Project start for three translational, DZG-overarching research projects in Dresden

Jointly against common diseases! This is the mission of the German Centers for Health Research (DZGs). Their scientists are working to optimize the translation of research results into patient care and thus significantly improve the prevention and treatment of these diseases. In Dresden the three DZGs (DZNE, DZD/PLID und DKTK) are closely networking since years. During the annual joint symposium of the DZGs in March the call for joint projects was opened, allowing junior scientist to apply for seed-funding. The aim of this funding is to enable new translational activities between the DZGs in Dresden that arise at the thematic interfaces of the centers.

Last Friday, the time had finally come: project start for the winners of this year's DZG-overarching research projects in Dresden. The winners were honored at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Dresden by the three DZG speakers Prof. Gerd Kempermann, Prof. Mechthild Krause and Prof. Michele Solimena.

This year, three project teams were awarded 10,000 euros of start-up funding:

• Anja Feldmann (DKTK), Anne Eugster (PLID/DZD) and Anke Fuchs (DKTK) with their project "CAR brakes - Equipping Treg cells with chimeric antigen receptors to halt aberrant immunity".
• Joshua Thomas (DZNE) and Tiago Alves (PLID/DZD) with their project "Interrogating aberrant SMA metabolic pathways for potential combinatorial treatment targets"
• Yanni Morgenroth (PLID/DZD) and Rebekka Wehner (DKTK) with their project "Abundance and Morphometry of Endocrine and Immune Cells in Islets of Langerhans Derived from Living Donors in Health and Type 2 Diabetes"

We congratulate the winner and are looking forward to the results of the projects that will be presented at next year’s Joint Dresden DZG-Symposium.