New initiatives in 6G and cancer research are aiming for larger research projects that will establish the transCampus on a broader scale.

Meanwhile, the tC International Research Training Groups can look back on a successful year.

The expansion of the transCampus between King's College London and TU Dresden has taken another important step forward. The cooperation has already become more diverse and broader thanks to the many project groups that have been set up in recent years. Three of them now get special funding from the transCampus Excellence Budget to intensify their research. The different projects working on leukemia research, quantum technology in 6G and bipolar disorders shall lead to external project proposals. In this way, the transCampus is to be expanded to include further supporting pillars, in addition to the established networks around the Research Training Groups "Metabolic Diseases" (IRTG 2251) and "Affective Disorders" (IRTG 2773).

Quantum semantics for 6G and more

The project brings transCampus together with the CeTI Cluster of Excellence. Assistant Professor Riccardo Bassoli and Osvaldo Simeone, PhD, from the Centre for Intelligent Information Processing Systems at King's aim at tackling some of the barriers to semantic and goal-oriented communications. The team will investigate on these research questions in order to find quantum technology-based solutions to the current excessive energy consumption and other limitations. In addition, they also organize a second edition of the summer school on "Quantum Communication Networks & Technologies" planned for May 2025, bringing together industry representatives and early-career researchers.

Since the beginning of last year, CeTi and King's College London have also been collaborating in the field of medical technology. A total of four PhD students are working in Dresden and London, supervised by Assistan Prof. Giang Nguyen, Prof.in Stefanie Speidel (TUD) and Prof.in Toktam Mahmoodi (King's) on interface topics between 6G technologies and surgical interventions. There is also a collaboration with Prof. Gerhard Fettweis' Chair of Mobile Communication Systems going on. Telecommunications technology has thus become an important research area of the transCampus.

Cell research in the leukemic niche of the bone marrow

PD Dr. Manja Wobus ' project addresses an urgent clinical issue and focuses on the development of personalized therapies for patients with aggressive forms of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a deadly malignancy with limited treatment options and a poor prognosis. Together with Lynn Quek, PhD, from the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the team wants to decipher the "dysregulation of metabolic and immune cells" in order to fight leukemia more effectively.

The project is part of a longer history of cooperation between the Haematology Department of the Medical Clinic I and King's College. In smaller joint studies and teaching collaborations, the Dresden scientists have established many contacts with London in recent years. The current project offers the opportunity to enter the next phase and establish a framework and acquire resources for a long-term cooperation.

Cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder

One of the strong areas of the transCampus is the research on causes and treatment of mental disorders. PD Dr. Philipp Ritter's project from the Department of Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine aims to expand the successful network, which already includes an international Research Training Group and, since 2024, a CRC transregio with London participation, by adding a pillar in the United Kingdom: together with colleagues from the Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience at King's and Prof. Ercan Altinsoy from the Institute of Acoustics and Speech Communication at TUD, they want to apply to a funding body in the UK with the topic "Neural correlates of cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder".

Successful work in the International Research Training Groups

In recent months, the International Research Training Group 2773 welcomed four new doctoral students who took up their positions in summer and late fall and are now enriching the scientific network on "Affective Disorders". A highlight for the IRTG doctoral students was the joint discussion with Nobel Prize winner Prof. Thomas Südhof at the "From Research to Successful Publication" event. But the greatest success of the scientific network in 2024 was the funding approval for the Collaborative Research Center "Trajectories of Affective Disorders", with Prof.in Andrea Pfennig and Prof. Michael Bauer as co-speakers. Launched in October, the London-based colleagues Prof. Carmine Pariante and Prof. Allan Young are also involved. 

Nine doctoral students completed their time in the Research Training Group IRTG 2251 "Metabolic diseases" with equally great success: four graduated with summa cum laude and five with magna cum laude. These results reflect the excellent training offered by the research training group, which now comprises 90 students from 38 countries. They come together annually for retreats in Dresden or London, which have developed into major professional events. Held in conjunction with the roadshows organized by Prof. Stefan Bornstein, Director of Medical Clinic III, high-ranking international researchers take part. 

The fact that the transCampus is at the forefront of metabolic and diabetes research is also demonstrated by its participation in international expert commissions: Under the chairmanship of Prof. Francesco Rubino (King's College) and with Stefan Bornstein as a member, the Global Commission on Clinical Obesity published new guidelines for the diagnosis of obesity at a highly acclaimed Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology event in January.