European Research Council honours UKE scientists

The award-winning project "Microglia Control of Physiological Brain States (MicroCOPS)" is based on the assumption that the mutual signal transmission between neurons and microglia is crucial for a healthy and efficient brain.  Oertner, who is also Deputy Director of the Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH) at UKE, remarked: "Microglia act as a local immune system, protect the brain from infections and generally ensure that nothing goes wrong. Although there is a lot of speculation about possible additional functions of microglia, the knowledge about these cells is still very fragmented." There are indications that microglia play a key role in neurological diseases. The four professors, who hail from Hamburg, Göttingen, New York and Paris, now aim to pool their expertise in gene expression analysis and state-of-the-art imaging technologies to advance the fight against neurological disorders and gain a clearer picture of how the brain works.

This is the first ERC Synergy Grant with a total funding volume of EUR 10 million, according to UKE. The hospital has already received 22 ERC Grants. The State Research Funding Hamburg has funded research projects focusing on the interaction between the immune and nervous systems since 2016. Findings from these pilot projects help UKE succeed in the Europe-wide bid for the best research concepts.

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