A systems medicine network

Junior Research Alliance

Analysis of Cancer Stem Cells with MutaSeq Open up New Research Possibilities

Scientists from the e:Med junior alliance LeukoSyStem have developed the method MutaSeq, that can distinguish cancer stem cells, mature cancer cells, and healthy stem cells based on their genetics. The method enables researchers to create highly detailed profiles of cancer cells, helping them understand every individual cell from a cancer. The result of this study opens up new possibilities in cancer research.

Junior Research Alliance

A novel mechanism protects against cancer cell migration and neuron hyperexcitability

G3BP proteins inhibit the metabolic driver MTOR, a signaling protein that plays a central role in tumor diseases and developmental disorders of the brain. This is reported this week in the journal Cell by scientists of the BMBF-funded e:Med junior network GlioPATH together with a Europe-wide research network. G3BP proteins may serve as molecular markers to personalize therapies.

Consortia

TreaT Urine Assay indicates transplant success

Success of a kidney transplant depends on how strongly the patient’s immune system reacts to the foreign cells. Scientists from the e:Med consortium e:Kid coordinated by Dr. Nina Babel have now developed the TreaT test, which uses cells from the patient's urine after a kidney transplantation to predict how well the recipient will tolerate the donor kidney. As a result, the accompanying immunosuppressive therapy can be adapted to each individual and over-medication can be prevented.

Junior Research Alliances

A Metabolic Enzyme as a New Target for Cancer Immunotheraphy

Scientists from e:Med junior alliance GlioPATH discovered that the metabolic enzyme IL4I1 promotes the spread of tumour cells and suppresses the immune system.  IL4I1 is produced to a greater extent in tumours and activates the dioxin receptor. Agents that inhibit IL4I1 could open up new opportunities for cancer therapy in the future. The scientists have now published their results in the journal Cell.

Junior Research Groups

Heterogeneous Tumors: Why one drug is often not enough

Tumors can behave differently in patients. This has already been well investigated and is a part of personalized-therapy concepts. The differences of a tumor within a patient are, however, less well known. These differences are called intratumoral heterogeneity. Heterogeneity can also influence the effectiveness of the therapy. In this project, e:Med scientists have inspected intratumoral differences and investigated transcription (scRNA-Seq), genetics and drug response in the different cells of B-cell lymphoma. The Heidelberg team could identify up to four different subpopulations within the same tumor, each of which reacted differently to specific drugs. These results show that intratumoral heterogeneity may be an important component of personalized therapy in the future.

Junior Research alliances

Stressed cancer cells resist treatment

Resistance of cancer cells against therapeutic agents is a major cause of treatment failure, especially in recurrent diseases. An international team of researchers in the e:Med junior research alliance SUPR-G has identified a novel mechanism of chemoresistance which has now been published in ‘Nature Communications’. It is driven by the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), a cellular stress response pathway that alters gene expression and cellular metabolism to promote cell survival under stress.

Systems Medicine

Systems Medicine against Corona

Systems medicine can help to better understand the novel corona virus and the pandemic. Substantial contributions have already been made with systems medicine methods: from the automated search for drug candidates against COVID-19, the simulation of infections or the return to normality to the examinations of which cells are preferably infected and why.
Here you find a selection of corona research activities by system medicine researcher - especially by e:Med scientists.

e:Med

Young talents from the e:Med community

At the beginning of 2020, seven new junior research alliances in e:Med Module IIIb "Junior systems medicine research alliances" were launched by the support of the BMBF. In system-oriented research approaches, young scientists work on interdisciplinary medical issues relating to different types of cancer, chronic kidney disease or intestinal inflammation as well as metabolic or connective tissue diseases.

e:Med

New e:Med Alliances

The nine interdisciplinary research alliances of the e:Med Module I started at the end of 2019/beginning of 2020 with the support of the BMBF. In numerous sub-projects at different locations all over Germany, a common disease-related problem is being studied using systems medicine research approaches. Clinical working groups, high-throughput teams from basic biomedical research and experts in information technologies are working closely together on this.

e:Med

POSTPONED: e:Med Kick-off Meeting

Please note: The e:Med Kick-off Meeting 2020 in Bonn is postponed. It will take place as virtual meeting, November 24-25, 2020. Further information can be found on the meeting website.

e:Med

Researcher`s Night

On Friday, September 27, 2019, the European Researchers‘ Night, an EU-funded initiative took place in Heidelberg / Mannheim. The e:Med Systems Medicine office was particularly well received by young visitors with their offer: their own name could be converted into the DNA code to make a very personal pearl bracelet.

Consortia

From basic research to drug precursors

Scientists from the e:Med alliance SMOOSE at the Technical University of Dortmund, in cooperation with physicians from Essen and Bochum, succeeded in producing a new AKT inhibitor, which is already showing initial efficacy against pancreatic cancer. The scientists succeeded in determining the first crystal structure of the complex of AKT1 with the new covalent alllosteric AKT inhibitor Borussertib, which provided important insights into the structural basis of the inhibition.

Junior Research Group

Hamid Noori receives animal welfare award

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft awarded the Ursula M. Händel Animal Welfare Prize of to PD Dr. Dr. Hamid Noori. The e: Med Junior Research Group Leader is a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, where he and his team have developed a database and computer models that can predict the effects of novel substances on the rat brain. As a result, new studies can be designed more purposefully, avoiding unnecessary animal experiments.

e:Med project groups - overlapping issues in focus

Scientists discuss new technologies and latest scientific contents and launch comprehensive initiatives in four e:Med project groups (PG) regarding substantially and methodologically overlapping systems medicine issues. The objective of the PG is to promote interactions between members and handle relevant issues across the research group.