A systems medicine network

Junior research alliance

Differentiation landscape of acute myeloid leukemia charted with new tool

CloneTracer analyzes tumor evolution from single cell data: Researchers from the e:Med junior research alliance LeukoSyStem have developed a new method to distinguish between cancerous and healthy stem cells and progenitor cells from samples of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a disease driven by malignant blood stem cells that have historically been difficult to identify. The findings, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, pave the way for the development of new techniques to predict whether patients will respond to chemotherapy.

Project groups

Online Seminar: Modeling approaches for disease processes

The e:Med project group Modeling of Disease Processes organizes an Online Seminar Series (Zoom) “Modelling approaches for disease processes”. This seminar series aims to introduce, discuss and compare different mathematical modeling approaches in the field of disease modeling and is open to PhD and master students, postdocs and group leaders in the modeling field
Upcoming Seminar: Reiko Tanaka, (Imperial College London)

June 7, 2023 - 2 pm (CET)

e:Med

e:MedIUM Newsletter #6

The latest e:MedIUM Newsletter #6 is out! Read here about bioinformatics tools for drug repurposing, simulating vaccinations, regulatory mechanisms of neurons, and improvements in leukemia diagnostics.
Stay curious and enjoy reading!

e:Med

e:Med Meeting 2022 on Systems Medicine November 28-30, 2022 Heidelberg, DKFZ

The e:Med Meeting 2022 took place November 28-30, 2022 at DKFZ Communication Center in Heidelberg. Over 230 scientists joint the on-site meeting to discuss your latest research results with fellow scientist from the systems medicine community. We thank all participants, speakers, presenters and helpers for this inspiring meeting. See you next year in Berlin!

Junior research alliances

scOpen untangles kidney fibrosis

scATAC-seq allows the examination of accessible DNA regions in single cells. However, the nature of the experimental protocol makes it difficult to reliably analyze and interpret the data. Researchers from the e:Med junior research alliance Fibromap have developed the scOpen tool to analyze these single-cell data in more detail. Their tool leads to a better understanding of renal fibrosis and uncovered a previously unknown role of the Runx1 gene in the progression of this disease.

Junior research alliances

Novel protective mechanism for blood stem cells

Blood stem cells from the bone marrow produce blood and immune cells. Errors that occur in the genome during division are inherited by the daughter stem cells and can ultimately lead to blood cancer. Using gene expression analysis and single-cell technologies, the team of the e:Med junior research alliance LeukoSyStem has discovered a protective mechanism that renders degenerate stem cells harmless. The results were published in Cell Stem Cell.

Junior research alliances

Telltales of depression in our blood

Depression is a major cause of disability worldwide. Due to its complex nature, it is difficult to explain the molecular pathways associated with depression by examining the genetic factors. e:Med junior research alliance CKDNapp chose a metabolomics approach to tackle this problem. The results of their population-wide screen for metabolites revealed laurylcarnitine to be associated with depression. This metabolite is involved in the fatty acid oxidation pathway and may provide new therapy options against depression.

Demonstrators

Hungry for glutamine – Understanding the metabolism of breast cancer

What to do when a cancer subtype can’t be targeted with drugs or hormones? Researchers of e:Med Her2low alliance focused their attention on understanding the metabolic needs of cancer cells. Their study revealed that cancer cells operate with altered metabolic and nutrient-sensing pathways to sustain tumorigenesis and these alterations might be targeted as a therapy approach

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.