A newly discovered receptor could form the basis for a diabetes therapy. Physical principles underlying vascular networks are enabling the development of new sensors to study thrombosis. A modified signaling molecule activates the body’s immune defenses in the fight against cancer – these are three of the five projects by TUM researchers that will receive ERC Proof of Concept grants. Through these grants, the European Research Council (ERC) supports innovations based on research findings. [read more]

AI models – for example, those used for cancer detection – are trained on patients’ health data. Even the mere fact that personal data has been incorporated into a model can have negative consequences for those affected if this information falls into the wrong hands. In “Nature”, a research team now shows that, using the right methods, this sensitive information can be extracted from models far more effectively than previously thought. [read more]

How can we observe the earliest stages of supernovae? How can we prevent aggressive pancreatic tumors from suppressing the immune system? Two projects at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) with Advanced Grants, will address these questions. This brings the total number of ERC grants at TUM to 265. [read more]

Immunotherapies are a promising approach in the fight against cancer. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a lab-on-a-chip system called CellTrap. It makes it possible to observe the interactions between immune cells and cancer cells at the single-cell level. The method is intended to help better understand fundamental processes in cancer immunology and answer key questions. [read more]

The M1 Munich Medicine Alliance is awarding funding for cutting-edge translational research from Munich for the first time. Through the “Innovations for Patients” program, seven research projects will receive a total of 7.45 million euros. Five of the cross-institutional projects are coordinated by researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). M1 is an alliance of TUM, TUM University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and its hospital, and Helmholtz Munich. [read more]

A method to shed unprecedented views into skin diseases: that was the goal when the INNODERM project was launched in 2016 under the leadership of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). It has yielded a novel imaging modality that can see deeper and with higher discrimination beneath the skin surface than any competing method today. The project has now been chosen as the winner of the European Commission’s 2021 ECS Innovation Award. [read more]

Why do alterations of certain genes cause cancer only in specific organs of the human body? Scientists have now demonstrated that cells originating from different organs are differentially susceptible to activating mutations in cancer drivers: The same mutation in precursor cells of the pancreas or the bile duct leads to fundamental different outcomes. This is caused by tissue-specific genetic interactions. [read more]

AI algorithms can support medical personnel in diagnosing illnesses. However, to train these algorithms, a precious good warranting careful protection must be accessed: medical data. A team of researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed a technology that ensures that patients’ personal data are protected in the training of algorithms. It is now being used for the first time in an algorithm that identifies pneumonia in paediatric x-ray images. [read more]

Immunomodulatory drugs, including the Contergan derivatives lenalidomide and pomalidomide, have significantly improved the therapy of hematologic malignancies such as multiple myeloma. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now further decoded the mode of action in this class of medications. At the same time, they identified new innovative targeted cancer therapies. [read more]

Autoimmune diseases, in which the body's own immune system attacks healthy tissue, can be life-threatening and can impact all organs. A research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now found a possible cause for these self-destructive immune system attacks: a hyperactive RANK protein on the surface of B cells. The research opens the door to new therapeutic possibilities. [read more]