“The funding of two CRCs is an indicator of the importance of Düsseldorf and in particular HHU as a research location. These projects will provide an added boost for important research fields in medicine and plant sciences,” says a delighted President Professor Dr Anja Steinbeck. “I would like to thank all members of the proposal team, whose commitment, motivation and expertise contributed to this honour.”
Funding for two projects at HHU
In the future, the new CRC 1774 “CARDIO-DIABETES-CROSSTALK” will examine the link between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Professor Dr Maria Grandoch, Head of the Institute of Translational Pharmacology, will assume the role of spokesperson. HHU and UKD are collaborating with the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) – a Leibniz research institute affiliated with HHU – on this multi-site project. The universities in Munich, Münster and Tübingen, as well as the Helmholtz Munich are also involved.
The already established CRC/TRR 341 “Plant Ecological Genetics” is now entering the second funding round. The function of spokesperson is based at the University of Cologne and held by Professor Dr Juliette de Meaux. The co-spokesperson and project lead in Düsseldorf is Professor Dr Korbinian Schneeberger (Institute of Crop Biology).
“CARDIO-DIABETES-CROSSTALK”
Several million people in Germany have diabetes, which is a condition that often leads to complications. For example, the risk of persons with diabetes developing cardiovascular conditions is about four times higher than that for people without diabetes. The new CRC 1774 “CARDIO-DIABETES-CROSSTALK” aims to investigate exactly how this link arises, focusing on the pathophysiology of both conditions. The goal is to identify the key molecular factors and interactions across different organ systems, which can explain how metabolic disorders develop and progress from the early stages of diabetes. To achieve this, CRC 1774 is focusing on research into both the molecular processes in organs involved in the early development of diabetes and their effects on the cardiovascular system.
The fact that the DFG will fund this research project in the future is a special honour for Principal Investigator Professor Maria Grandoch: “We are delighted by the DFG decision. The funding enables us to expand our joint research approaches further and address key questions in this field on an interdisciplinary basis.” CFC 1774 combines the priority research fields of the Medical Faculty at HHU. Professor Dr Nikolaj Klöcker, Dean of the Medical Faculty: “The CRC builds on our many years of expertise in research into cardiovascular conditions, while establishing a link to our focuses in metabolism/diabetes research and digital medicine.”
Professor Dr Robert Wagner (Departement of Endocrinology and Diabetology, and the DDZ) assumes the role of co-spokesperson. In Düsseldorf, Professor Dr Malte Kelm (Clinic of Cardiology, Pulmonary Diseases and Vascular Medicine), Professor Dr Michael Roden (Departement of Endocrinology and Diabetology), Professor Dr Tobias Marschall (Head of the Institute for Medical Biometry and Bioinformatics, Director of the Center for Digital Medicine), PD Dr med Mareike Cramer (Clinic of Cardiology, Pulmonary Diseases and Vascular Medicine), PD Dr Oana-Patricia Zaharia (Departement of Endocrinology and Diabetology) and Professor Dr Eckhart Lammert (Institute of Metabolic Physiology), among others, are also involved.
The project proposal submitted to the German Research Foundation involved funding totalling more than eleven million euros over a term of almost four years.
CRC/TRR 341 “Plant Ecological Genetics”
This CRC, which was established in 2022, addresses key plant science questions: Which traits and genes influence survival and reproduction of plants in their natural environment? And: Do different plant species use similar or different genetic methods to adapt to comparable ecological challenges? The scientists in CRC/TRR 341 are researching the genetic basis underlying how plants react to global environmental changes such as limited resource availability, abiotic stress and plant-plant competition to deliver findings, which can support future efforts to preserve valuable ecosystems.
In the second funding period, the researchers intend to integrate data across species, plant traits and environmental conditions – using state-of-the-art AI methods and computer models. At HHU, focuses include photosynthesis, wild barley and adaptation to drought and nutrient-poor soils. A new model organism will also be introduced at HHU: turnip rape (Brassica rapa), which belongs to the Brassicaceae family. The Citizen Science project “PUKI” (Plant • Environment • Climate • Interaction) is also part of the programme in Düsseldorf. Citizens can use an app (“Flora Incognita”) to identify certain plants in their environment and submit data about them.
Co-spokesperson Professor Korbinian Schneeberger: “Over the last few years in the collaborative research centre, we have been able to identify numerous genes and their variants, which influence plant yield depending on the environmental conditions. In the coming years, we want to gain a more precise understanding of the function of these genes and the conditions under which they are activated.”
In addition to the University of Cologne as the lead university and HHU as co-applicant, the universities in Bochum, Marburg and Potsdam, as well as the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) in Cologne are also involved in CRC/TRR 341. Funding totalling around twelve million euros over a term of four years was requested.
