg/m3 (2 SDs) increase in particulate matter of up to 10 μm in diameter. Proximity to the nearest major road increased insulin resistance by 7% per 500 metres. All the findings were statistically significant.

Heinrich says: “There is some evidence that air pollution is associated with lower birthweight and growth restrictions—also shown previously in one of the cohorts of the present study—which are known risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Thus, one may speculate that lower birthweight is an intermediate step or ‘phenotype’ between air pollution and insulin resistance. However, we found no evidence to suggest that this may be true in our cohort of children, all of whom had birthweights above 2.5kg.”

He concludes: “To our knowledge, this is the first prospective study that investigated the relationship of long-term traffic-related air pollution and insulin resistance in children. Insulin resistance levels tended to increase with increasing air pollution exposure, and this observation remained robust after adjustment for several confounding factors, including socioeconomic status, BMI and passive smoking.”

Currently, the 15 year follow-up of both cohorts is ongoing and the authors are planning to investigate how their findings translate into older age during or after puberty. “Moving from a polluted neighbourhood to a clean area and vice versa would allow to explore the persistence of the effect related to perinatal exposure and to evaluate the impact of exposure to increased air pollution concentration later in life,” says Heinrich. “Whether the air pollution-related increased risk for insulin resistance in school-age has any clinical significance is an open question so far. However, the results of this study support the notion that the development of diabetes in adults might have its origin in early life including environmental exposures."

Further information

Original publication:
Thiering, E. et al. (2013): Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and insulin resistance in children. Results from the GINIplus and LISAplus birth cohorts. doi:10.1007/s00125-013-2925-x

Link to publication:

The Helmholtz Zentrum München, the German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the prevention and therapy of major common diseases such as diabetes and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Helmholtz Zentrum München is headquartered in Neuherberg in the north of Munich and has about 2,100 staff members. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de 

The German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) brings together experts in the field of diabetes research and interlinks basic research, epidemiology and clinical applications. Members are the German Diabetes Center in Düsseldorf, the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE) in Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health, the Paul Langerhans Institutes of the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus in Dresden and the University of Tübingen, as well as the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Association and the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres. The objective of the DZD is to find answers to open questions in diabetes research by means of a novel, integrative research approach and to make a significant contribution to improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus. www.dzd-ev.de

]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 12:40:00 +0200 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, May 10, 2013. The function of the mitochondria – also defined as “power plants” within... Prof. Dr. Axel Walcher, Dr. Michaela Aichler
Neuherberg, May 10, 2013. The function of the mitochondria – also defined as “power plants” within... The response of cancer patients to a specific chemotherapy line can vary dramatically. The reasons for this are manifold and unknown for the most part. Scientists in the Analytical Pathology Department (AAP) of the Helmholtz Zentrum München have recently been successful in exposing a mechanism that is relevant to this phenomenon. Dr. Michaela Aichler and her colleagues have found out that the function of enzymes within the respiratory chain, which takes place in the mitochondria of cells, regulates the sensitivity of cells for cisplatin-based chemotherapeutic agents. The scientists examined tissue, to this end, from tumours in the oesophagus, stomach and chest of a total of 428 patients. By means of an image-guided procedure (the so-called MALDI-Imaging and LC-MS/MS), protein patterns within the cells were able to be established and the illustrated enzymes identified. These patterns of existing and/or missing enzyme functions were compared by the scientists with the clinical response of the patients to a chemotherapy line containing cisplatin. If a defect was present in the respiratory chain complex within the tumour cells – particularly in subunits of the specific cytochrome c oxidase (COX) – an improvement in the effect of the chemotherapy could be observed. This correlation was able to be additionally proved in subsequent experiments with the tissue samples. When the COX function was missing, a quicker cell death was noted with the introduction of cisplatin or other related treatments. Conversely, cells with an intact respiratory chain proved to be resistant to the administered substances.   “Recognition of these correlations contributes to an improved ability to predict the efficacy of certain chemotherapies”, explains Prof. Dr. Axel Walch, Director of AAP.   “It is possible that mitochondria, and/or their function enzymes, can be used in the future as biomarkers for personalised therapeutic approaches.” The focus of health research at the Helmholtz Zentrum München is placed on serious widespread diseases. This includes diabetes, lung diseases as well as cancer. It is the goal of the Helmholtz Zentrum München to quickly refine results from basic research to provide society with concrete benefits.

Figure: Diagram of the response to cisplatin-based chemotherapies subject to the COX function.

Further information

Original Publication:
Aichler, M. et al. (2013), Clinical response to chemotherapy in oesophageal adenocarcinoma patients is linked to defects in mitochondria, Journal of Pathology, doi: 10.1002/path.4199

Link to the scientific journal
As German Research Center for Environmental Health, Helmholtz Zentrum München pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the prevention and therapy of major common diseases such as diabetes mellitus and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Helmholtz Zentrum München has about 2,100 staff members and is headquartered in Neuherberg in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum München is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de The Analytical Pathology Department (AAP) carries out scientific development, as a complement to research units with a clinical and fundamental orientation, of translational research on diseases that occur in tissue. AAP is involved in the translation of (for example) in-vitro models or animal models to application in humans. AAP thus links, in collaboration with the Institute for Pathology (PATH), basic research with diagnostic application, subsequently translating the findings of experimental and molecular pathology into procedures for the classification of diseases and predictive diagnostics dealing with tissue.
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Science contact  
Prof. Axel Walch, Helmholtz Zentrum München - Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Analytical Pathology Department, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg - Tel.: 089-3187-3349 - E-Mail: axel.walch@helmholtz-muenchen.de
  ]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 09:25:00 +0200 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, Germany, May 7, 2013. Some of the earliest results from The Environmental Determinants... Image: Prof. Dr. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, Institute of Diabetes Research
Neuherberg, Germany, May 7, 2013. Some of the earliest results from The Environmental Determinants... Virus infection could be one of several potential causes of type 1 diabetes, in which the body’s own immune system gradually destroys the pancreatic islet beta cells that make insulin—meaning those affected must take insulin for the rest of their lives. The onset of the disease can be rapid, or take place over many years.  In this new study, the authors assessed whether early viral infection in babies had any association with rapid-onset type 1 diabetes. They analysed initial data from the TEDDY study—a collaboration between Europe (Finland, Germany, Sweden) and the USA (Washington State, Colorado, Georgia, and Florida). TEDDY’s main focus is to identify environmental factors associated with an increased risk for developing autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes. Between 2004 and 2010, the study screened 420,000 infants younger than 4.5 months and found 21,589 with a genetic predisposition to type 1 diabetes. Families were invited to participate in a prospective collection of detailed infectious, dietary, and developmental data with the hope of identifying environmental factors triggering beta-cell inflammation and diabetes; a total of 8,677 children were enrolled. Of those, 932 had a sibling or parent with type 1 diabetes and 7,745 had no family history. The children visited clinics and had blood taken every 3 months up to age 4 years for detection of markers of beta cell-autoimmunity (islet autoantibodies), presence of viruses, and additional measurements. The researchers found that 355 children developed islet autoantibodies and 86 of these had progressed to type 1 diabetes by July 2011. Progression time from the appearance of islet autoantibodies to diabetes onset varied, but was rapid and within 6 months in 24 of the children. For 14 of these 24 children, aged between 6 and 24 months, TEDDY researchers had samples of their blood plasma from either side of the time point where autoantibodies first emerged and tested these samples for the presence of viruses using state-of-the-art sequencing. Blood plasma samples from 14 control children, matched for age, study centre and family history of type 1 diabetes were tested in the same manner. Only one of the 14 children who had rapidly progressed to type 1 diabetes had detectable levels of viruses in its plasma samples. This analysis, theoretically capable of detecting all possible known and novel viral agents, found little difference between the cases and the controls. Progression to diabetes was also not found to be associated with reported infectious episodes analysed in all 24 children who rapidly progressed to diabetes and 72 matched control children. These included recognisable gastrointestinal or respiratory illnesses.   Professor Ziegler says: “These findings cannot exclude the possibility that a causative virus is acquired before the age of 6 months and absent or only present for a brief time in plasma during the months leading to the appearance of beta-cell autoantibodies and progression to diabetes. However, the findings make us again reflect on whether a virus triggers type 1 diabetes.” She adds that one unexpected finding was the lower frequency of fever reported for patients than for controls. She says: “This is a potentially important finding that needs to be substantiated in a larger study. If confirmed, it suggests a protective effect of fever as a marker of more vigorous infection defence and effective virus elimination.” Such a study is planned for the entire TEDDY cohort.  She concludes: “Our study of rapid-onset diabetes in early childhood did not provide evidence of viral infection around the time of onset of beta-cell autoimmunity in these children.”

Further information

Those interested in taking part in a study of type 1 diabetes can obtain information without obligation from: Institut für Diabetesforschung
(Institute of Diabetes Research)
Helmholtz Zentrum München
Director: Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler Free information hotline (from within Germany): 0800 82 84 86 8
E-Mail: prevent.diabetes@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Internet: www.diabetes-studien.de Original publication:
Lee, H.-S. et al. (2013): Next-generation sequencing for viruses in children with rapid-onset type 1 diabetes, Diabetologia, doi: 10.1007/s00125-013-2924-y Link to publication Copyright (press release) by: Diabetologia]]> Tue, 07 May 2013 11:26:00 +0200 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, May 2, 2013. Exposure to noise, for example from road traffic, may adversely affect the... Ute Kraus
Neuherberg, May 2, 2013. Exposure to noise, for example from road traffic, may adversely affect the... The association between noise exposure, particularly high noise levels, and cardiovascular disease is known from previous studies. Ute Kraus and colleagues of the Environmental Risks research group led by Dr. Alexandra Schneider at the Institute of Epidemiology II (EPI II) at Helmholtz Zentrum München have now studied the effects of exposure to our everyday background noise. Their findings: Exposure to this noise also poses health risks.

The scientists analyzed data from participants in the population-based KORA study. 110 participants were equipped with portable ECG devices that recorded their heart rate in repeated measurements over a period of approximately six hours, and individual noise levels were also recorded. The noise exposure were classified into two ranges (above and below a threshold of 65 dB), and the corresponding heart rates and/or the heart rate variability (HRV) were analyzed. The HRV describes the adaptability of the cardiovascular system to acute events and is regulated by the autonomic nervous system, which consists of nerve groups of the so-called sympathetic and parasympathetic system. An activation of the sympathetic system and a decrease in parasympathetic activity result in reduced HRV. A low HRV represents a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

The results of the study show that HRV was reduced in association with increases of 5 dB in noise exposure at both the higher and lower noise level ranges. “The study showed that not only higher noise levels have a stressful effect and are harmful to health, but that lower noise levels can cause adverse health effects, too,” said Professor Annette Peters, director of the EPI II. “We are currently studying the sources of noise from the everyday environment. It would also be interesting to repeat the study on younger participants and conduct sensitivity analyses as well as measurements of other health parameters, such as blood pressure.” Since the average age of this study population was 61 years, these results might not be generalizable to other study populations.

Environmental and lifestyle factors contribute significantly to the development of widespread diseases in Germany, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. The aim of Helmholtz Zentrum München is to develop new approaches for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of common chronic diseases.

Further information

Original publication:
Kraus, U. et al. (2013), Individual Day-Time Noise Exposure during Routine Activities and Heart Rate Variability in Adults: A Repeated Measures Study, Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 121, Number 5, 607 - 612

Link to journal publication


Helmholtz Zentrum München, as German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of major widespread diseases such as diabetes mellitus and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The head office of the Center is located in Neuherberg in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum München has a staff of about 2,100 people and is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de

The Institute of Epidemiology II (EPI II) focuses on the assessment of environmental and lifestyle risk factors which jointly affect major chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and mental health. Research builds on the unique resources of the KORA cohort, the KORA myocardial infarction registry, and the KORA aerosol measurement station. Aging-related phenotypes have been added to the KORA research portfolio within the frame of the Research Consortium KORA-Age. The institute’s contributions are specifically relevant for the population as modifiable personal risk factors are being researched that could be influenced by the individual or by improving legislation for the protection of public health.

For more than 20 years, the research platform Cooperative Health Research in the Augsburg Region (KORA) has been collecting and analyzing data on the health of thousands of people living in the Augsburg region. The objective is to elucidate the effects of environmental factors, behavior and genes. KORA focuses on the development and course of chronic diseases, in particular myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus. Risk factors are analyzed with regard to individual health behavior (e.g. smoking, diet, exercise), environmental factors (e.g. air pollution, noise) and genetics. From the perspective of health care research, questions regarding the utilization of health care resources and the cost of health care are also studied. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/kora
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Contact for media representatives

Department of Communication, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstraße 1 85764 Neuherberg, Germany – Phone: +49(0)89-3187-2238 - Fax: +49(0)89-3187-3324 - e-mail: presse@helmholtz-muenchen.de

Scientific contact
Prof. Annette Peters, Helmholtz Zentrum München - Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Institute of Epidemiology II, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany - Phone: +49-89-3187-4566 - e-mail: peters@helmholtz-muenchen.de 

]]> Thu, 02 May 2013 09:09:00 +0200 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, April 26, 2013. During fetal development of the mammalian brain, the cerebral cortex...
Neuherberg, April 26, 2013. During fetal development of the mammalian brain, the cerebral cortex... Different regions of the mammalian brain are devoted to the performance of specific tasks. This in turn imposes particular demands on their development and structural organization. In the vertebrate forebrain, for instance, the cerebral cortex – which is responsible for cognitive functions – is remarkably expanded and extensively folded exclusively in mammalian species. The greater the degree of folding and the more furrows present, the larger is the surface area available for reception and processing of neural information. In humans, the exterior of the developing brain remains smooth until about the sixth month of gestation. Only then do superficial folds begin to appear and ultimately dominate the entire brain in humans. Conversely mice, for example, have a much smaller and smooth cerebral cortex.

“The mechanisms that control the expansion and folding of the brain during fetal development have so far been mysterious,” says Professor Magdalena Götz, a professor at the Institute of Physiology at LMU and Director of the Institute for Stem Cell Research at the Helmholtz Center München. Götz and her team have now pinpointed a major player involved in the molecular process that drives cortical expansion in the mouse. They were able to show that a novel nuclear protein called Trnp1 triggers the enormous increase in the numbers of nerve cells which forces the cortex to undergo a complex series of folds. Indeed, although the normal mouse brain has a smooth appearance, dynamic regulation of Trnp1 results in activating all necessary processes for the formation of a much enlarged and folded cerebral cortex.

“Trnp1 is critical for the expansion and folding of the cerebral cortex, and its expression level is dynamically controlled during development,” says Götz. In the early embryo, Trnp1 is locally expressed in high concentrations. This promotes the proliferation of self-renewing multipotent neural stem cells and supports tangential expansion of the cerebral cortex. The subsequent fall in levels of Trnp1 is associated with an increase in the numbers of various intermediate progenitors and basal radial glial cells. This results in the ordered formation and migration of a much enlarged number of neurons forming  folds in the growing cortex.

The findings are particularly striking because they imply that the same molecule – Trnp1 – controls both the expansion and the folding of the cerebral cortex and is even sufficient to induce folding in a normally smooth cerebral cortex. Trnp1 therefore serves as an ideal starting point from which to dissect the complex network of cellular and molecular interactions that underpin the whole process. Götz and her colleagues are now embarking on the next step in this exciting journey - determination of the molecular function of this novel nuclear protein Trnp1 and how it is regulated.

Further information

Original-Publikation:
Stahl, R. et al. (2013), Trnp1 regulates expansion and folding of the mammalian cerebral cortex by control of radial glial fate. Cell, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2013.03.027
Link zur Fachpublikation As one of Europe's leading research universities, LMU Munich is committed to the highest international standards of excellence in research and teaching. LMU attracts a large number of international students - 14 percent of its 49,000 students come from abroad, originating from 125 countries worldwide. Building on its 500-year-tradition of scholarship, LMU covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, ranging from the humanities and cultural studies through law, economics and social studies to medicine and the sciences. The know-how and creativity of LMU's academics form the foundation of the University's outstanding research record, as recognized by many national and international university rankings. This is also reflected in the designation of LMU as a "university of excellence" in the context of the Excellence Initiative, a nationwide competition to promote top-level university research. www.lmu.de
The Helmholtz Zentrum München, the German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the prevention and therapy of major common diseases such as diabetes and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Helmholtz Zentrum München is headquartered in Neuherberg in the north of Munich and has about 2,100 staff members. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de

The Institute of Stem Cell Research (ISF) investigates the basic molecular and cellular mechanisms of stem cell maintenance and differentiation. From that, the ISF then develops approaches in order to replace defect cell types, either by activating resting stem cells or by re-programming other existing cell types to repair themselves. The aim of these approaches is to stimulate the regrowth of damaged, pathologically changed or destroyed tissue.
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Specialist contact
Prof. Magdalena Götz, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg - Phone.: +49 89-3187-3750  - E-Mail: magdalena.goetz@helmholtz-muenchen.de

]]> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:05:00 +0200 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, April 23, 2013. Stressful situations at work can have a negative impact on the... Prof. Karl-Heinz Ladwig; Dr. Rebecca Emeny
Neuherberg, April 23, 2013. Stressful situations at work can have a negative impact on the... The study is based on a long-term observation of more than 950 people as part of the population-based cohort study MONICA/KORA. The work was conducted by Dr. Rebecca Emeny as part of the Mental Health working group headed by Prof. Karl-Heinz Ladwig, Institute of Epidemiology II (EPI II) at the Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU). Data was analyzed from questionnaires on psychological stress at work and concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers in the blood. The results showed that healthy workers who were exposed to stress at work displayed significantly elevated inflammatory parameters and faced twice the risk of cardiovascular diseases. More than half of the participants in the study stated that they experienced psychological strain and stress at work. Stress is regarded as a cardiovascular risk factor. Its consequences are communicated directly via activated messenger substances as well as indirectly via unhealthy stress-related behavior. In particular, the scientists found a clear association between stress and elevated concentrations of CRP (C-reactive protein), which is an inflammatory marker, and were thus able to demonstrate a stress-related inflammatory reaction in the body. Moreover, job stress led to harmful psychological effects such as depression and sleep disturbances as well as to unhealthy behavior, for example, physical inactivity. Doing sports regularly, for at least one hour per week, significantly reduced inflammatory activity. However, the differences in terms of health risks between people who suffered from work stress and those who did not still remained. With their analysis, the scientists at HMGU have made a substantial contribution towards a deeper understanding of stress-related responses in the body. “The insights gained from this study form important starting points for finding preventive measures that will protect against stress-related diseases such as coronary heart disease,” says Dr. Emeny, first author of the study. Environmental factors and lifestyle play a major role in the development of common diseases in Germany such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. The aim of the Helmholtz Zentrum München is to develop new approaches for the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of the most common diseases.

Further information

Original publication:

Emeny, R.T. et al. (2013), Contributions of Job Strain and 9 Emerging Biomarkers of Coronary Events in Healthy Workers: the MONICA/KORA Augsburg Case-Cohort, Psychosomatic Medicine, 75(3):317-25 Emeny, R.T. et al. (2012), Job strain associated CRP is mediated by leisure time physical activity: Results from the MONICA/KORA study, Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity, 26, 1077-1084

Link to specialist publication

Helmholtz Zentrum München, as German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of major widespread diseases such as diabetes mellitus and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The head office of the Center is located in Neuherberg in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum München has a staff of about 2,100 people and is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de The Institute of Epidemiology II (EPI II) focuses on the assessment of environmental and lifestyle risk factors which jointly affect major chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and mental health. Research builds on the unique resources of the KORA cohort, the KORA myocardial infarction registry, and the KORA aerosol measurement station. Aging-related phenotypes have been added to the KORA research portfolio within the frame of the Research Consortium KORA-Age. The institute’s contributions are specifically relevant for the population as modifiable personal risk factors are being researched that could be influenced by the individual or by improving legislation for the protection of public health. For more than 20 years, the research platform Cooperative Health Research in the Augsburg Region (KORA) has been collecting and analyzing data on the health of thousands of people living in the Augsburg region. The objective is to elucidate the effects of environmental factors, behavior and genes. KORA focuses on the development and course of chronic diseases, in particular myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus. Risk factors are analyzed with regard to individual health behavior (e.g. smoking, diet, exercise), environmental factors (e.g. air pollution, noise) and genetics. From the perspective of health care research, questions regarding the utilization of health care resources and the cost of health care are also studied. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/kora
_______________________________________________________________________________ Scientific contact
Prof. Karl-Heinz Ladwig, Helmholtz Zentrum München - Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Institute of Epidemiology II, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany - Phone: +49-89-3187-3623 - E-Mail: ladwig@helmholtz-muenchen.de]]> Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, Germany, April 18, 2013. The two genetic variants Roquin-1 and Roquin-2 are crucial for... Image (from left to right): S. Edelmann, K. Vogel, V. Heissmeyer
Neuherberg, Germany, April 18, 2013. The two genetic variants Roquin-1 and Roquin-2 are crucial for... Roquin proteins control the activation and differentiation of T cells by regulating gene expression at the level of the messenger RNA. The function of the RNA-binding proteins is primarily to guarantee immunological tolerance and prevent an excessive immune response, which, for example, occurs in autoimmune diseases. In their publication, Katharina Vogel and Dr. Stephanie Edelmann from the Institute of Molecular Immunology (IMI) at the Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU) were able to demonstrate how the two proteins, Roquin-1 and Roquin-2, can replace each other functionally and which consequences result from the combined loss of both Roquin genes. In the absence of Roquin-1, Roquin-2 compensates for its function. In T cells the proteins are consequently interchangeable as far as their molecular function is concerned, and they fulfill a type of reservoir function for each other. The loss of both Roquin genes results in an uncontrolled accumulation of effector T cells and particularly of follicular helper T cells. If these T cells then trigger an immune response against the body's own structures, a clinical picture results that is similar to that for lupus erythematosus, a severe autoimmune disease that attacks the skin and internal organs. The single point mutation in the Roquin-1 gene, meaning the exchange of a single amino acid in the protein, also leads to such a disease. Interestingly enough, in this case the Roquin-2 protein is unable to take over the function of the defective Roquin-1, resulting in complete loss of the Roquin function. The scientists in the HMGU team, including Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wurst, Prof. Dr. Mathias Heikenwälder, Dr. Arie Geerlof, Dr. Frauke Neff and Dr. Elisabeth Kremmer, along with Dr. Marc Schmidt-Supprian from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany, were furthermore able to identify the molecular attack structures of the Roquin proteins, Icos and Ox40 messenger RNAs. "This work demonstrates the importance of the Roquin-1- and Roquin-2 proteins for T cell differentiation in immune responses", explained the last author, Prof. Dr. Vigo Heissmeyer, group leader at the IMI and professor at the Institute for Immunology at LMU Munich. "Particularly the regulation of these factors is now of great interest to us, because it can also be used as a therapeutic target in the treatment of autoimmune diseases." Although follicular helper T cells are involved causatively in the development of autoimmune diseases, they also play an important role in forms of immunodeficiency and in lymphomas and infectious diseases, including HIV. Immunological studies and infection research are a part of the health research being conducted at the Helmholtz Zentrum München. The goal is the rapid enhancement of results from fundamental research in order to provide concrete benefits for society.

Further Information

Original Publication:
Vogel, K. et al. (2013), Roquin Paralogs 1 and 2 Redundantly Repress the Icos and Ox 40 Costimulator mRNAs and Control Follicular Helper T Cell Differentiation, Immunity, 38, 1-14 Link to publication The Helmholtz Zentrum München, the German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the prevention and therapy of major common diseases such as diabetes and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Helmholtz Zentrum München is headquartered in Neuherberg in the north of Munich and has about 2,100 staff members. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de The Institute of Molecular Immunology (IMI) conducts application-oriented basic research at the interfaces of hematology, immunology, onkology and transplantational biology. With the help of cell and molecular-biological method of the immune system the immune system can be modulated. A simulation of the immune system should be made useful for the patients, for example, in case of immune- and gene therapy of cancer and autoimmune diseases or of possible transplantation rejections of the immune system. _______________________________________________________________________________ Contact for the media
Department of Communication, Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg - Tel.: +49 89-3187-2238 - Fax: +49 89-3187-3324 - E-Mail Specialist contact
Prof. Vigo Heissmeyer, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Molecular Immunology, Marchioninistr.25, 81377 München, Germany - Phone: +49-89-3187-1214 - E-Mail ]]> Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:37:00 +0200 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, April 15, 2013. A team of scientists from the University of Bonn, Technische... Prof. Dr. Ulrike Protzer
Neuherberg, April 15, 2013. A team of scientists from the University of Bonn, Technische... With the discovery and development of vaccines, modern medicine succeeded in combating infectious pathogens. “The disadvantage, however, is that vaccinations must be prophylactic, that is they must take place before the first contact with the pathogen,” said Professor Percy Knolle, who was previously director of the Institute of Molecular Medicine of the University of Bonn and is now director of the Institute of Molecular Immunology of TU München (TUM). Until now, post-infection protection by means of vaccination has not been possible for common chronic infections with hepatitis viruses. These infections can progress to chronic liver inflammation and cause organ damage, eventually leading to a dangerous liver cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Scientists of the University of Bonn, together with their colleagues at TUM and Helmholtz Zentrum München as well as other national and international institutes, have now made a promising discovery in animal models. “We have discovered a new vaccination principle that is effective even against chronic infections,” said Knolle. The international team of researchers has identified the liver as a place where T cells, which were originally activated in the lymph nodes, can proliferate rapidly. These immune cells then target already existing chronic infections. “This is an essential step to treat chronic infectious diseases such as hepatitis B,” said Professor Ulrike Protzer, director of the Institute of Virology (VIRO) at Helmholtz Zentrum München and TUM. “In many small spaces in the liver, which are formed by a specific population of immune cells, a single T cell gives rise to approximately 100 further cells within a very short time,” added Professor Heikenwälder, likewise from VIRO. This extraordinary proliferation of T cells in the liver is the basis for the effectiveness of the therapeutic vaccination strategy of the scientists.

“We have discovered a basic immunological principle which can be applied to various research areas,” said Knolle. The deciphering of the signaling pathway may enable the development of successful therapeutic vaccines against common chronic infections caused by hepatitis viruses or malaria parasites, and perhaps also against liver cancer. However, it will take several years before clinical trials can be launched, because all of the preliminary studies must first be completed.

Further information

Original publication:
Huang, L. et al. (2013). Intrahepatic myeloid-cell aggregates enable local proliferation of CD8+ T cells and successful immunotherapy against chronic viral liver infection, „Nature Immunology“, doi: 10.1038/ni.2573

Link to publication:

Helmholtz Zentrum München, the German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medicine, i.e. a customized approach to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of widespread diseases such as diabetes mellitus and lung disease. To that end, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The head office of the center is located in Neuherberg in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum München has a staff of approximately 2100 people and is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with some 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de

The Institute of Virology (VIRO) investigates viruses that chronically infect humans and can cause life-threatening diseases. The research activities of the institute focus mainly on the HI virus which causes AIDS, on endogenous retroviruses, which are integrated into our germline, and hepatitis B and C viruses, which cause liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Molecular studies identify new diagnostic and therapeutic concepts to prevent and treat these viral diseases or to prevent the formation of virus-induced tumors.
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Contact for media representatives
Department of Communication, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstraße 1 85764 Neuherberg, Germany – Phone: +49(0)89-3187-2238 - Fax: +49(0)89-3187-3324 - email: presse@helmholtz-muenchen.de 

Scientific contact
Prof. Ulrike Protzer, Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Center for Environmental Research (GmbH), Institute of Virology, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany – Phone:  +49(0)89-3187-3004 - email: protzer@helmholtz-muenchen.de 

]]> Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:10:00 +0200 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, 02. April 2013. Wound healing after injuries to brain tissue is prompted by cell... Image: Proliferating astrocyte in direct contact with the vasculature (immunohistochemistry); Quelle: HMGU/LMU
Neuherberg, 02. April 2013. Wound healing after injuries to brain tissue is prompted by cell... Damage to brain tissue caused by traumatic or ischemic brain injury triggers a wound response and leads to scar formation. In the brain two major cell types are distinguished – neurons and glial cells. Glial cells support neurons by retaining ions and transmitter constant in the extracellular brain milieu and also act as defense cells. Up to now, it had been assumed that astrocytes (star-shaped glial cells) migrate to the site of an injury and contribute to form scar tissue. However, scientists at the HMGU and the LMU, headed by Professor Magdalena Götz, have now refuted this theory and show novel roles roles of astrocytes, the major responsive glial cell type after brain injury.

The scientists observed the behaviour of glial cells after traumatic brain injury over several weeks, with the aid of live imaging using multiphoton microscopy. They observed distinct subsets of astrocytes performing distinct functions – some were located directly next to the blood vessels in the brain and were stimulated to divide. These cells control the cellular wound response by performing special functions at the interface between the blood vessels and the brain. In addition, the scientists were able to further differentiate the remaining astrocytes in terms of their behaviour into cells that only undergo swelling and those that extend elongated processes towards the lesion. However, astrocytes did not migrate to the injury site, demonstrating that their number only increased to a limited extent by cell division. “It is important to understand the wound response after a brain injury in order to promote the positive aspects of wound healing and inhibit the negative aspects, such as scar formation, and thus minimize dysfunction after a brain injury,” says Prof. Götz, Director of the Institute of Stem Cell Research at the HMGU and Chair of the Department of Physiological Genomics at the LMU.

As these results demonstrate that astrocytes are not directly involved in scar formation, the scientists now examine other glial cells types in regard to this role. They also want to explore the specific role of astrocytes that proliferate directly adjacent to the blood vessels. One exciting finding is that a subset of these astrocytes re-acquires neural stem cell properties after brain injury (Sirko et al., Cell Stem Cell, 2013) and hence presents a novel source of cells for brain repair. Ultimately, this research will therefore yield new insights how to inhibit scar formation and to promote neuronal regeneration.

Further information

Original publication:
Bardehle, S. et al. (2013), Live Imaging of astrocyte responses to acute injury reveals selective juxtavascular proliferation. Nature Neuroscience, doi: 10.1038/nn.3371 Link to specialist publication


The Helmholtz Zentrum München, the German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the prevention and therapy of major common diseases such as diabetes and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Helmholtz Zentrum München is headquartered in Neuherberg in the north of Munich and has about 2,100 staff members. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de

The Institute of Stem Cell Research (ISF) investigates the basic molecular and cellular mechanisms of stem cell maintenance and differentiation. From that, the ISF then develops approaches in order to replace defect cell types, either by activating resting stem cells or by re-programming other existing cell types to repair themselves. The aim of these approaches is to stimulate the regrowth of damaged, pathologically changed or destroyed tissue.

As one of Europe's leading research universities, LMU Munich is committed to the highest international standards of excellence in research and teaching. LMU attracts a large number of international students - 14 percent of its 49,000 students come from abroad, originating from 125 countries worldwide. Building on its 500-year-tradition of scholarship, LMU covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, ranging from the humanities and cultural studies through law, economics and social studies to medicine and the sciences. The know-how and creativity of LMU's academics form the foundation of the University's outstanding research record, as recognized by many national and international university rankings. This is also reflected in the designation of LMU as a "university of excellence" in the context of the Excellence Initiative, a nationwide competition to promote top-level university research. www.lmu.de

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Specialist contact
Prof. Magdalena Götz, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg - Tel.: +49 89-3187-3750 - E-Mail


]]> Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:31:00 +0200 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, Germany, March 20, 2013. Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the... Image: Prof. Dr. Gabriele Multhoff
Neuherberg, Germany, March 20, 2013. Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the... In the "Congenital Immunity in Tumor Biology" Clinical Cooperation Group of the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Clinic for Radiation Therapy at the Technische Universität München, Prof. Dr. Gabriele Multhoff and Dr. Daniela Schilling have developed a cocktail of various molecular inhibitors in order to increase the radiosensitivity of tumor cells while simultaneously stimulating the immune response. This approach is intended to strengthen natural defense reactions against the tumor and also increase radiation therapy efficacy. The researchers' point of attack is the so-called heat shock or stress proteins (HSPs), which tumor cells form in large quantities. In the cell interior, they support the folding of proteins that are essential for the growth of tumor cells. They consequently promote the survival of the tumor cells and make tumors resistant to radiation therapy. In preparatory work, Schilling and Multhoff were able to demonstrate that the inhibition of the heat shock protein Hsp90 improves radiation therapy efficacy. This effect is, however, neutralized by the tumor cell by means of increased production of other heat shock proteins such as Hsp70. The researchers want to avoid this dilemma with small molecule inhibitors that aim to expand the inhibition to other HSP lines in tumor cells. Unlike in the cell interior, heat shock proteins on the cell surface represent attack points for a sub-class of immune cells that are directed against the tumor. Radiation treatment can increase the quantity of HSPs on the surface of tumor cells and in this way make them more susceptible to attack by immune cells. With the support of the Wilhelm Sander-Stiftung, Gabriele Multhoff and Daniela Schilling now want to clarify the extent to which a blockade of the HSPs in the cell interior influences this desired effect and thus modifies the interaction between tumor cells and immune cells.   New molecular approaches improve radiation therapy efficacy in tumor treatment. Inhibitors weaken the efficacy of heat shock proteins in the cell interior. The radiation treatment increases the quantity of heat shock proteins at the cell surface, which makes the cells more susceptible to attack by natural killer cells (NK cells).
Figure: Daniela Schilling.                

Further information

The Wilhelm Sander-Stiftung was founded in 1974 to promote medical research. It primarily supports research projects in the field of cancer research with a clinical or clinical-experimental focus.

The Helmholtz Zentrum München, as the German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medicine for the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of widespread diseases such as diabetes mellitus and pulmonary diseases by examining the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Center's headquarters is in Neuherberg, which lies north of Munich. The Helmholtz Zentrum München employs around 2,100 people and is a member of the Helmholtz Association, which comprises 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with around 34,000 employees. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de

With the establishment of Clinical Cooperation Groups, the Helmholtz Zentrum München is pursuing an interdisciplinary approach to research in order to promote translational research, which means to further develop fundamental science and make it directly usable for people. The transfer of knowledge between the laboratory and sickbed is brought about by the close cooperation between the scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München and clinicians at the Munich universities and the Städtisches Klinikum München.http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/forschung/forschungseinrichtungen/kkgs/index.html

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Contacts for the mediaCommunication Department, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany - Tel.: +49 89-3187-2238 - Fax: +49 89-3187-3324 -  E-Mail

Contact for professional mattersProf. Dr. Gabriele Multhoff, Clinical Cooperation Group Innovative Therapies, Helmholtz Zentrum München and Klinikum rechts der Isar, Klinik und Poliklinik für Strahlentherapie und Radiologische Onkologie der Technischen Universität München – Tel. +49 89 4140 4514 - E-Mail

]]> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:18:00 +0100 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, 19 March 2013. Prof. Vasilis Ntziachristos, Director of the Institute for Biological... Image: Prof. Dr. Vasilis Ntziachristos; Helmholtz Zentrum München
Neuherberg, 19 March 2013. Prof. Vasilis Ntziachristos, Director of the Institute for Biological... Prof. Ntziachristos was awarded the Leibniz Prize for his internationally recognized contributions to non-invasive optical imaging and its use in medicine. With the development of novel imaging processes, Ntziachristos has given fresh impetus to basic research as well as to patient treatment. With the aid of fluorescent materials and 3D image processing, he has succeeded in representing molecular structures and processes in the body. This molecular imaging technique, which he has optimized, makes it possible to demarcate tumor tissue and its extension and to monitor the distribution of drugs in the human body. The methods are particularly effective in the treatment of cancer patients. “We want to measure signals which nobody has measured before and which give us information about processes at the molecular level. Our aim is to help patients with the aid of new biomedical technologies,” Ntziachristos says, describing what drives him.

The scientist, who specializes in biological and medical imaging, has already won many awards. In 2012, he received funding for a Reinhart Koselleck Project in which he will examine high-resolution near-field thermoacoustic measurements and imaging. In 2011, he was awarded the Stifterverband’s Science Award – the Erwin Schrödinger Prize – for the development and clinical application of a fluorescence-based real-time camera that permits a novel, precise operating technique in tumor surgery. In 2008 he also received an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC).

After studying electrical engineering in Thessaloniki and completing a doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Vasilis Ntziachristos accepted an assistant professor position at Harvard University. In 2007, he was appointed to the Chair of Biological Imaging at the Technical University of Munich and assumed the position of Director of the Institute for Biological and Medical Imaging at the Helmholtz Zentrum München.
The award presented today to Prof. Ntziachristos is further evidence of the scientific excellence and social importance of the key research areas pursued by the Helmholtz Zentrum München and its partners. Research conducted at the Helmholtz Zentrum München focuses on major common diseases. The aim is to accelerate the application of basic research findings towards clinical application and to develop new approaches to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, as well as to prevention.

Further information

About the 2013 Leibniz Prize: Eleven scientists from the fields of the life sciences, the humanities, social sciences, the natural sciences and engineering were selected from a total of 135 proposals for the prizes in the 2013 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz program. The Leibniz Prize, which was first awarded in 1986, is regarded as one of the most important German research awards. The prize money can be used flexibly by the scientists to freely  promote their research projects. To date, six Leibniz prizewinners have subsequently gone on to win the Nobel Prize.


The Helmholtz Zentrum München, the German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of major common diseases such as diabetes and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Helmholtz Zentrum München is headquartered in Neuherberg in the north of Munich. It has about 2,100 staff members and is a member of the Helmholtz Association  www.helmholtz-muenchen.de

The Helmholtz Association: The Helmholtz Association contributes towards solving major, pressing issues relating to society, science and the economy through scientific excellence in six research areas: Energy, Earth and Environment, Health, Key Technologies, Structure of Matter, Aeronautics, Aerospace and Transport. With almost 34,000 staff in 18 research centers and an annual budget of about 3.4 billion euros, the Helmholtz Association is the largest scientific organization in Germany. Its work follows in the tradition of the great natural scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894).

The Institute for Biological and Medical Imaging (IBMI) conducts research into in vivo imaging technologies for the biosciences. It develops systems, theories and methods of imaging and image reconstruction as well as animal models to test new technologies at the biological, preclinical and clinical level. The aim is to provide innovative tools for biomedical laboratories, for diagnosis and for the therapeutic monitoring of human diseases.

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]]> Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:39:00 +0100 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Effective and long-lasting immune responses underlie individual cell differentiation Neuherberg,... Image: Prof. Dirk Busch
Effective and long-lasting immune responses underlie individual cell differentiation Neuherberg,... T-cells convey cellular immune responses. If antigens, for example structures that are foreign to the body such as proteins derived from pathogens or, in certain cases, also from tumor cells, a few antigen-specific T-cells reproduce themselves and differentiate into a variety of cell types. This is necessary in order to fulfill various defense functions. The so-called CD8+ T-cells develop on the one hand into short-lived cytotoxic effector cells that kill infected or modified cells in the body. On the other hand, they form long-lived memory cells, which serve as an immunological memory.

The study that has now been published shows that cell proliferation and differentiation at the individual cell level do not follow a rigid pattern but are subject to random events. Only when a sufficient number of antigen-specific precursor cells are involved in an immune response does a robust pattern of development emerge from this stochastic behavior, thus guaranteeing both an acute immune defense and an immunological memory. Up to now it was assumed that all the activated T-cells in an immune response reproduce equally strongly and differentiate their progeny into effector and memory cells.

The scientists at the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the Theoretical Systems Biology department at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg as well as the Clinical Cooperation Group ‘Antigen-specific Immunotherapy’ and the immunomonitoring platform at the Helmholtz Zentrum München developed an innovative, experimental system for their examinations. In this system, they were able to pursue the fate of individual T-cells and their progeny in the human body and discovered that few of the original cells generate only effector progeny. But these can separate very quickly and thus produce a large population of short-lived cytotoxic cells for the defense phase. Most of the recruited T-cells, however, preferably become long-lived memory cells, which only reproduce when there is renewed contact with a pathogen. “For the first time, it was possible in this experimental set-up to track the expansion and differentiation of individual cells, in other words the fate of individual cells, and to determine the generation of different cell pools in the immune response,” says Prof. Dirk Busch, Director of the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene of the TUM and project leader of the Clinical Cooperation Group ‘Antigen-specific Immunotherapy’.

“The latest findings are very important for our research work in the field of vaccine development and adoptive immunotherapy,” reports Dr. Matthias Schiemann of the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at the TUM, who is also a member of the Clinical Cooperation Group ‘Antigen-specific Immunotherapy’. A series of clinical studies is now being launched in order to make these new findings usable for therapeutic applications, particularly for adoptive immunotherapy.

With the establishment of clinical cooperation groups, the Helmholtz Zentrum München pursues an interdisciplinary approach to research in order to promote translational research, in other words to further develop basic science and make it directly usable for human subjects. Knowledge transfer between the laboratory and the patient’s bed is being realized through the close collaboration between scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München with clinicians at Munich universities as well as at the Städtisches Klinikum München (Munich Municipal Hospital).

Further information

Original-Publikation:
Buchholz, V. et al. (2013), Disparate individual fates compose robust CD8+ T cell immunity, Science, doi: 10.1126/science.1235454 Link to specialist publication Helmholtz Zentrum München, the German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the prevention and therapy of major common diseases such as diabetes and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Helmholtz Zentrum München is headquartered in Neuherberg in the north of Munich and has about 2,100 staff members. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de The aim of the Clinical Cooperation Group Antigen-specific Immunotherapy is to develop and evaluate strategies that will be able to mediate effective CD8+ T-cell responses in patients, and particularly in patients who are immunocompromised. In the main, these strategies will be achieved through active immunization with a ‘safe’ live vector, through adoptive T-cell transfer or through a combination of both therapeutic approaches. The immunomonitoring platform develops strategies to establish the standardized monitoring of immune responses during clinical studies. Scientific and clinical cooperation guarantees access to state-of-the-art methods and tools, and assumes a key position in the development of new immunotherapeutic clinical approaches.

http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/en/research/research-institutions/clinical-cooperation-groups/index.html

________________________________________________________________________________________________ Specialist contact at the Helmholtz Zentrum München
Prof. Dirk Busch, Head of the “Antigen-Specific Immunotherapy“ clinical cooperation group at the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich at the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Trogerstrasse 20, 81677 Munich, Germany, Tel.: +49 89-4140-4120 0 - E-Mail]]> Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:52:00 +0100 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, March 4, 2013. Stopping smoking can significantly reverse smoking-associated changes in... Foto (l.t.r.): Zhonghao Yu, Dr. Rui Wang-Sattler, Tao Xu
Neuherberg, March 4, 2013. Stopping smoking can significantly reverse smoking-associated changes in... Smoking causes health problems and induces changes in metabolite concentrations, which are reversible after stopping smoking. These results are consistent with decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction after smoking cessation. Scientists from the Research Unit of Molecular Epidemiology (AME), the Institute of Experimental Genetics (IEG) and the Institute of Epidemiology II (EPI II) at Helmholtz Zentrum München analyzed over 1,200 blood samples of the population-based cohort KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg). Metabolite profiles and smoking status were recorded at both baseline and at the follow-up seven years later. The team led by Dr. Rui Wang-Sattler, Tao Xu, Zhonghao Yu, Prof. Dr. Jerzy Adamski and Prof. Dr. Annette Peters, identified 21 smoking-related metabolites, mainly from amino acid and lipid pathways. Among them, 19 metabolites were found to be reversible had the smokers given up smoking. Furthermore, the smoking-related metabolites from the urea cycle and from modified lipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, were also shown as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The scientists thus demonstrated the remarkable benefits of smoking cessation in reducing health problems. The affected metabolic pathways elucidate further health consequences of smoking. “Our study demonstrates metabolomics as a powerful tool in systems biology with which we could investigate how the lifestyle and environmentally related to diseases”, said Dr. Wang-Sattler, head of the research group “Metabolism” in AME. Environmental factors and lifestyle play a key role in the pathogenesis of diseases that are widespread in Germany, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. The goal of Helmholtz Zentrum München is to develop new approaches for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the major diseases.

Further Information

Original publication:
Xu, T. et al. (2013), Effects of smoking and smoking cessation on human serum metabolite profile: results from the KORA cohort study, BMC Medicine, doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-11-60
 
Link to the journal publication


Helmholtz Zentrum München, as German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of major widespread diseases such as diabetes mellitus and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The head office of the Center is located in Neuherberg in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum München has a staff of about 2,000 people and is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de For more than 20 years, the research platform Cooperative Health Research in the Augsburg Region (KORA) has been collecting and analyzing data on the health of thousands of people living in the Augsburg region. The objective is to elucidate the effects of environmental factors, behavior and genes. KORA focuses on the development and course of chronic diseases, in particular myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus. Risk factors are analyzed with regard to individual health behavior (e.g. smoking, diet, exercise), environmental factors (e.g. air pollution, noise) and genetics. From the perspective of health care research, questions regarding the utilization of health care resources and the cost of health care are also studied. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/kora

The Research Unit of Molecular Epidemiology (AME) analyses population-based cohorts and case studies for specific diseases, using genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and functional analyses. The aim of this research unit is to decipher the molecular mechanisms of complex diseases like type 2 diabetes or obesity. The unit administers the biological specimen repository of the Department of Epidemiology and stores the samples for national and international projects.

The Institute of Epidemiology II (EPI II) focuses on the assessment of environmental and lifestyle risk factors which jointly affect major chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and mental health. Research builds on the unique resources of the KORA cohort, the KORA myocardial infarction registry, and the KORA aerosol measurement station. Aging-related phenotypes have been added to the KORA research portfolio within the frame of the Research Consortium KORA-Age. The institute’s contributions are specifically relevant for the population as modifiable personal risk factors are being researched that could be influenced by the individual or by improving legislation for the protection of public health.

The research objective of the Institute of Experimental Genetics (IEG) is to elucidate the causes and pathogenesis of human diseases. Due to its prominent role in interdisciplinary and international consortia, the IEG is a global leader in the systemic study of mouse models for human diseases and the elucidation of involved genes. The main focus is on metabolic diseases such as diabetes. The IEG is part of the Diabetes Research Department. The Research Unit Genome Analysis Center (GAC), headed by Prof. Dr. Jerzy Adamski is part of the IEG. GAC is a core research facility with major focus to investigate complex processes in the development and progression of common complex diseases in man, and the challenge of environment to human health. GAC Metabolomics (www.gac-munich.de) has state of the art know-how and expertise with human cohort, animal samples and cell lines analyses and data interpretation.
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Scientific contact
Dr. Rui Wang-Sattler, Helmholtz Zentrum München - Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Research Unit Molecula Epidemiology, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany - Tel. +49 89 3187-3978 - E-mail ]]> Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:06:00 +0100 http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/ Neuherberg, March 1,2013. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by massive death of neurons in the... Dysfunction of mitochondria (green) in a neuron (red) contributes to in the genetic forms of Morbus Parkinson (Image: Helmholtz Zentrum München)
Neuherberg, March 1,2013. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by massive death of neurons in the... Parkinson’s disease, one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, is caused by the death of neurons in a particular region in the midbrain. This leads to the typical clinical symptoms of the disease, such as loss of movement control and tremor. In Germany an estimated 300,000 people are affected by Parkinson’s disease. Genetic mutations, among others in the parkin gene, are found in about 10% of cases. Parkin has a protective effect on neurons and prevents their cell death. In the present study, a novel neuroprotective function of parkin was discovered. Researchers are particularly interested in studying the molecular functions involved in Parkinson’s disease because they can thus gain insights into the pathomechanisms of the disease.

The interdisciplinary team headed by PD Dr. Dr. Konstanze Winklhofer of LMU München and the German Research Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) also includes scientists led by Dr. Daniel Krappmann of the Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology (TOXI) and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wurst of the Institute of Developmental Genetics (IDG) at Helmholtz Zentrum München, who made significant contributions to the results. This team had observed a neuroprotective function of parkin already in earlier studies. Here they found that a loss of function of parkin was linked to impaired function of the mitochondria, which supply the cells with energy.

In successive studies, researchers identified a novel neuroprotective signaling pathway of parkin. Here the protein NEMO (NF-B essential modulator) plays a crucial role. Parkin attaches a chain of ubiquitin molecules to NEMO and thus activates a signal cascade that triggers the expression of target genes, which ensure neuronal survival. One important target gene is the mitochondrial protein OPA1, which protects the mitochondria in the neurons and thus can prevent neuronal death in the midbrain.

“Through the elucidation of these neuroprotective mechanisms, we hope to develop new therapeutic strategies to treat or prevent Parkinson’s disease. Our aim is to enhance the protective parkin-dependent signaling pathway to prevent uncontrolled neuronal death and thus to prevent motor deficits,” the scientists said.

Research activities at Helmholtz Zentrum München focus on major widespread diseases. These include disorders that fall under the umbrella term of mental health, i.e. neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and depression. The objective of Helmholtz Zentrum München is to rapidly transfer the results of basic research into tangible benefits to society.

Further information

Original-Publikation:
Müller-Rischart, A. et al. (2013), The E3 ligase parkin maintains mitochondrial integrity by increasing linear ubiquitination of NEMO, Molecular Cell.


Link to journal publication Helmholtz Zentrum München, as German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of major widespread diseases such as diabetes mellitus and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The head office of the Center is located in Neuherberg in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum München has a staff of about 2,000 people and is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de

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Scientific contact at Helmholtz Zentrum München

Dr. Daniel Krappmann, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology, Research Unit Cellular Signal Integration, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany, Phone.:  Tel. +49 89-3187-3461, E-Mail

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wurst, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Developmental Genetics, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany, Phone: +49 89 3187-4111, E-Mail]]> Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:20:00 +0100