News archive 2024

It’s been a year full of large and small projects to promote interfaculty collaborative research and interdisciplinary careers in cell dynamics and imaging. As every year, our annual newsletter highlights some of our network activities.

In what has become something of a tradition, we have adorned a Christmas tree bauble with an image from recent biomedical research. This year, shimmering in silver and gold, it depicts nerve fibres in the brain of a mouse that have been visualised using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. We hope you enjoy our Christmas decorations and find the science behind them fascinating!

Biochemist Prof Seraphine Wegner has received an ERC Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council. She wants to get biological cells to communicate with each other using light signals.

The Collaborative Research Centre 1450 “inSight – Multiscale imaging of organ-specific inflammation” at the University of Münster will receive approximately 13 million euros from the German Research Foundation for a second funding period of four years. In this project, researchers are investigating how the body regulates inflammation in different organs and are, to this end, developing a specific multiscale imaging methodology.

Researchers working with biochemist Prof Ralf Adams have addressed the fundamental question of whether bone marrow compartments in different bones age in a similar way. The team was able to show that the skull bone marrow is a surprising exception to bone marrow aging and increases blood production throughout life. The study has been published in the journal “Nature”.

An international team of researchers led by Prof Sara Wickström has developed a new imaging method for head and neck tumours that allows the properties of cancer cells and their surrounding tissue to be analyzed in detail at the single-cell level. The study has been published in the journal “Cell”. A diagnostic test is currently being developed.

A state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner for imaging mice and rats is currently being put into operation at the University of Münster’s Multiscale Imaging Centre (MIC). Researchers working with the physicist Prof Dr Cornelius Faber will use the scanner to develop innovative non-invasive imaging techniques and apply them to the research of biomedical questions together with cooperation partners at the University of Münster and beyond.

The graduate program "CiM-IMPRS", run by the Cells in Motion Interfaculty Centre (CiM) of the University of Münster and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, celebrated its 15th anniversary on Thursday, October 10. The celebration took place as part of an international scientific conference that the programme's doctoral students organize independently every year in Münster.

The α-latrotoxin, which is dangerous for humans, causes severe muscle contractions and spasms. A research team led by Prof Christos Gatsogiannis and Prof Andreas Heuer showed in detail how the molecule is structured and how it affects nerve cells. To do so, they used high-performance cryo-electron microscopy and molecular dynamics computer simulations. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Emmy Noether junior research group leader Dr Maria Florencia Sánchez has been working at the European Institute for Molecular Imaging for several months. Dr Sánchez, who was born in Argentina, and her team are investigating how cells communicate with each other and how they perceive and react to their environment. She also supports students and young scientists at the University of Münster.

A meeting full of exchange and inspiration: Yesterday (9. September), as part of our symposium, the Collaborative Research Centre “Breaking Barriers” celebrated its successful completion after twelve years of funding. The artist Cordula Hesselbarth presented her twelve-metre high artwork “Re | Solution” that takes an artistic approach to our research.

As a clinician scientist, junior professor Dr Philipp Backhaus is good at juggling the demands of research and hospital work. A specialist in nuclear medicine with six children, he hopes his research will help bring about concrete improvements in medical care. This is a dual role that requires good organisational abilities and the support of those around him.

Mast cells are immune cells that are known for their role in allergic reactions. A research team led by cell biologist Prof. Tim Lämmermann has now discovered a hidden talent of mast cells: They can capture and use another type of immune cell called neutrophils. The study has been published in the journal "Cell".

In a three-part video series by the Collaborative Research Centre TRR 332 “Neutrophils”, doctoral students, postdocs, lab technicians and professors share some impressions from their professional lives. Among other things, they highlight the joy of interacting with colleagues, talk about the interplay between research and patient care, and open up about balancing work and family life.

Researchers working with biochemist Prof. Ralf Adams have used a highly specialized laser microscope to observe the healing of skull bone and the growth of new blood vessels without co-migrating bone precursor cells in mice. They identified differences to the healing of long bones. The study was carried out in collaboration with trauma surgeon Prof. Richard Stange's team and was published in Nature Communications.

Dr. Mauricio Rocha-Martins will head the new independent research group “Embryo Self-correction” at the Max Planck Institute from 1 May, 2024, and is a new member of the Cells in Motion Interfaculty Centre. Using the zebrafish and human organoid models, he and his team investigate how cells work together to overcome developmental stress and form healthy organs.

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded biochemist Ralf Adams a five-year grant which he will use to investigate the role of blood vessels in the age-related loss of bone mass. Results from the funded research will form the basis for future approaches that utilise vascular cells for the prevention of bone loss and the treatment of osteoporosis.

Genetic engineering is a powerful tool for the natural and life sciences. Using three organisms – virus, plant and fish – working groups at the University of Münster provide insights into how they use genetic engineering in their research. Examples include the groups of virologist Prof. Stephan Ludwig and developmental biologist Prof. Stefan Schulte-Merker.