Ageing & Disease
Age-associated diseases (e.g. cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases) are some of the biggest killers facing modern society. The primary cause of ageing is loss of cell function due to DNA damage, epigenetic dysregulation, and protein mis-folding. We study each of these three mechanisms to determine their roles in ageing and disease. By doing this, we hope to find new ways to prevent diseases or even slow ageing.
Keywords: Telomeres, histone modifications, DNA methylation, proteostasis, mutation, DNA repair, immune system, autoimmunity, neurodegeneration, metabolic disease, cancer
Key techniques used: CRISPR-CAS9, embryonic stem cell culture, 3D organoid assays, flow cytometry, next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)
IPP Groups in Ageing & Disease:
| Institute | Group | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Andreas Daiber | The role of DNA damage in the pathogenesis of nitrate tolerance |
| Ari Waisman | Development and regulation of IL-17 producing cells during inflammation |
 | Benedikt Berninger | Lineage reprogramming glia into neurons |
 | Claudia Keller Valsecchi | Biology of gene dosage alterations |
| Daniela Kramer | Regulation of pro-inflammatory gene expression in autoinflammatory diseases, infections and cancer |
| Dorothee Dormann | Molecular mechanisms of RNA-binding protein dysfunction in neurodegenerative dieseases |
| Edward Lemke | Synthetic biophysics of protein disorder |
| Helle Ulrich | Genome maintenance and ubiquitin-dependent signalling |
| Julian König | RNA modifications & regulation |
| Katja Luck | Integrative Systems Biology |
| Luciana Berod | T cell metabolism and cell fate decisions |
| Marie-Luise Winz | Co-translational quality control in eukaryotic cells |
| Marion Silies | Gene regulatory mechanisms underlying neuronal function |
| Michael Kühn | Deciphering chromatin-based oncogenic mechanisms in NPM1 leukemia |
| Nard Kubben | Biology of ageing & ageing-related diseases |
| Natalia Soshnikova | Intestinal stem cell biology in homeostasis and cancer |
| Oliver Tüscher | Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Mental Resilience |
| Peter Baumann | Telomere biology and chromosomal inheritance |
| Philipp Wild | Systems Medicine approaches to Age-related Diseases in Humans |
| Sandra Schick | Genome regulation by chromatin remodelling during development and disease |
| Sara Vieira-Silva | Human Microbiome Ecology |
| Stephan Grabbe | Skin Immunology & Immunotherapy of Skin Tumours |
| Susann Schweiger | Genetic Diseases of the Central Nervous System |
| Sven Danckwardt | Dynamics of transcriptome 3’end diversity in development and disease |
| Thomas Hankeln | Globins in the nucleus |
| Thomas Hofmann | DNA damage & Cancer |
| Tim Sparwasser | Infection Immunology |
| Tobias Bopp | Immune regulation in aging |
| Uwe Wolfrum | Ciliary protein function: roles in DNA damage repair and gene regulation |
| Wolfram Ruf | Coagulation signaling in innate immunity |