© PoL

The research focus of the excellence area "Principles of Life" lies at the interface of molecular biology, biophysics, bioengineering, material science, and regenerative medicine. Of interest are the fundamental principles governing cell and tissue dynamics, the organization of subcellular structures, and the mechanisms of regeneration and development in complex biological systems. Combining approaches from cellular biochemistry, stem cell biology, nanotechnology, and synthetic biology, it aims to uncover how molecular and mechanical signals regulate processes such as neurodevelopment, tissue homeostasis, and organ regeneration. Bioinformatics, as a computational approach grounded in mathematics, plays a key role in modeling and analyzing these biological systems. Collectively, the work contributes to a deeper understanding of life’s organizational principles and paves the way for applications in bioengineering and biomimetics, as well as future clinical innovations in treating injury, degeneration, and disease.

The excellence area "Transforming Health Care" focuses on understanding and treating complex human diseases by integrating molecular medicine, clinical research, data-driven methodologies, and psychological science. Anchored in the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Psychology, the work spans a wide translational spectrum, from molecular and cellular mechanisms to patient-centered clinical applications and population health. Core areas include regenerative medicine, lipid research, cardiology, and neurology, complemented by expertise in clinical artificial intelligence and psychological neuroscience. A key goal is to uncover general mechanisms underlying chronic diseases, providing a foundation for broad, cross-cutting therapeutic advances. Mental health is a central component, with computational neuroscience offering new insights into the biological underpinnings of cognitive and affective disorders. Envisioned outcomes include the implementation of personalized clinical decision support tools, novel therapeutic strategies for cancer, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, and integrative care models that account for psychological and social determinants of health. This research effort strives to transform healthcare toward a predictive, preventive, and patient-centered paradigm.

Examples for projects in this Area of Excellence are:

• EXC PoL – Physics of Life. The Dynamic Organization of Living Matter

• CRC/Transregio 265 Losing and Regaining Control over Drug Intake: From Trajectories to Mechanisms to Interventions

• CRC/Transregio 237 Nucleic Acid Immunity

• CRC/Transregio 369 DIONE – Bone Degeneration Caused by Inflammation

• CRC/Transregio 205 The Adrenal. Central Relay in Health and Disease

• CRC/Transregio 393 Trajectories of Affective Disorders: Cognitive-Emotional Mechanisms of Symptom Change

• IRTG 2251 Immunological and Cellular Strategies in Metabolic Disease

• RTG 3120 Biomolecular Condensates: From Physics to Biological Functions

• IRTG 3019 Metabolic and Endocrine Drivers of Infection Susceptibility (MEDIS)

• IRTG 2773 Risks and Pathomechanisms of Affective Disorders

• SPP 2389 Emergent Functions of Bacterial Multicellular­ity

• FOR 5146 FerrOs – Defining the Osteohepatic Axis in the Context of Iron Homeostasis

• Reinhart Koselleck Project Research Into Long-Term Epigenetic Silencing Modules to Further Develop the Potential of Therapeutic Gene Editing

• Emmy Noether Grant Neocortex

• BMBF Future Cluster SaxoCell

• BMBF Future Cluster SEMECO – Secure Medical Microsystems and Communications

• SynoSys.PC – Synergy of Wearable Data Systems for Post-COVID

• BMBF Collaborative Project PACETherapy – Pathological cell extrusion therapy

• CIRCULATE Clinical study on tumor DNA in colorectal cancer

• BMBF Collaborative Project LISYM-KREBS – Detailed analysis of the spatial organization of hepatocellular carcinoma development

• BMBF Collaborative Project HEROES-AYA – Heterogeneity, evolution, and resistance of fusion gene–driven sarcomas in adolescents and young adults

• SaxoChild – German Center for Child and Adolescent Health

• BMBF Collaborative Project FERROPATH – Ferroptosis as a fundamental pathomechanism in ischemia/reperfusion tissue injury

• BMBF Medical Informatics Initiative CDS2USE – Design of clinical decision support systemsMiHUBx (1 of 6 regional hubs of digital medical infrastructure in Germany) – Medical Informatics Hub in Saxony

• MiHUBx (1 of 6 regional hubs of digital medical infrastructure in Germany) – Medical Informatics Hub in Saxony

• NUM – Nationales Forschungsnetzwerk der Universitätsmedizin zu Covid-19

• BMBF Funding Surgical AI Hub Germany

• ERC Consolidator Grant SynthNuc – Understanding Emergent Physical Properties of Chromatin Using Synthetic Nuclei

• ERC Consolidator Grant ALLOCHRONY – Quantitative Investigation of Interspecies Differences in Developmental Tempo

• ERC Starting Grant ONCO-ENERGETICS – Dissection of Bioenergetic Plasticity of Tumors

• ERC Advanced Grant LOSYSINCHRON – Local and systemic mechanisms for metabolic inflammation chronicity

• ERC Consolidator Grant INTERACT – The interplay of neural networks enabling social interaction

• EU HORIZON INTELLILUNG – Intelligent Lung Support for Mechanically Ventilated Patients in the Intensive Care Unit

• EU HORIZON ODELIA – Open Consortium for Decentralized Medical Artificial Intelligence

• EU HORIZON CYMEDSEC – Enhanced cybersecurity for networked medical devices through optimisation of guidelines, standards, risk management and security by design

• EFRE MR-LINAC – Magnetic Resonance Linear Accelerator

• Euratom KAYAC+ –Knowledge on outcome of adolescent and young adults with cancer

• AvH Professorship M. Ebisuya-Matsuda: Cell and Tissue Control

• AvH Professorship C. Becker: Neuronal Development and Regeneration

• Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health (EKFZ), funded by Else Kröner Fresenius Foundation

• Mildred Scheel Early Career Center P²-Personalized Career Planning in Precision Oncology

• Helmsley Trust, The Global Platform for Prevention of Autoimmune Diabetes (GPPAD)