News

November 2023 – A study by the BernhagenLab and collaborators shows that specific plant proteins resemble human signaling proteins of the immune system and can bind to their receptors. While representing basic cross-discipline research, the work might have translational implications, as the receptors are drivers of cardiovascular diseases and inflammation.>>

November 2023 – A study by Anna Steward and Nicolai Franzmeier reveals that ApoE4 carriers experience faster and earlier disease progression due to amyloid's impact on tau. These results urge earlier intervention for ApoE4 carriers who show reduced efficacy in response to anti-amyloid drugs. This insight, crucial for 40-60% of sporadic AD cases, suggests a potential shift in therapy approaches, advocating for tailored clinical studies to validate this new paradigm. >>

November 2023 – Of the world’s population of scientists, Highly Cited Researchers™ are 1 in 1,000. The current list from Clarivate identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their field through the publication of highly cited papers. >>

October 2023 – The meeting started with a lecture Fabrice Dabertrand, University of Colorado: “From impaired cerebral blood flow to cognitive impairment“. Following this, the Early Career investigators went downtown for a Munich Experience event. The following days were filled with stimulating discussion and new ideas for collaborations. The whole team is exicted about the work ahead.>>

October 2023 – Main results from TREAT-SVDs, an EU funded multicenter, open-label, randomised, crossover trial were presented at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC) in Munich and recently published in the Lancet Neurolgy. The results show that four weeks of treatment with amlodipine, losartan, or atenolol did not differ in their effects on cerebrovascular reactivity in people with sporadic small vessel disease but did result in differential treatment effects in patients with CADASIL. >>

August 2023 – Neuroimmune interactions exhibit remarkable complexity, and exploring brain borders has gained significant attention in the quest for innovative approaches to diagnose, monitor, and treat brain pathologies. The recent discovery of connections between the skull and meninges has brought the skull into focus. A large collaborative research team led by the Erturk lab extensively examined the molecular and structural aspects of the skull in both mice and humans. Their findings demonstrated that skull inflammation can serve as an indicator of brain inflammation in patients suffering from diverse neurological disorders. >>

July 2023 – Researchers at the Erturk lab have introduced wildDISCO, a groundbreaking method that utilizes standard antibodies to achieve deep penetration into the whole mouse body, generating high-resolution 3D atlases of neurons, immune cells, the vasculature, and lymphatic vessels. With unprecedented insights into anatomical and functional connections among multiple organs and systems, wildDISCO promises to revolutionize disease understanding, drug development, and medical education. >>

July 2023 – ISD research teams gathered for the annual scientific retreat to present their projects and discuss science. The meeting included presentations from Ph.D. students, an evening poster session, invited speaker talks, and focused workshops such as the one on AI by Hannah Spitzer. The meeting further served as an opportunity to familiarize people with the medium- and long-term strategy of ISD.

May 2023 – The European Stroke Organisation Conference ESOC 2023 opened with a public awareness campaign and proceeded with an extensive scientific programme including the presentation of large international trials in plenaries, workshops, teaching courses and other formats. ISD researchers served as the local hosts and also presented results >>

May 2023 – Small vessel disease (SVD) accounts for ~25% of strokes, more than doubles the risk of future stroke, and contributes to up to 45% of dementia cases. In 2013, STandards for ReportIng Vascular Changes on nEuroimaging 1 (STRIVE-1) categorised features of SVD that are visible on structural MRI and defined standards on multiple levels up to reporting. In an international effort with other experts ISD investigators now updated guidance on imaging of vascular changes in studies of ageing and neurodegeneration to create STRIVE-2 >>

May 2023 – The 3rd edition of "The EMBO Workshop on Stroke-Immunology" will take place from September 18 to 21, 2023 at Schloss Hohenkammer in the iconic country side of Munich. The meeting provides a unique environment for scientists at all career levels to access recent advances in the rapidly evolving field of stroke and neuroimmunology research and to expand on collaborations. >>

March 2023 – The DFG awarded an Emmy Noether Award to Marios Georgakis for establishing an independent junior research group focusing on the inflammatory mechanisms driving atheroprogression. His team will analyze high-dimensional data aiming to discover novel anti-inflammatory drug targets for cardiovascular disease, map molecular and histological immunophenotypes associated with atheroprogression, and uncover imaging and circulating biomarkers of human atheroinflammation >>

March 2023 – The first biannual network meeting will be held on March 26-28, 2023 in New York City. Principal Investigators will present their research programs while also giving Early Career Investigators an opportunity to introduce their work. The International Network of Excellence on Brain Endothelium: A Nexus for Cerebral Small Vessel Disease (BRENDA) is coordinated by Martin Dichgans and Frank Faraci (Iowa) and funded by the Leducq Foundation >>

January 2023 – The Hertie Foundation will continue funding for its Network of Excellence in Clinical Neuroscience. The program provides support to junior scientists (four from LMU and TUM) and facilitates collaborations across participating sites. The scientific focus of the Munich site (Speakers: M. Dichgans and Thomas Korn) is on neurovascular, neurodegenerative, and neuroinflammatory diseases and their underlying mechanisms. >>