Ageing & Disease

Age-associated diseases (e.g. cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases) are some of the biggest killers facing modern society. The primary cause of ageing is loss of cell function due to DNA damage, epigenetic dysregulation, and protein mis-folding. We study each of these three mechanisms to determine their roles in ageing and disease. By doing this, we hope to find new ways to prevent diseases or even slow ageing.

Key techniques used: CRISPR-CAS9, embryonic stem cell culture, 3D organoid assays, flow cytometry, next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP).

Keywords: Telomeres, histone modifications, DNA methylation, proteostasis, mutation, DNA repair, immune system, autoimmunity, neurodegeneration, metabolic disease, cancer.

IPP Groups in Ageing & Disease:

GroupDescriptionInstitute
Andreas Daiber

The role of DNA damage in the pathogenesis of nitrate tolerance

UMC 
Ari Waisman

Development and regulation of IL-17 producing cells during inflammation

UMC 
Benedikt Berninger

Lineage reprogramming glia into neurons

JGU 
Claudia Keller Valsecchi

Biology of gene dosage alterations

IMB 
Daniela Kramer

Regulation of pro-inflammatory gene expression in autoinflammatory diseases, infections and cancer

UMC 
Dorothee Dormann

Molecular mechanisms of RNA-binding protein dysfunction in neurodegenerative dieseases

IMB  JGU 
Edward Lemke

Synthetic biophysics of protein disorder

IMB  JGU 
Helle Ulrich

UBIQUITIN, SUMO AND GENOME MAINTENANCE

IMB 
Johannes Mayer

Reprogramming in Inflammation, Infection and Ageing

UMC 
Julian König

RNA modifications & regulation

IMB 
Katharina Papsdorf

Lipid homeostasis in aging and longevity

IMB 
Katja Luck

Integrative Systems Biology

IMB 
Luciana Berod

T cell metabolism and cell fate decisions

JGU 
Marie-Luise Winz

Co-translational quality control in eukaryotic cells

JGU 
Marion Silies

Gene regulatory mechanisms underlying neuronal function

JGU 
Michael Kühn

Deciphering chromatin-based oncogenic mechanisms in NPM1 leukemia

UMC 
Nard Kubben

Biology of ageing & ageing-related diseases

IMB 
Natalia Soshnikova

Intestinal stem cell biology in homeostasis and cancer

UMC 
Oliver Tüscher

Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Mental Resilience

UMC 
Peter Baumann

Telomere biology and chromosomal inheritance

IMB  JGU 
Philipp Wild

Systems Medicine approaches to Age-related Diseases in Humans

UMC 
Sandra Schick

CHROMATIN REGULATION in health and disease

IMB 
Sara Vieira-Silva

Human Microbiome Ecology

UMC 
Stephan Grabbe

Skin Immunology & Immunotherapy of Skin Tumours

UMC 
Susann Schweiger

Genetic Diseases of the Central Nervous System

UMC 
Sven Danckwardt

Dynamics of transcriptome 3’end diversity in development and disease

UMC 
Thomas Hankeln

Globins in the nucleus

JGU 
Thomas Hofmann

DNA damage & Cancer

UMC 
Tim Sparwasser

Infection Immunology

UMC 
Tobias Bopp

Immune regulation in aging

UMC 
Uwe Wolfrum

Ciliary protein function: roles in DNA damage repair and gene regulation

JGU 
Wolfram Ruf

Coagulation signaling in innate immunity

UMC