Principle investigator: Prof. Dr. Aria Baniahmad
Deutsche Krebshilfe 2020 - 2023
Projektleiterin: Prof. Dr. Britta Qualmann
DFG 2020-2020
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common diagnosed cancer in men. PCa is inhibited by inactivation of the androgen receptor (AR). However, it emerges that the AR possesses also tumor suppressive function. Novel therapy uses bipolar androgen therapy (BAT). The underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The specificity of androgen level-dependent of the transcriptome signatures and chromatin will be identified to shed light into useful pathways of BAT and into senescence of cancer cells.
Principle investigator: PD Dr. Olivia Engmann
IZKF AMSP 2019-2022
Depression is the most common mental illness worldwide. Caffeine rapidly alters depression-related symptoms, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we characterize a novel mood-elevating pathway in the mouse brain reward system.
- Through RNA-sequencing we have determined gene expression changes linked to improved mood.
- Using virus-mediated gene transfer, we establish causality between gene products, physiological changes and their antidepressant effects.
- Key molecular changes are translated to human patients using postmortem brain tissue.
Principle investigator: Dr. Shoko Komatsuzaki
EKFS AntiAge 2020 - 2023
A homozygous variant in the histone acetyltransferase 1 (HAT1) gene was identified in a patient with dystonia, microcephaly and mental retardation. Like fibroblasts from knockout mice, the patient's fibroblasts show impaired DNA repair and cell cycle arrest. In order to prove the pathogenicity of the variant and to be able to examine the effects in vivo, a knock-in mouse model is being generated.