Metabolic diseases

How can we keep our cells healthy for as long as possible? On the detektor.fm podcast “Forschungsquartett,” Dr. Katja Simon discusses autophagy — a cellular recycling system — and the role it plays in immune system aging.

Researchers at the the Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité and the Max Delbrück Center have identified a unique metabolic fingerprint in the hearts of patients with HFpEF and obesity. The findings, which were published in “Cardiovascular Research,” point to new drug targets.

How can we live longer while staying healthy? In the radio3 Ateliertalk, researcher Katja Simon joins guests from the worlds of art and photography to discuss longevity, healthy aging, and the role of autophagy.

Epidemiologist Tobias Pischon not only studies the incidence of chronic diseases in populations, but also why they develop. To better predict and prevent these conditions, he searches for molecular markers in the blood and studies the influence of environment, genes, and lifestyle.

Researchers in the lab of Michael Sigal at the Max Delbrück Center and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have elucidated the role of the p53 gene in ulcerative colitis. The study, published in “Science Advances,” suggests a potential new drug target to stop disease progression to cancer.

On August 1, 2023, Sofia Forslund will take up a W3 Professorship in Applied Microbiology at Charité. She will continue her scientific work at the ECRC, which involves close collaboration with researchers from the Max Delbrück Center and Charité.

Using single-cell technologies, Maike Sander and colleagues have observed a shift in the relative abundance of the two subtypes of pancreatic beta cells as type 2 diabetes unfolds. This knowledge could be leveraged to find novel drugs, they report in “Nature Genetics.”

Cells continually renew themselves by “digesting” unused cellular material. This mechanism is called autophagy – an area in which immunologist Katja Simon has specialized. She has devised ways to use it to slow down the aging of immune cells.

Dominik Müller investigates how lifestyle affects the molecular regulation processes in the body – such as how a high-sodium diet impacts the immune system and cardiovascular health. In doing so, he deliberately transcends the boundaries between disciplines.

Regulatory T cells ensure that immune responses happen in a controlled way. But eating too much salt weakens these cells’ energy supply, thus rendering them dysfunctional for a while. This may have implications for autoimmunity, an international team – including Dominik Müller – reports in “Cell Metabolism.”