How do breast cancer cells manage to establish themselves in the lungs and survive there? Researchers at ISAS are investigating which metabolic processes help the tumour cells to adapt to their new environment. The findings provide new insights into the early stages of metastases.

What can human stem cells tell us, and why are mice still essential for developing new therapies for people with heart failure? In our collaborative project HI-FIVE, scientists and physicians work with both animal-free methods and, for some research questions, with mice. In this article marking World Day for Laboratory Animals, our animal welfare officer and the lead researcher of HI-FIVE explain why.

Although CD177⁺ and CD177⁻ neutrophils look identical under the microscope, they are in fact not the same. Four of the authors of “CD177 Deficiency Defines a Stable Subtype of Human Neutrophil Granulocytes with Tumour-Promoting Activity” (Advanced Science) explain how they identified the functional differences between these immune cells and which combined analytical methods made their discovery possible in the first place. This insight into their research demonstrates how interdisciplinary collaboration can reveal previously undiscovered information.

In the lab, Neele Rottmann prepares human and animal samples for mass spectrometry analysis. As part of the HI-FIVE project, she is helping to identify changes at the protein level in heart failure. Why does she spend so much time in the lab working on separations? The technical assistant shares the answer in this interview.

How do atherosclerotic plaques form in the coronary arteries? At ISAS, researchers are investigating cellular changes in human coronary arteries using techniques such as 3D imaging. During her internship, early-career researcher Leonie Menzel used a light sheet fluorescence microscope to analyse the spatial distribution of individual cells within the tissue. She thereby gained valuable methodological experience for her Master’s thesis.

How can AI support the analysis of biomedical images? This was the question Lukas Fu explored during his school internship at ISAS. The 15-year-old also successfully completed his first programming project.

When different fluorescence signals overlap during microscopy, their clear assignment to specific biological structures becomes difficult. To address this common problem, Dr Davide Panzeri is developing AI-based signal separation methods. The biophysicist has been awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship by the European Union for his promising research project.

How do GRK5 inhibitors work at the cellular level and within the living organism? Biologist Dr Susanne Grund is working with her colleagues at HI-FIVE on a new therapeutic approach for heart failure. In this portrait, she describes what her day-to-day work looks like, balancing research on human stem cells with studies on mice.

Why do mice undergo ultrasound examinations of their hearts? What does a typical working day in the lab involve for a technical assistant in the HI-FIVE research project ? And what challenges does the job present? Theresa Pietz provides fascinating insights into her duties, motivations and experiences working with animals.
