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Protection For Nerve Cells Delivered Through The Nose
Material and picture: Dr Bettina Buchthal Protective proteins that mitigate the destruction of nerve cells after a stroke can be administered into the brain through the nose, as Heidelberg University researchers demonstrated using a mouse model.The team led by Prof. Dr Hilmar Bading is laying the scientific groundwork for new forms of therapy that inhibit degenerative processes in humans. Prof. Bading's team is concentrating on the body's own neuroprotective mechanisms. The most recent results of their work were published in “Molecular Therapy”. In cooperation with Dr. Bettina Buchthal and Ursula Weiß, Prof. Bading was able to demonstrate that nasal administration paves the way for new treatment approaches for neurodegenerative diseases. They verified this concept using a mouse model. According to Hilmar Bading, mice who received this treatment exhibited less brain damage after a stroke in certain regions of the brain. |
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IZN Retreat July 2018 |
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IZN / Chica and Heinz Schaller Young Investigator Neuroscience Award: Max Richter |
IZN Students Poster Prize: Diego Benusiglio Diego Benusiglio, Yan Tang, Shiyi Wang, Xinying Liu, Valery Grinevich: Sensory-driven activation of oxytocin neurons during social interaction |
Foundation BrainAid IZN Master’s Award 2018: Melina Castelanelli Evaluation of neuronal optogenetic manipulation in vitro and in freely moving mice |
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Photos by Jing Yan, IZN Neurobiology. All photos here. |
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IZN Chica and Heinz Schaller Young Investigator Neuroscience Award zum dritten Mal vergeben
Anlässlich des jährlichen Retreats des Interdisziplinären Zentrums für Neurowissenschaften (IZN) im Kloster Schöntal wurde am 02.07.18 zum dritten Mal der IZN Chica and Heinz Schaller Young Investigator Neuroscience Award für eine herausragende Publikation auf dem Gebiet der Neurowissenschaften vergeben. Der Preis ist mit 1.000 Euro dotiert und benannt nach den Stiftern, Frau Professor Chica Schaller und Herrn Professor Heinz Schaller (†2010), die beide am Wissenschaftsstandort Heidelberg tätig waren und als Pioniere der modernen Molekularbiologie und Neurobiologie gelten.
Preisträger ist der 29-jährige Max Richter, der für seine im April 2018 erschienene Arbeit „Distinct in vivo roles of secreted APP ectodomain variants APPsα and APPsβ in regulation of spine density, synaptic plasticity, and cognition“ ausgezeichnet wurde. Diese Arbeit wurde in der renommierten Zeitschrift „EMBO Journal“ publiziert, darüber hinaus wurde eine Gewebsfärbung aus der Arbeit für das Titelbild der Zeitschrift ausgewählt.
Das Preiskomitee begründet seine Entscheidung wie folgt: Die Studie von Herrn Richter und seinen Kolleginnen und Kollegen zeigt einen neuen, potentiell therapeutisch nutzbaren Ansatz, die Alzheimer Erkrankung zu behandeln. Dazu wurde ein Protein identifiziert, welches das Denkvermögen und die Merkfähigkeit im Modell der Alzheimer Erkrankung verbessert. Dieses Protein ist ein Spaltprodukt des sog. Amyloid Precursor Proteins, dem bisher eine ausschließlich negative, krankheits-begünstigende Funktion zugeschrieben wurde. Vor dem Hintergrund der in jüngster Vergangenheit fehlgeschlagenen großen multizentrischen Studien zur Alzheimer Erkrankung und der Entscheidung zahlreicher pharmazeutischer Unternehmen, ihre Forschung auf dem so wichtigen Gebiet der Alzheimer Erkrankung zu stoppen, würdigt das Preiskomitee den engagierten Einsatz universitärer Forscher wie Herrn Richter, die dem Feld der Alzheimer Forschung neue Impulse und Hoffnung geben.
Hannah Monyer erhält den Akademiepreis 2018 der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Berlin, 25. Juni 2018. Der mit 50.000 Euro dotierte Akademiepreis der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften für herausragende wissenschaftliche Leistungen geht in diesem Jahr an die Neurowissenschaftlerin Prof. Dr. Hannah Monyer, Leiterin der Abteilung Klinische Neurobiologie, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) Heidelberg und Medizinische Fakultät der Universität Heidelberg. Der Preis gehört zu den höchsten Auszeichnungen, welche die Akademie zu vergeben hat. Die Preisverleihung findet am 30. Juni 2018 im Rahmen der Festsitzung zum Leibniztag statt.
Die herausragenden wissenschaftlichen Leistungen Hannah Monyers beruhen darauf, dass sie in bewundernswerter Weise zentrale Fragen der Hirnforschung stets mit einem Repertoire von fortgeschrittensten experimentellen Methoden u.a. aus der Gentechnik, der Optogenetik und der Elektrophysiologie angeht. Mehr...
Researchers discover receptor for the protein fragment APPsα mediating its physiological function
A cleavage product of the Alzheimer's APP protein stimulates nerve cell communication and memory. The protein fragment, known as APPsα, has neuroprotective properties and acts as a signal molecule on other nerve cells. But how does it influence brain functions?
An international research team led by Prof. Dr Ulrike Müller 
of the IZN has gained new insights into the molecular mechanism underlying its physiological functions. Full article...
Photo: Max Richter, Müller research group
Neuroprotective role of APPsα: A histological section through the hippocampus is depicted in the background. The red staining shows APPsα in neuronal cell bodies. The green staining shows the dendritic processes of nerve cells.
EMBL scientists discover how a molecule’s role changes from simple metabolite to instructive signal
Among developmental biologists, the signalling molecule retinoic acid is well known for its role in building the vertebrate body. Not much is known, however, about how such signals emerge in evolution. To investigate this, the IZN's Detlef Arendt lab at EMBL in Heidelberg has studied the role of retinoic acid signalling in a marine worm. In the study published in Science Advances , the team and its collaborators show that in the worm, retinoic acid acts like a metabolic timer that helps neurons to form at the right time and place during development.
Image: Mette Handberg-Thorsager/EMBL
Open positions at the IZN
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The group of Prof. Draguhn at the Institute for Physiology and Pathophysiology is looking for a scientific research associate for neurophysiology. The applicant should be interested in studying neuronal network oscillations and functional ensembles in the hippocampus and adjacent brain areas of the rodent. The work will be at the cellular, network and behavioral levels, both in vitro and in vivo. In addition to research, the work will include teaching medical students the whole field of physiology.
posted 09.2018 -
The Center for Biomedicine and Medical Technology Mannheim (CBTM) is seeking a full-time scientific assistant in the Department of Neurophysiology (Prof. Treede). The focus of the group is on translational pain research (models of back pain and nerve pain, diabetes consequences, signal transduction).
posted 09.2018 -
The group of Prof.Dr. Beate Niesler is seeking a Master Thesis student to work on neurogastroenterologic disorders, resulting impairments of the enteric nervous system (ENS), the 'second brain' in our gut, and the elucidation of underlying pathomechanisms.
posted 07.2018 -
The Department of Experimental Pain Research at the Medical Faculty Mannheim (Prof.Dr. Martin Schmelz) is offering a PhD position in a project funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG) entitled 'Selective activation of nociceptor sub-groups by slowly depolarizing electrical stimuli'.
posted 07.2018 -
The research group of Dr. Kevin Allen is seeking a student to work as a research assistant (HiWi) on the neuronal basis of spatial behavior. The group is interested in the spatial representations generated within the mammalian brain and their contributions to spatial behavior and memory. The spatial representations generated by grid cells in the medial entorhinal cortex are a prominent example. The student will acquire experience in a wide array of techniques, including in vivo tetrode recordings in mice, data analysis, and histological analysis.
posted 07.2018 - The Functional Neuroanatomy group of Prof. Dr. Thomas Kuner is searching for a highly motivated PhD student to investigate the synaptic nanoarchitecture with a focus on the distribution of synaptic vesicle proteins. The project will employ a super-resolution microscopy setup (3D /d/STORM) equipped with an automated pipetting system.
Furthermore, a Master or an MD position is open for a sub-project intended to delineate the ultrastructural organization of active zones. posted 07.2018
- The research group of Prof. Andreas Draguhn is offering a PhD position to help untangle the molecular mechanisims by which Bcl11b/Ctip2 regulates development, maintenance and network-level functions of mossy fiber connectivitiy in CA3. The project combines state-of-the-art molecular, ultrastructural as well as electrophysiological strategies, and it will qualify PhD students both in the field of molecular/cellular neurobiology as well as cellular/systems neurophysiology. posted 06.2018
- A PhD position is open at the Department of Neurophysiology lead by Prof. Treede to validate electrophysiological techniques on human models of pain. The main objective of the work is to improve the translatability of recordings in pain pathways of healthy subjects and preclinical species. The successful candidate will investigate the analgesic effects in the brain, the spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system. posted 05.2018
- The research group of Dr. Sidney Cambridge (Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Prof.Dr. Thomas Kuner) is looking for a highly motivated and well-trained student (f/m) for a Masters research project in cellular neurophysiology. The project will involve genetic manipulation of neuronal activity in a small population and assessing network changes in activity as compensatory homeostatic mechanisms. posted 05.2018
- A PhD position in Neurobiology and Alzheimer Research is available in the laboratory of Prof. Ulrike Müller studying the synaptic roles of the APP gene family and their processing products. Techniques employed include state-of-the-art molecular biology, biochemistry, imaging and work with genetically modified mouse mutants (gain and loss of function studies) and viral vectors. posted 04.2018
- The Ruiz de Almodóvar group is interested in the mechanisms of neurovascular development in mice and is looking for a motivated HiWi student to help with basic experimental techniques such as mouse genotyping, cell culture and histology. posted 03.2018
- The Developmental Neurobiology group of Prof. Elisabeth Pollerberg is looking for a highly motivated postdoc whose project will focus on the interactions of cell adhesion molecules with other types of proteins and the impact of these interactions on axon elongation and navigation. Substantial amounts of data have already been collected for several projects and the postdoc is expected to complete and publish these studies. In addition, a new translational project could be started aiming at the improvement of axon regeneration. posted 02.2018
Contact
Managing Director:
Prof. Dr. Hilmar Bading
IZN-Neurobiology, University of Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 364
D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| Phone: | +49 - 6221 - 54 8218 |
| Fax: | +49 - 6221 - 54 6700 |
| email: | Bading@nbio.uni-heidelberg.de |
Coordinator:
Dr. Otto Bräunling
IZN-Neurobiology, University of Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, 1.OG
D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| Phone: | +49 - 6221 - 54 8694, 56 39007 |
| Fax: | +49 - 6221 - 54 6700 |
| email: | Braeunling@nbio.uni-heidelberg.de |
Administration & Information:
Irmela Meng
IZN-Neurobiology, University of Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, 1.OG
D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| Phone: | +49 - 6221 - 54 8219 |
| Fax: | +49 - 6221 - 54 6700 |
| email: | Sekretariat@nbio.uni-heidelberg.de |
