Oliver Ambacher Receives ISAS Prism as Thanks

Ceramides Drive Metastasis in Colorectal Cancer

Why do individual colorectal cancer cells form metastases? An international research team, including researchers from ISAS, has identified a mechanism whereby the body’s own synthesis of ceramides can promote the metastasis of colorectal cancer. The study also revealed the role played by the fat content of the diet. The researchers have now published the results of the preclinical model in Science.

Fabry Disease: a Molecular Map of Lipids in Tissue

A new technique developed at ISAS combines Raman microscopy and mass spectrometry imaging, and it demonstrates that, for the first time, the spatial distribution of lipids can be visualised at cellular and subcellular levels – including further essential information. The new analytical method holds high potential for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as Fabry disease, in which molecules undergo local changes within the tissue.

Biomedical Image Analysis with AI

Dr Jianxu Chen is taking up a professorship in AI for Biomedical Analysis at the University of Duisburg-Essen. With his research group at ISAS, he is developing AI methods that can be used to comprehensively analyse enormous quantities of complex microscopy images.

It's What's Inside That Counts: Neutrophils Form Distinct Subtypes

Neutrophils can be divided into two distinct subgroups with completely different functions. The surface protein CD177 plays a decisive role in this. For the first time, researchers from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Duisburg-Essen and ISAS have been able to demonstrate, using a new integrated proteomics and lipidomics analysis, that the molecular signatures in CD177-defined neutrophils differ significantly from one another. The presence of this surface protein has implications for disease progression, for example in head and neck tumours.

New Drug Candidates for the Treatment of Heart Failure

Researchers from North Rhine-Westphalia are working on a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of heart failure as part of the recently launched HI-FIVE project. They are developing active substances that specifically inhibit an important enzyme with the aim of closing gaps in the care of patients with heart failure.

Microbiome Research: EU Network METAMIC 3 Is Looking for Doctoral Candidates

In the new EU network METAMIC 3, young scientists will be researching the role of microbiomes in the context of ‘One Health’ for their dissertations. Metaproteomics methods will be applied in this research. Furthermore, stays at various European institutions are part of the doctoral programme. The doctoral positions are now open for applications.