Research

Immunologists at FAU have demonstrated that ILC2, a group of rare lymphoid cells, play a key role in the development of inflammatory arthritis. The findings could form the basis for new methods of treating rheumatoid arthritis.

During the next six years, researchers from all over Germany will be collaborating on the early detection and prevention of bone metastases in patients who have previously suffered from breast or prostrate cancer. A total of 7.8 million euros has been allocated to the DFG Priority Program. FAU is taking part in the priority program with one project.

Parkinson's disease, formerly also referred to as shaking palsy, is one of the most frequent disorders affecting movement and the nervous system. Medical researchers at FAU have come across a possible cause of the disease – in the patients' immune system.

The new CRC/TRR 241 is due to commence its research at the Department of Medicine 1 in July 2018.

A study conducted by the Institute for Biomedicine of Ageing at FAU investigated nutrition and nutritional care requirements in the elderly. The findings have now been published.

Lung cancer is the third most common type of cancer in Germany and the disease affects both men and women. However, immunotherapies are successful in only 20 percent of cases. Researchers of the Divisions of Molecular Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery have now discovered a special mechanism that regulates tumor growth in lung cancer.

There is a strong link between depression and anxiety disorders and autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT), a chronic thyroid disease affecting approximately 10 percent of the population. Special treatment could help a lot of sufferers – especially women.

Around 700,000 people die every year as a result of antibiotic resistance. Scientists have now discovered that there is a point in the production process of the proteins at which it can be regulated by bacteria. This could be used as a starting point for the development of new antibiotics and help overcome resistance to antibiotics.

Around 200,000 people in Germany suffer from multiple sclerosis. The causes are far from being fully understood. What is known is that the immune system erroneously attacks the protective sheaths around nerve fibres. Scientists have now discovered how the formation of these protective sheaths is regulated by protein molecules.

A groundbreaking project titled 'MoveIT' has been launched to analyze the gait and falls of people with Parkinson's. Using telemedicine based on sensors placed in patients' shoes and attached to their upper body, researchers aim to analyze specific characteristics in the patient's gait and when they fall.