What’s Your Task as a PhD, Kaja?

3 Questions for Susmita Ghosh

How does gut microbiota affect the immune system? Susmita Ghosh conducts research on proteins and immune cells at ISAS. In this interview, the biologist talks about her work and explains how gut flora and the immune system could affect the outcomes of a stroke.

Gut Flora & Stroke: How Microorganisms Influence Our Immune System

Which factors can activate immune cells after a stroke? This question was investigated by researchers at University Hospital Essen and ISAS. Their work focused on the gut microbiota.

3 Questions for Dr Ali Ata Tuz

In his doctorate, Dr Ali Ata Tuz researched the causes of immunodeficiency after strokes and was already working closely with ISAS at the time. Following this, he subsequently devoted himself to the behaviour of immune cells in the bioimaging research group at ISAS. In this interview, the physician talks about his path from the clinic to application-oriented basic research.

Heart Failure Rarely Occurs on Its Own: ISAS Researchers Develop New Treatment Pillars

The symptoms, subsequent problems and therapeutic challenges of patients with heart failure are increasingly challenging for general practitioners and cardiologists. Doctors are limited in their choice of treatment options, especially for patients with additional diseases. At ISAS, researchers are therefore focussing on broadening the therapeutic spectrum.

New Ionisation Method: From Open Questions to Closed Plasma

Mass spectrometry only works with electrically charged, i.e. ionised, particles. Researchers often use plasma for this purpose. In a series of publications, scientists from the Miniaturisation Research Group have shed new light on this ionisation method and presented a completely new type of plasma. This does not require a continuous gas flow and is therefore particularly resource-efficient.

“We essentially ask ourselves the same questions”

In the ISAS cooperation project “The Secret World of the Immune System”, ISAS researchers and artists from the storyLab kiU at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts brought microscope data to life in an immersive space. Lennart Oberscheidt, research associate and visual effects (VFX) supervisor at storyLab kiU, talks about the special features of the project and the similarities between art and research in an interview.

What Can't Be Missing From Your Project, Laxmikanth Kollipara?

In many research projects, there is one thing that is essential for success. Perhaps a rare sample or a special device? For Dr Laxmikanth Kollipara, that one thing is a very special pillar from the PIPMet project.

“Moving to ISAS changed my whole view on mass spectrometry”

Prof Dr Miloš Filipović is researching the connection between ageing processes and gasotransmitter signalling pathways, in particular hydrogen sulphide. The biochemist headed the ERC Sulfaging group at ISAS from October 2020 until February 2025, at which point he was appointed to the University of Glasgow in Scotland. In this interview, he looks back on the past four and a half years in Dortmund and talks about his experiences at ISAS.

Humboldt Fellow Prof Dr Xiaowei Xu started at ISAS in March

Prof Dr Xiaowei Xu from the Chinese Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute is researching the clinical application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of cardiovascular diseases. For 18 months in total, he will be researching various AI methods for analysing cell images as a Humboldt Fellow at ISAS.