We congratulate our member Adelheid Cerwenka (TP07) for the approval of the DFG funded graduate school GRK 2727 “Innate Immune Checkpoints in Cancer and Tissue Damage”. We are looking forward to future cooperations.

For further details, visit their homepage: https://jak-stat.at/
The first cooperational event will be Ralf Bartenschlagers Talk on March 3, 2021.

Keep yourself informed about our consortium

Mit den Freistellungs-Stipendien fördert die Deutsche Leberstiftung klinische Studien oder Projekte. Die Stipendien sollen eingesetzt werden, um eine Freistellung von Ärzten für die Projekt- bzw. Studienplanung zu finanzieren. Bewerbungen sind bis zum 1. Oktober 2020 möglich. Weitere Informationen und die Bewerbungsunterlagen: http://www.deutsche-leberstiftung.de/foerderung/freistellungs-stipendien.

Die Vernetzungs-Stipendien können genutzt werden, um zeitlich begrenzte klinische oder grundlagenwissenschaftliche Projekte in anderen Forschungseinrichtungen durchzuführen. Bewerbungsschluss für diese Stipendien ist der 28. Februar 2021. Weitere Informationen und die Bewerbungsunterlagen: http://www.deutsche-leberstiftung.de/foerderung/Vernetzungs-Stipendien.

Mit dem Preis der Deutschen Leberstiftung wird jährlich eine herausragende Arbeit aus dem Bereich der Hepatologie ausgezeichnet. Einsendeschluss für Vorschläge und Bewerbungen: 15. März 2021. Weitere Informationen und die Formulare für Vorschläge sowie Bewerbungen: http://www.deutsche-leberstiftung.de/foerderung/preis.

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Our speaker, Ralf Bartenschlager is also in 2020 among the top one percent of the most cited experts in his field. Even more: Mathias Heikenwälder, one of our PIs also counts to the most highly cited researchers world wide! Congratulations!!
Further deteils con be found here: https://recognition.webofscience.com/awards/highly-cited/2020/

https://www.rnz.de/nachrichten_artikel,-wegbereiter-fuer-therapien-medizin-nobelpreis-an-hepatitis-c-forscher-_arid,559359.html

Keep yourself informed about our consortium

[LK_N]http://www.trr179.de/en/graduate-school[/LK_N]

https://www.zdf.de/wissen/nano/200820-sendung-nano-102.html

Press release

We would like to congratulate Adelheid Cerwenka from the Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University to the identification of a key molecule that retards tumor defence meachnisms.

Together with heir collaboration partners Adelheid published this in the reowned and prestigous journal Immunity.

Adelheid is project leader of TP07 within the TRR179 and addresses the role of NK cells in the pathogenicity of hepatitis B and C virus infections.

For further details see:

Press release Universitätsmedizin Mannheim

Mathias Heikenwälder (ERC Consolidator Grant 2016), who is project leader of TP06, receives ERC Proof-of-concept funding for the development of specific antibodies. The inflammation expert recently discovered that platelets migrating into the liver promote the development of a certain type of liver inflammation (NASH, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), which in turn can degenerate into cancer. Drugs that are directed against the platelets can stop this process and thus prevent the development of liver cancer in mice, as Heikenwälder has already been able to show. Inflammatory fatty liver occurs less frequently in people who take these drugs. However, the drugs directed against blood platelets sometimes have serious side effects. Heikenwälder and colleagues have identified an enzyme on the surface of the platelets that is responsible for the development of the inflammation. The researchers' goal is now to generate therapeutic antibodies that specifically inhibit this enzyme. This could interrupt the dangerous cascade of inflammation and carcinogenesis without at the same time impairing the vital function of the blood platelets - blood clotting. In the long term, Heikenwälder and his colleagues hope to be able to contribute to the prevention of liver cancer with a suitable antibody.

Press release DKFZ

Vaccination induced production of HBV-neutralizing antibodies, and increased numbers and functionality of HBV-specific, CD8+ T-cells in mice with low, but not in mice with high levels of HBV antigen. Mice with initially high titers of HBV and knockdown of HBV antigen expression developed polyfunctional, HBV-specific CD8+ T cells and HBV was eliminated. These findings indicate that high titers of virus antigens reduce the efficacy of therapeutic vaccination. Anti-HBV siRNAs and therapeutic vaccines are each being tested in clinical trials—their combination might cure chronic HBV infection.
For more information see

Michler et al., Gastroenterology 2020
Press release TU Munich

The award ceremony took place on 30 January 2020 in the Great Palace of Bangkok, Thailand and was awarded by the president of the foundation, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, a granddaughter of the eponym Prince Mahidol of Songkla.
Ralf has received the award, endowed with 100,000 US dollars, for his research on the Hepatitis C virus.

CONGRATULATIONS!

For further information: Press release University Hospital Heidelberg